Are you investing or just spending? Most clinics don't know how much a patient costs them
One of the most common mistakes is to believe that digital marketing is "expensive" or "cheap" without having a real criterion. It's not about what you pay, it's about what you get back. A campaign that costs $1,000 USD can be excellent if it generates 10 patients that leave $3,000 each. But if you don't measure anything, you won't know if it worked.
This article explains how to calculate how much it costs to attract a patient with digital marketing, what factors influence it and how to invest strategically.
What are the real costs involved in attracting patients?
1. Investment in advertising (Google Ads, Meta Ads)
- Cost per click (CPC): what you pay for each visit.
- Cost per lead: what you pay for each form, call or WhatsApp.
- Country targeting: US and Canada have higher CPCs than Mexico or LATAM.
2. Content creation and design
- Optimized landing page copywriting.
- Publications for SEO networks or blog articles.
- Videos or visual materials.
3. Web maintenance and CRM
- Hosting, updates, online forms.
- Follow-up platform (CRM, WhatsApp Business, automated mailing).
4. Agency or internal team fees
- Campaign management.
- Monthly SEO optimization.
- Strategy and data analysis.
How is the actual cost per patient calculated?
Suppose that in one month:
- You invest $1,200 USD (ads, design, SEO, CRM).
- You get 80 leads (forms, messages, calls).
- Of those, 16 become patients.
Cost per lead: $1,200 ÷ 80 = $15
Cost per patient: $1,200 ÷ 16 = $75
Now think: does the average patient leave more than $75 in your clinic? If the answer is yes, you are generating return. If not, you need to adjust strategy, process or channel.
How much should a clinic that wants to grow invest?
It depends on the target and the average ticket per patient. Here is an estimate:
| Monthly target | Suggested minimum investment |
|---|---|
| Attract 10 patients from $500 | $800 – $1,000 |
| Attract 15 patients from $1,000 | $1,200 – $1,800 |
| Attract 20 patients from $2,000+. | $2,000 – $3,500 |
Important: more investment ≠ more results... if you don't have strategy, follow-up and aligned content.
Factors that increase cost (and how to reduce it)
Factors that elevate it:
- Poorly defined segmentation.
- Generic Landing page.
- Failure to respond to leads in a timely manner.
- Slow web, no mobile version.
- Advertising without optimization.
How to reduce it:
- Align campaigns with specific searches ("dental implants for Americans in Mexico").
- Improve web loading speed.
- Optimize content by intent.
- Implement automated tracking.
How do you know if your investment is working?
Minimum metrics you must track:
- Cost per lead.
- Cost per patient.
- ROI per treatment.
- Conversion by channel (Google, networks, blog, WhatsApp).
- Lead response time.
Without this data, any investment is a shot in the dark.
Conclusion: It's not about spending less, it's about investing better.
Digital marketing is not an expense. It is an investment that should be measured by patients captured and return generated. If you are not measuring your costs per lead and patient, you don't have a strategy, just a list of expenses.
At Torres CreativeWe design recruitment systems for clinics that want real results: patients who book, treatments that sell, investment that is recovered.
Don't ask how much marketing costs. Ask how much you're losing by not doing it right.