Patient acquisition case study

From 25 to 126 new patient inquiries — and 29 booked procedures

Here's exactly what we did for Dr. Whitfield's practice, why it worked, and what the same approach would look like for yours.

126

New patient inquiries per month, up from 25

Inquiries that moved forward with a procedure

49.2x

Return on ad spend, measured against booked revenue

The problem we started with

Dr. Whitfield's practice was doing what most high-quality practices do: running broad social ads and Google Search campaigns aimed at "people interested in plastic surgery" in her metro area.

The ads weren't bad. The targeting was.

"People interested in plastic surgery" isn't an audience — it's dozens of audiences wearing the same trench coat.

A 38-year-old mother of two evaluating a tummy tuck and a 52-year-old executive evaluating a facelift aren't the same buyer. They don't share the same objections, timeline, or definition of a good result. One ad set aimed at both is generic enough to miss both.

The insight that changed the campaign

When we looked at what patients actually did on the site — not what they said, what they clicked — the pattern was clear. Nobody scrolled the whole before-and-after gallery. They looked for themselves in it: same age range, same body type, same starting point.

Patients aren't looking for proof the procedure works. They already assume it does. They're looking for proof it'll work for someone like them.

So we rebuilt the site and the ad creative around matching, not showcasing — letting patients filter results by age, body type, and procedure to see outcomes that started where they were starting.

What we actually ran

Google Ads

Captured broad, high-intent search demand — people actively researching procedures, comparing surgeons, and looking up pricing before they've settled on who to call.

Local Services Ads

Captured the highest-intent, bottom-of-funnel searches — people searching by name, procedure, or "near me." We made sure Dr. Whitfield showed up first, with reviews and credentials front and center.

Segmented social campaigns

Distinct creative built around specific life-stage audiences, instead of one ad set targeting everyone. Same practice, same procedures, different message for each group.

Funnel-stage retargeting

First-time visitors saw education and credibility content. Gallery and pricing visitors saw testimonials. People who'd inquired but hadn't booked saw recovery timelines and financing.

Where the numbers came from

Of the 126 monthly inquiries the new campaign structure generated, 61 converted to a booked consultation, and 29 moved forward with a procedure — roughly a 23% inquiry-to-procedure rate, well above the practice's prior baseline.

Monthly new patient inquiries before and after the campaign restructure — a five-fold increase in volume, without a change in the practice's service area or pricing.

Why this works

Most agencies scale spend. This scales precision. A practice running one generic campaign is competing for attention with every other surgeon in the market using nearly identical positioning — the same stock-style before-and-afters, the same "board certified" badge, the same "book your consultation" button.

The moment you segment by who the patient actually is instead of what procedure they're browsing, you stop competing on volume and start winning on relevance.

What this would look like for your practice

Audit current inquiry sources and identify where broad targeting is wasting spend.
Rebuild ad segmentation around your actual patient types, not just your procedure menu.
Launch Google Ads, Local Services Ads, segmented social, and retargeting in parallel.
Track inquiry, consult, and booking at every stage, so we know exactly what's converting.

First month costs less than a single day of your front desk payroll. You see real numbers before you commit to anything longer.

Reply "Ads" and we'll send the exact cost breakdown and timeline for your practice.