In today’s competitive healthcare landscape, delivering excellent care is just the beginning. To truly thrive, radiation oncology practices need to connect meaningfully and consistently with patients, referring providers, and their communities.  

I’ve spent more than a decade helping cancer centers to grow, and here’s what I know for sure: the most successful practices prioritize relationships.  If you want to level up your strategy, here are five simple but proven approaches that can make a real difference. 

1. Build a Patient-Centered Brand  

When someone hears the words “you have cancer,” their entire world shifts. Your brand has to be the calm in that storm – clear, compassionate, and credible. 

What this looks like from a marketing standpoint: 

• A clean, mobile-friendly website with plain language descriptions of your services 

• Patient testimonials and stories of actual experiences at your center 

• Clear messaging about what makes your care different from the center across town (Is it advanced technology? A nutritionist on staff? Free parking?) 

BONUS POINTS: Use real patient voices. Video testimonials build trust.  Second best is a still photo with a written quote.  For either ALWAYS get a signed release form!  

2. Strengthen Referring Relationships 

If you’re in radiation oncology, you already know this: your referring physician partners are your #1 source of patients. Yet many practices don’t have a consistent outreach strategy in place. 

At the very least, try these tips: 

• Schedule regular visits or check-in phone calls with your top referring providers—as they prefer. This last point is key. Some will want a call for every patient, some will want a quick text message. Some like more detail, some like less. Some are fine with a call from someone else in your office, some want to hear from you. Really get to know HOW your top referring physicians prefer their communication.  

• Offer helpful, meaningful educational materials tailored to your referring physicians’ patients – not sales flyers.  

• Create referral feedback loops so providers know what happened to the patients they referred to you. 

And be sure the whole referral process is as easy as possible – if you don’t have something built directly into your EMR, use a dedicated phone line or a simple form. Just make it easy. 

3. Focus on Local SEO and Online Reviews 

Most patients will Google you before they call. What they find (or can’t find!) matters more today than ever before. 

Be sure you:  

• Optimize your Google Business Profile 

• Ask happy patients to leave reviews 

• Use local keywords on your site (e.g., “radiation therapy in Mt. Pleasant”) 

Make sure you have someone on your team in charge of responding to every review —even if the comments aren’t entirely positive. Show that you listen and you care. Invite nay-sayers to take the conversation offline and contact you directly for resolution. 

4. Knowledge is Power. Educate. 

Radiation therapy can sound scary if you don’t know what to expect. Thoughtful education helps patients feel more confident and positions your practice as a trusted resource. 

Make it a point to produce jargon-free web content, videos, and social media posts in layman’s terms, like:    

• Blog posts or videos that explain treatments in simple terms 

• Downloadable “what to expect” guides for new patients 

• Social media posts that answer FAQ’s 

5. Track What Matters

If you’re not measuring your efforts, you don’t know what’s really working. Data gives you the insight you need to tweak and improve.  

Track: 

• Referral sources and trends 

• Website traffic and conversion rates (how many people clicked on “contact us”) 

• Patient feedback on how they found you 

You don’t need a fancy dashboard. Even an Excel spreadsheet with some data from Google Analytics and patient intake forms can give you some actionable insights. 

None of these tips are big and flashy because marketing a radiation oncology practice isn’t about being flashy. It’s about being HUMAN, helpful, trustworthy, and easy to find. Focus on relationships and results, and you’ll not only grow your practice, but you’ll also strengthen your impact in the community. 

Have questions or need help with any of these steps? Our team is experienced in radiation-oncology-specific marketing. Use the contact form or reach out to marketing@radiationbusiness.com.  We’ll be happy to help!