Bringing clinic patient acquisition in-house. A partner that genuinely thinks about profit, unlike previous agencies.

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Runs Shinjuku Surgical Clinic (7 minutes from Shinjuku station) and Omiya Central Clinic (5 minutes from Omiya station)
Day surgery for varicose veins (15,172 cases across both clinics over 17 years, as of 31 October 2024)
Day surgery for inguinal hernia (10,693 cases across both clinics over 17 years, as of 31 October 2024)
Day surgery for dialysis access (1,372 cases over 17 years, as of 31 October 2024)

Olivier-kai Medical Corporation runs clinics providing insured day surgery for varicose veins and inguinal hernia, and day treatment for dialysis access.

They felt that leaving patient acquisition to an advertising agency was not getting the most from their spend, and since June 2023 we have supported bringing advertising in-house.

We asked Ms Asakura, who handles medical administration and marketing, about the background to the engagement and what it achieved.

About your role

Tabiraki, NowVillage
First, could you tell us your organisation and your role?

Asakura
I am with Olivier-kai Medical Corporation.
We run two clinics, Shinjuku Surgical Clinic and Omiya Central Clinic, and at both I handle reception and medical administration alongside marketing.

Tabiraki
You did not originally have experience in patient acquisition or marketing. How did you go about the work as the marketing lead?

Asakura
At first I sat in on the monthly meeting with the advertising agency.
I had no specialist knowledge, so I was only listening, but I worked at understanding it bit by bit.
Gradually I came to check ad copy and help build landing pages, acting as the go-between with the agency while the doctors were busy. I often checked the numbers and what the agency was doing.

The goal as marketing lead

Tabiraki
Thank you. What is your goal as marketing lead?

Asakura
To reach 150 operations a month across the clinics.
And at the same time, ideally, to keep advertising spend at around 10% of revenue.

Tabiraki

How do you attract patients at the moment?

Asakura
Online search is the main route. We aim at organic search too, but mainly it is Google search advertising. We also receive referrals from nearby medical practices.

The problem before coming to us

Tabiraki
What was the problem before you asked us to help bring advertising in-house?

Asakura
Before, I often felt the agency did not understand our treatments or our patients well enough. For example, we do not perform endoscopic surgery for varicose veins, yet the advertising included content about it.
It was puzzling, because it is clear from our website.

Tabiraki
That is a real gap. What else was a problem?

Asakura
Even after explaining several times, it did not always get through. We know our patients well, but it is hard for an agency to know them in detail.
And as a result the advertising did not work, which was frustrating.

Tabiraki
If the advertising does not go as hoped, that affects your target for operations.

Asakura
Exactly. We could not tell why operations were not increasing, and it always came back to the landing page being the problem, so let us improve it – but changing it did not show any effect.
I wondered whether spending more would help, but with no knowledge of advertising all I had was frustration.
I thought changing agency might change things, and we have worked with several, but nothing fundamentally changed.

Why you chose us

Tabiraki
Why did you decide to work with us?

Asakura
What stayed with me was that you cap your fee.
Typically 20% of spend goes in fees, and I doubted whether that was proportionate to the effect, so a cap was a new idea.

Tabiraki
Was there anything else that appealed?

Asakura
That you support bringing it in-house, not only running the advertising.
I had been worried that if leaving it to an agency was not producing results, we would have to do it ourselves, but we had no expertise. Being taught while looking at our own ad account was very valuable.

What NowVillage did

Tabiraki
What did you actually do once our support began?

Asakura
For the first three months NowVillage ran the Google advertising. During that time they taught us the basics using the manual they shared.
After some training doing the actual configuration in the ad platform, we took the advertising over from NowVillage.

Tabiraki
About a year on from that handover, where are you now?

Asakura
It is now almost entirely in-house.
I have started reviewing the campaigns I inherited in my own way. In detail, introducing Performance Max and trying the maximise conversions bid strategy has shown results. I have a monthly meeting with NowVillage for support, but I run the advertising largely myself.

The numbers

Tabiraki
What specific results came from working with us?

Asakura
Operations and enquiries from advertising rose substantially.
Before we brought it in-house we had around 100 to 130 operations a month. About six months after bringing it in-house we have been above 150 every month, and some months above 200.

Tabiraki
You mentioned keeping advertising within 10% of revenue. How is the spend?

Asakura
We have cut advertising spend by around one million yen a month on average against last year.
And operations are up on last year, so I can feel the cost per acquisition coming down.

Changes in the atmosphere and culture

Tabiraki
Has anything changed in the atmosphere or culture internally?

Asakura
I think it has gradually become known among the clinic staff that I do the advertising.
Many staff did not previously realise that patients come through advertising, and that understanding is slowly spreading.

Tabiraki
Because the agency ran the advertising before, it was not widely known that you were the marketing lead. What has changed with bringing it in-house?

Asakura
For example, in the weekly report I now describe in detail how patients from advertising are doing.
Staff read it and come to understand how the advertising is actually working.

Tabiraki
Sharing is improving. Does that strengthen how people work together?

Asakura
Yes, exactly. Though I do not think advertising alone is why operations increased.
Advertising certainly contributes to enquiries and visits, but turning patients into operations is the work of the whole team.

What NowVillage is like

Tabiraki
Having worked with us, what would you say characterises NowVillage?

Asakura
Supporting companies in bringing the work in-house.
It is unusual; I have not seen much of it elsewhere. The clear cap on fees also stands out. Some agencies I have worked with were vague about pricing, so having it clear is good.

Tabiraki
Anything else?

Asakura
When you teach us, you look at the account with us and explain in detail, and you answer questions in chat straight away, so anything unclear is resolved quickly.
Day-to-day it is easy to ask things, and I feel you are genuinely on our side, which is reassuring.
There is no distance; the conversation is not stiff or formal, and I could talk quite casually.

Tabiraki
Was there anything in working with us that stayed with you?

Asakura
It was all new learning, so a great deal stayed with me. The idea that you should not spend too much on advertising was new.
NowVillage kept saying stop relying on an agency and aim to stand on your own, and unlike previous agencies I felt they were genuinely thinking about our interests.

Who would you recommend NowVillage to?

Tabiraki
Which companies would you recommend our service to?

Asakura
Medical practices in niche fields like ours. While most clinics leave it to an agency, bringing it in-house makes results easier to achieve.

Tabiraki
It does seem smoother when the people who understand the service run the advertising.

Asakura
Yes. For medical practices in particular, trust with patients matters, so in-house is more effective on that count too.
And because you teach so patiently even to someone who knows nothing about advertising, I would also recommend it to companies whose only marketing person has no experience but who want to strengthen marketing themselves.

Tabiraki
That is good to hear. We will keep working to support you well.
Thank you.

Asakura
Thank you too.