How to Build an NEMT Marketing Plan from Scratch

A non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) business without a marketing plan is like a van without GPS—you might eventually get where you’re going, but not without wasting time, fuel, and opportunities.

In today’s competitive market, a thoughtful, localized, and strategic approach to marketing is the difference between an empty calendar and a packed schedule of booked rides. Whether you’re starting fresh or realigning your current efforts, here’s how to build a marketing plan tailored specifically to the medical transportation industry.

1. Know Exactly Who You’re Marketing To

Not all NEMT customers are created equal. Marketing to dialysis patients is different from targeting assisted living facilities or Medicaid brokers. Before building your plan, define your audience segments clearly.

Start by answering:

• Who uses your service the most? (E.g., seniors, disabled individuals, facilities)
• Who makes the decision? (Patients, family members, social workers, discharge coordinators?)
• What matters most to them? (Reliability, cost, safety, availability, comfort?)

👉 Example: A company operating in rural counties may target brokers and Medicaid coordinators, while an urban provider might prioritize private pay seniors and local clinics.

Create personas based on your key customer groups. Give them names, motivations, and goals – this helps tailor your messaging, imagery, and channels later. Alternatively, you can set aside this book-style marketing tip and simply think of a few customers you have (or will have), focusing on your most typical person(a), that will help you too. 

2. Set Measurable, Business-Aligned Goals

Avoid vague objectives like “get more calls.” Instead, tie your marketing to outcomes you can measure and influence.

Examples of effective goals:

• Acquire 10 new private-pay clients per month through digital marketing. Going a step further and specifying a channel (like organic or Google/Microsoft Ads) would be even better!
• Increase monthly online booking form submissions by 30% in Q3.
• Grow Facebook audience by 500 engaged followers in Q2.
• Add 3 new facility partnerships through cold outreach and follow-up email automation in Q1.

When every marketing action is connected to a tangible goal, it’s easier to prioritize time and budget and to prove ROI.

3. Get Your Digital House in Order (SEO & Web)

Marketing without a strong digital foundation is like handing out business cards with the wrong phone number. Start by getting the basics right:

• Website: It should clearly communicate who you serve, what you do, where you operate, and how to book a ride. Include trust signals (reviews, certifications, partners) and an easy-to-find CTA.
• Google Business Profile: This is critical for local visibility. Use relevant service categories (e.g., “Non-emergency medical transportation service”), respond to reviews, and post regular updates.
• Local SEO pages: If you operate in multiple cities or counties, create individual landing pages to rank in each of those areas.

🔍 Your local online presence is often the first impression – make sure it reflects the reliability and professionalism of your service.

4. Choose Your Channels Based on Stage and Audience

Don’t try to be everywhere at once. Instead, invest in the right places based on your target audience and growth stage.

Start with 2–3 high-impact channels:

• Google/Microsoft Ads: Great for capturing people actively searching for rides.
• Facebook Ads: Useful for targeting family members and caregivers with awareness or seasonal campaigns.
• Referral marketing: Drivers, riders, caregivers, and even facility staff can help spread the word with proper incentives.
• Email marketing: A low-cost way to stay top of mind with past clients and warm B2B leads.

🧠 Remember: Your strategy should balance acquisition (new riders) with retention (repeat bookings and referrals). Acquiring new customers is often expensive, and profits will likely not cover those acquisition costs; retention is where you start earning. 

5. Use Content to Build Trust and Educate

In healthcare-related industries like NEMT, trust is everything. Sharing helpful, transparent, and relevant content positions your business as the safer, smarter option.

Examples of helpful content:

• “How to Book a Ride with Medicaid” – for confused riders
• “Top 5 Questions to Ask a Transportation Provider” – for caregivers
• “What Makes a Good NEMT Partner?” – for facilities

This content can live on your blog, social media, or email newsletters, and can be reused for sales conversations and advertising too. 

6. Track Everything, Even If It’s Simple

It doesn’t matter how flashy your campaigns are if you don’t know what’s working.

Tools to start tracking:

• Google Analytics (website traffic, form submissions, behavior)
  
• Google Search Console (organic search performance)
  
• Call tracking numbers (to attribute phone leads)
  
• CRM or spreadsheet (to track lead sources and conversions)

Run a monthly marketing “checkup.” Which channel brought in the most leads? Which costs the most per lead? Which efforts yielded zero results? Then optimize based on these insights. However, be cautious and consider assisted conversions and potential time lags; wait a couple of months before cutting the campaign (unless it’s obvious this is not going to work).

Final Thoughts

Your NEMT marketing plan doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be intentional, measurable, and rooted in the realities of your business. Start with your ideal customer, set clear goals, build a strong online presence, and double down on the channels that bring results.

And if building or executing that plan feels overwhelming? That’s where we come in.

MarkItEasy specializes in helping NEMT companies grow smarter.
Let us help you map the road ahead—because every ride starts with the right marketing strategy. Drop us a message here!