Marketing a medical practice is different from marketing other products and services.
Medical marketing isn’t the same as selling a product like coffee, clothes or cars.
When shopping for a doctor, consumers are looking for a practice they can trust. You need to show them that you have what it takes: expertise, experience, care & convenience.
Expertise: Be the expert. Establish yourself and your practice as the place to go. Be present in the community as a resource for information. Post blog articles that inform and educate.
Experience: Years of service, procedures performed, training and education are important to patients when they are seeking treatment. Make sure that you highlight the expertise of all of the professionals in your office…physicians and staff.
Care: Testimonials are the best way to show your success record with patients. Survey your patients, ask them for comments, and keep these records on file. Testimonials are a great way to see how you are doing…and a great resource for blog articles!
Convenience: Your patients are busy and require convenience. Scheduling is still one of the most important functions in your office for patient-retention and new referrals. If you have evening and weekend hours, make sure patients know about them! Convenient hours can make the difference when selecting a practice. If patients can’t make an appointment, they won’t be your patients for long.
How do you spread the word about your experience, expertise, care and convenience?
Your physical office and your website are great places to start.
Your office should provide information on your services in an effective way. Take a look around. Does your office highlight the services you offer? Do you have information readily available for patients to look at, and to take away with them.
Consistently providing your web address on all print, advertising and media materials will make it easier for patients to find your site. Links to your website from social media posts like twitter and facebook will increase the number of visitors that will connect with you online. Make it easy for patients to find you…and then make it easy for them to make an appointment!
Train your staff to be your practice ambassadors. They should be encouraged to recognize new opportunities, and know how to ask patients the right questions. It doesn’t happen automatically…they need training on how to speak with patients about your services! A consistent, polished message goes a long way to helping patients gain confidence with your practice.
Need help with any of the above? We are medical. We know medical. We can help you fill in the gaps in your marketing efforts. Let us know how we can be of service…