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Marketing The Right Way
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THINK THE BEST WAY TO MARKET YOUR PRACTICE IS TO TAKE OUT AN AD IN THE YELLOW PAGES? THINK AGAIN.
Jeff Guillory, a family nurse practitioner, spent $500 a month on billboard advertising when he opened his solo practice in Little Lumberton, Texas. But most patients were drawn to his office because of its convenient location, which renders a long drive across the Texas wilds unnecessary. And after one visit, many first-timers liked Guillory's practice so much they became regulars. The counterintuitive moral of the story: marketing works. Good marketing isn't just about external outreach, such as billboards, telephone-book ads, and radio spots. It's also about the work you perform each day in your practice.
The growth of your practice depends on how well you and your staff communicate with potential and existing patients, both inside and outside your office walls. But many physicians don't make that connection, and they consequently fail to concentrate on enhancing patient relations as much as they should.
THE SLEAZE FACTOR
What's the holdup? Some physicians interpret any type of self promotion as a sign of weakness and consider it, well, just plain icky.
Lonnie Hirsch chuckles when he hears physicians say that marketing themselves might create the impression that they are struggling. That presumes that people are spending a lot of time thinking about you, but they're not argues the co-founder of Healthcare Success Strategies in Coto de Caza, California. You are spending a lot of time thinking about you. Your image is like a blank canvas; you can paint the reputation that you want people to perceive. You can either use marketing to shape their opinion or let them shape their opinion based on whatever they come up with on their own. And keep in mind that physicians who don't take marketing seriously may be opening the door for their competitors.
Focus on the attributes of your practice that are most valued by patients and referring physicians - attributes that may or may not be most important to you.
Once you've articulated your unique identity, all staff members must live up to it. Once you lay the groundwork for your branding strategy, everyone in the practice should know what is expected of them.
Of course, you want to promote an image you can actually live up to. In fact, taking the conscious step to market your practice may require you to re-engineer some of the processes of your office.
FULFILLING THE PROMISE
So how can you put these platitudes into practice? An effective marketing strategy can be quite easy, and it doesn't have to cost you a fortune.
For your internal efforts, consider the following:
- New-patient handouts - You should give each new patient literature describing your practice and its mission.
Testimonials make a great addition. If a patient has written you a note thanking you for your especially compassionate care, ask if you can share a part of that note with other patients.
The idea is to convey your message in such a way that your patients believe your sincerity and begin to talk about the practice in the same terms you've used.
Also, match your processes to the image you are projecting. If you want to establish yourself as technologically advanced in your patients' minds, ask them to complete office forms on tablet PCs or at a check-in kiosk. Shape your patients' experiences so they conform to your branding strategy.
- In-office images – These include the artwork and any photographs or diagrams on your walls.
Rather than leaving up that old chart describing contraceptive options or showing a cross-section of the inner ear, use your walls to make a statement about your practice. Frame and hang patient testimonials within view of your visitors.
- Timely Follow-up – Consider sending new patients a handwritten note, thanking them for their visit, or find another way to follow up that is consistent with your brand promises.
- Printed marketing materials – Review your current brochures, ads, and any other marketing collateral, with your new branding strategy in mind.
BEYOND YOUR PRACTICE
Once you've revamped your internal image, you may want to consider some external outreach, such as direct mail and advertising. This is what comes to mind when most people think of marketing.
The key here is to use your dollars wisely by tracking your results, says Hirsch. He worked with one physician in Southern California who advertised heavily but didn't really know whether his strategy was attracting new business. He just threw stuff out there and figured overall it was bringing in business and paying for itself, Hirsch says. Armed, at last, with return-on-investment data, the physician was able to slash his ad budget by a third without seeing any decline in patient response. He just stopped doing what wasn't working.
The best time to capture accurate information regarding where new patients found out about your practice is when they first call in to make an appointment, Hirsch says. That's when the information is at the top of their minds. You're less likely to get an accurate response once patients arrive in your office and get handed reams of paperwork. At that point, it's all too easy for them to ignore the little line that asks where they heard about the practice.
Instruct your scheduler to simply ask new patients, "whom can we thank for referring you to us today?" says Hirsch. The patient will either answer with a name or acknowledge using some other channel to locate you. Most practices don't ask, so they are flying blind, says Hirsch.
Or you may want to try one of the newer services that allow you to create a phone number specific to each of your direct-mail or advertising campaigns. Such services assign unique phone numbers to different ads. When patients call, that number is directed to your front desk. A report generated by the service allows you to track how many calls different ads generated without having to involve your office staff.
Bottom line: Know how your marketing dollars are - or are not - working for you.
Whether your branding and marketing strategies are quiet or loud, you can use the tools of the trade to enhance your patient base without feeling like a used-car salesman.
