Do you have a marketing plan for your practice?
John Jantch small business marketing expert and author of Duct Tape Marketing, developed 7 steps to create the Ultimate Marketing System.
In this post, we share John’s 7 steps to help you build a marketing plan for your practice.
1. Narrow your focus
You can’t build a marketing plan that speaks to everyone. So a good place to start is by defining your ideal patient.
How old are they? What are their interests? What problems do they need help with?
This exercise is called creating a buyer persona. Marketers use this trick to help them define their customer’s preferences.
You can do the same for your patients. Once you know who you aim to serve, it will be much easier to build an effective marketing strategy.
2. Find and communicate a core difference
Once you know who your ideal patient is, then you need to figure out a way to differentiate yourself. Why should they choose you over your competition?
In the words of Seth Godin, you need to find your edge.
What are you going to do differently than the office across town? Are you friendlier? Do you have shorter wait times? Is your team dedicated to serving the community?
Never compete on price. Instead, focus on the unique value that you provide to your patients.
3. Package your business
It’s the old saying, “image is everything” that counts here. Your practice has a brand, whether you know it or not.
First impressions matter. Fair or otherwise, people are conditioned to make quick judgments on the quality of your services based on simple visual cues.
This means that the condition of your sign out front matters. The colors on your website matter. And the typeface in your brochure matters.
4. Create content that educates
In your patient information brochure or other communications, don’t use the bulk of your print talking about technical aspects of your specialty or how long you have been in practice.
Rather, dedicate a good portion of the piece communicating the benefits the patient will gain by coming to your office.
I suspect that some patients are telling you why they chose your office. Use their actual words or examples. Use stories, which are great ways to relate to others, educate, and build trust.
5. Establish your lead generation trio
I’m talking about advertising, a referral system, and public relations.
Advertising
The goal of advertising is to give you an opportunity to educate your ideal patient. It’s about getting their attention. But it doesn’t need to be a billboard on the side of the highway.
Offering an initial appointment with a staff member could be considered an advertisement. So might an article published on Facebook titled “10 things you should know before you choose a doctor.”
Either tactic might be a cost-effective way for you to capture attention.
Referral System
Your referral system should be a clear process where you, or someone on your team, is in regular communication with your referral sources.
Thank your sources regularly and keep them up to date on what new developments with your practice. It might make sense to delegate this responsibility to someone on your staff.
Public Relations
Finally, you can’t neglect public relations. The good news is that almost everybody is interested in healthcare and healthy habits. Therefore it might make sense to position yourself and your brand as a health resource to the general public.
You could do an interview with a local radio station or a popular podcast. Volunteering your time in the local schools is another great way to get your name out in the community.
Availing your expertise to a broad audience will help build recognition and trust with the patients in the community that you ultimately wish to see.
6. Automate and dominate
Learn how to use technology to your advantage.
Writing letters to referrals and emailing newsletters may seem like a daunting task. But there are a lot of software tools out there that can help you save time.
Here’s a simple example: During a recent meeting with one of my clients, a physician demonstrated to me how he used the Auto Text feature in Word to quickly send out a consult report.
I’m certain your practice management or EMR systems have powerful tools that can be used to shorten the time it takes to communicate or gather information.
Small business owners need to leverage technology the best they can to save time and automate their marketing efforts.
7. Live by the calendar
Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. You can’t do everything at once. It’s only sustainable if you pace yourself.
I suggest that you make a recurring appointment on your calendar to work on one aspect of your marketing plan.
Start small. Set aside 30 minutes a week for the first few months.
Over time you can shift more time and resources to your marketing efforts as you get better at clarifying your strategy.
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