How to Create a Practice Brochure

In this post, you’ll learn what to consider when you create a practice brochure.

Today, and even more so in the future, the emphasis in healthcare is and will be consumer-driven.

Your current patients, as well as many prospective patients, have a real interest in health care information. They want to know about you, your specialty, and about the range of services your practice offers.

Your first impression matters.

A good practice brochure – one that conveys to the reader your desired image and flavor of our practice – assures the reader that you are the obvious choice in your specialty.

If you don’t have one, it’s time to get started.

What will it accomplish?

Before you start, ask yourself: What is the objective for having such a publication?

You must think about the readers first!

Who are they? Your patients – current and future.

Do you want to convince prospective patients to try your services?

Do you want to reinforce the ties you have with your existing patients? Or do you want to create an identity for your practice?

Answering these questions first will set the groundwork for how you should create your practice brochure.

Identify your target audience.

Really, there is more than one – probably a minimum of three.

Current patients, prospective patients, and referring doctors all should know about you and your practice. You need to tell each of them what you have to offer.

List several reasons why patients should choose your practice over another. Tell patients what makes your practice special. Put yourself in your patients’ shoes. They are your readers.

Ask yourself, “Can the reader answer, ‘what’s in it for me?’”

If your practice brochure answers this question, you’re on the right track.

Focus on benefits

Focus on one specific benefit or feature about your practice that makes your practice different from the practice down the street.

Then you can stress that benefit and appeal to your readers’ personal interests. Support the benefit or feature with convincing reasons to believe your message.

Write for clarity and persuasion

Choose a writing style that clearly communicates to your readers. Your style of writing should positively reflect upon you and your practice.

To ensure that your readers understand your message, answer these questions:

• Is the text simple and straightforward?
• Does the text reinforce the benefit or feature you focused upon earlier?
• Does the text follow a logical flow?
• Does your information intrigue the reader’s interest causing them to read on?

Use subheadings and bullets to highlight important points and make your handout easy to read.

Hiring a professional

If you prefer to hire professionals to create your practice brochure, select someone who has previously worked with healthcare providers and ask to see some samples of their work.

References are also appropriate here. Ask for at least three and check them out thoroughly.

Was the work done according to the bid or estimate? Did the firm, or person, help with artwork or photograph selections?

Some firms can supply stock photographs or artwork that is quite appropriate for your brochure needs and at substantial savings over a photo that was taken professionally. It won’t hurt to ask.

It is important to remember that your practice communication piece looks professional, or it shouldn’t be done at all.

Size

Select a size for your brochure that will easily fit into a coat pocket or purse and can be mailed out in a standard business envelope. You can design your brochure to be a self-mailer, as well as an item available at the counter in your office.

You must decide early on in the development process because its size and shape will ultimately affect every aspect of its layout. When you get to the brochure layout stage of development, remember to keep the content simple and don’t pack every inch of the brochure with pictures or text.

Style

Leave plenty of white space to give your reader’s eye a rest. This also prevents your brochure from looking “busy” or cluttered. Many of these same concepts apply to a website as well.

Select a style that enhances your image and will be pleasing to your target audiences.

Do you want to convey the image of an up-to-date, modern practice? If so, select a glossy paper and brighter colors. Or, for a more traditional image, choose textured paper and subdued colors.

Look at samples of other practices’ brochures and websites to see what they have done. Don’t forget to ask your staff for their input throughout this process. They can be an invaluable resource for providing excellent suggestions on the contents, physical appearance, and design.

Keep your brand consistent

As a final step in this process, be consistent. Your brochures, letterhead, and website should all present the same image of your practice.

Keep your practice’s name and logo in a prominent position on each one. Keep similar color schemes and design formats to maintain and reinforce the identity you’re trying to create and communicate with your patients.

Spread the word!

Once you have developed a communication piece, use it at every opportunity.

New patients should receive a brochure on their first office visit. Point to your website with a hyperlink in every e-mail you send. This creates a powerful and positive first impression of you and your practice.

Be sure to send a brochure or a post card introducing your website to all of your current patients to reinforce your doctor-patient relationship with them.

Finally, pass these marketing tools on to each prospective patient in you target audiences and to your referring doctors. In fact, send your referral sources a quantity of them with a personal note, thanking each one for past referrals and inviting each doctor to continue referring patients in the future.

Whenever you are invited to speak publicly, be sure to have these resources readily available for your audience. Your objective should be to put these resources into as many hands as possible.