Most physicians would appreciate an influx of new patients to offset today's changes in reimbursement. Even physicians with a solid patient base, in a busy demographic area could use the higher reimbursement rates and referrals that are associated with a new patient visit.
Yet, most physicians would be surprised to find that many prospective patients in their immediate demographic area have no idea that their practice even exists. Curbside practices have the advantage of foot and drive by traffic, but even those practices may remain invisible unless the physician reaches out.
Some doctors feel that direct patient marketing carries a negative connotation and would rather rely on referrals from colleagues, family and friends to make their practice more successful. However, medicine is entering an age where consumer savvy baby boomers will be making more of their own health care decisions. This population will have a better understanding of the health care marketplace than prior generations and will not be afraid to challenge decisions made by their physicians or to shop around for the physician that best suits their needs.
Marketing directly to patients and to other prospective health care providers is an excellent tool to maintain a direct communication to your community. The process can be both enjoyable as well as rewarding and will assure that patients and physicians in your area are aware of the services that your provide. In addition, marketing campaigns and the development of associated materials can be a great motivational tool for your professional and clerical staff. Hidden away inside each medical practice are staff members that love to write, draw, or create computer graphics. Tapping into these resources often allows you to run with your marketing ideas and still keep costs within the practice budget. The process is easier than you might imagine and certainly more cost effective than services offered by a professional advertising agency.
What is successful marketing? There are no steadfast rules to developing a successful marketing strategy. At the core of every good campaign is the steady flow of ideas coupled with a motivated staff to make these ideas a reality.
Even the best advertising agencies can create campaigns for your practice that fall short of achieving consumer interest. When you assess the cost of a thirty second television spot and realize how few of these interest the general population, you come to the inevitable conclusion that marketing is basically throwing many ideas up in the air and determining which ones stick to the ceiling and which fall to the ground. Your goal in medical marketing is to share your practice mission with members of your community and to attract patients to services and treatment options that your practice provides. At the end of every campaign, you should feel confident that you reached as many members of the community as possible and that this community has a clear cut understanding of your practice.
How do you start a marketing campaign? The first step in marketing your office should be the creation of practice brochure. Yours can be a simple one page foldout or a more elaborate design, depending on the size of your practice, your budget, and the number of services that your provide.
Your practice brochure should contain the following:
Your mission statement describing your dedication to providing the best in medical care for your patients.
An introduction to the physicians in your practice, noting their qualifications and specialties and Board Certifications.
A brief description of each procedure or special service that your provide.
Your office address (s), phone and fax numbers.
Directions to your location(s).
Any age limitations for your services.
Consider shopping internet artwork for the front of your brochure. There are literally thousands of graphics that are free to download. Whatever you choose, keep the front of your brochure as simple as possible, including a graphic, and the name, address, and phone number of your practice. You may also want one line stating your specialty. Additional office addresses can be listed on the back cover.
If your office is equipped with a state of the art copier, your brochure can be printed in house on glossy or bond paper and still have a professional appearance, while keeping your costs in line. Choose uncomplicated fonts and make sure the brochure is easy to read and not overcrowded with print. Avoid loud colors when choosing your paper. A white brochure with a neat bold font is often the most effective and presents a professional appearance. Remember that this brochure is an introduction to your practice and should be prepared with both patients and prospective referring physicians in mind.
Should you decide to utilize a printing service for your brochure, make sure that more than one proofread is done before you submit the work for final print. Editing errors will cost you additional funds and you will be charged full price for any work performed by the publisher if these errors are not corrected before the brochure is printed.
You should already have an adequate supply of business and appointment cards for your practice. If you are considering using a folder with a pre-made card holder for sending marketing materials to referring physicians, you will want to choose colors and textures that compliment your brochure. Keep all marketing materials consistent to color and texture to present the most professional appearance. When preparing marketing materials for possible referring physicians, you may want to consider adding a referral pad where referring providers can check off what services they want you to provide for their patients. This material will increase the number of referrals and make the process easier for the referring provider.
Make sure that your practice brochure is available and visible at your front desk. If you mail out your new patient registration paperwork in advance of the patient appointment, you should include a practice brochure as well as an appointment card and directions to your office.
There are several companies that are solely dedicated to providing mailing lists that cover every possible demographic in your immediate and close-by communities. You can tailor your list by patient age, sex, number of households with children, and almost any other specific demographic that covers your practice needs. The lists are relatively inexpensive and you may want to begin your basic marketing strategy with a general mailer to homes in your immediate area. Sending a practice brochure to patient who have not returned to your office in some time may also remind these patients that your are still active in your community and may be effective for return visits.
Many medical software systems come equipped with print outs designed to provide patients with a more detailed description of their diagnosis or of future procedures scheduled in your office. Patients appreciate this effort and they often assist in alleviating patient fears. This information can also help reduce the number of phone calls by answering the patients questions in advance. You can also create these types of materials in house as well. In addition, many companies offer pre-printed patient information booklets that can be purchased in bulk. Check online pricing and delivery information in your area and choose the best options for your practice.
Tomorrow - Internal and External Marketing
No comments:
Post a Comment