Marketing your medical, dental, or any health associated practice can be difficult especially with the long hours many doctors have to put in. Whether someone is looking for the best dentist around or high quality chiropractic care the person will look online or at a website so the marketing that is done can be make or break when it comes to acquiring patients. The difference between a good and great practice as far as success is the quality of care that is provided and also the number of people that can be converted to patients through marketing and word of mouth.
Referrals
Setting up a referral program for a practice is a great way to incentivize your customer base that has already been developed. Offering existing patients money to refer a friend or family member is a great way to get new patients walking through the door. Then the only step is providing top tier care to the new patient and then retaining them should be a breeze. The most difficult thing to do is having a person enter the waiting room then after that the care provided speaks for itself.
Website and Online Marketing
Having a professional website for a medical practice is extremely important for a variety of reasons. If a practice’s website isn’t professional then a prospective patient might think that putting their wellbeing in the hands of a practice who can’t even develop a website correctly is not the best of ideas. Answering positive and negative reviews online can help curb some negative reviews while also showing appreciation to the positive reviews shows that the practice cares about the quality of care given.
Get Involved With the Community
Being present in the minds of people in the community that the practice is servicing is a great way to market. This could be by sponsoring a run for a sickness or some other kind of local charity. This will put the practice’s brand into a good light while also helping the community. Setting up a tent at these charity functions to answer questions about your expertise can build trust with people who could soon become patients.
Building Relationships With Local Businesses
Having a dentist’s brochure at a doctor’s office is a good way to build relationships with other businesses in the area. Reciprocating by putting a brochure or business cards at your practice for each business that carries your brochure is a great way to network and drum up business for the local businesses as well as yourself.
Marketing Materials
Sending existing patients materials such as calendars or pens will keep the brand’s name fresh in the customer’s mind. The best thing that can happen is more appointments being set as well as the patients giving out the pens to family and friends and thus exposing the brand to more people.
This is not all of the ways that a practice can market but it does take care of some immediate needs that all practices should be taking part in. Getting people in the door is the hard part as most healthcare providers will tell you, the care they are given will keep them coming back though!
