Effective Practice Marketing (That Won’t Break the Bank)

Marketing your practice doesn’t have to cost a fortune!

Here are a few quick tips that you can implement right away…

YOU are your message. The best marketing truly starts with you and your staff. One of the easiest marketing strategies is to get staff members engaged in their own health, fitness and wellbeing. Show every potential and current patient that “we’re all in this together!”

Train everyone to think of phone calls as opportunities—not headaches. Train every staff member to confidently handle incoming inquiries, in person and over the phone, so that every person on your staff is able to convert leads into consults and appointments.

Model and role-play scenarios where staff members engage patients and share solutions that your office provides in an inviting way:

  • Develop a standard script or guidelines to handle phone inquiries, so each staff member can speak knowledgeably about treatments, pricing and packages.
  • Encourage spontaneity, yet thoroughly train staff members on how to take charge of a conversation so that it is both friendly and productive.
  • Teach staff how to build credibility among visitors and newcomers with the most compelling information about each practitioner, treatment or the practice as a whole.

Train office staff to ask for referrals, online reviews and testimonials at check out. There is no better time to ask current patients to share their experiences than in the moment, when the patient is motivated and excited.

Ready to build a marketing budget? Start here!

When it comes to your marketing budget, it’s best to start small and scale up. A good rule of thumb is to set aside a minimum of 5% of your projected gross revenue for marketing communications each quarter.

Add more if…

  • You are in start-up phase
  • You are getting ready to launch a new service line or partner(s)
  • Your practice relies on cash-based treatments
  • You are in a competitive urban environment
  • You want to attract patients in affluent neighborhoods

Reduce your budget if…

  • Your practice grows by mostly physician referrals
  • You have a steady, robust volume of word-of-mouth referrals

How should the marketing budget be applied?

Build a new website, especially if you’re using an Integrative-specific EMR like Power2Practice. The website is your digital calling card and where you’ll send patients to log into their P2P patient portal. In a day and age where 81% of people visit websites before even picking up the phone, every Integrative practice should have a website that establishes trust and communicates value, in as few words as possible.

Related: How to Build a Practice Website That Performs

Send patient satisfaction surveys. There are myriad benefits in using patient satisfaction surveys. Not only do they improve overall performance and communication with patients, but they can also serve as a launchpad for online reviews, which are a great way to reach those who are seeking a new care provider. In a 2013 report, the Medical Group management Association (MGMA) found that nearly 80% of the practices they identified as “better performing” used patient satisfaction surveys.

On a contractor basis, hire a marketing consultant and/or writer who can assist you with defining your core messages, writing web copy, building a content strategy for your website (blogs, newsletters), assessing the competition, and suggesting new ways to go about attracting new patients while building loyalty in your current patient base.

At the end of the day…

An authentic message should be at the core of your marketing approach—one that engages patients and shows them that you have what it takes to solve their problems and improve their quality of life. By taking a different perspective or approach to everyday tasks, such as communication modeling or using scripts during phone calls, you may uncover a marketing goldmine without spending much money at all.

Would you like more practice growth tips?

Take our complimentary assessments and see how you are doing in each area of your practice.

 

 

Power2Practice is the first turnkey software solution and EMR designed for personalized medicine. Designed to link directly to your website, P2P facilitates patient engagement, education and activation, allowing you to practice medicine your way, with better efficiency and profitability. Click here to see Power2Practice in action!