Marketing Your Practice

COMMUNICATING YOUR VALUE should be your marketing mission!

Most practices dive right into direct marketing and attempts to obtain natural search engine optimization (SEO) for the "cost-effective" website their cousin built, without even determining what they want from their business. You might think you know but first things first! Patience is the key. Be aware that there are medical rules and regulations that you must adhere to so as not to lose your license.
There are infinite ways of marketing and advertizing your medical practice. To market it effectively, you need to think strategically about what you want to accomplish.

Do you simply want more new patients?

Do you want to change the mix of business to attract more of the kinds of cases you find more fulfilling and financially rewarding?

Are you looking to develop a strategy for adding more professional referral resources?

Do you want to obtain more referrals from your current patients?

Do you already market your practice but wish to improve the performance and increase the return on investment from your current marketing efforts?

Are you trying to achieve more consistency in your month to month revenue?

Are you planning to relocate?

Are you adding a new office?

Are you adding or replacing a provider in your practice?

Are you fundamentally trying to work smarter because you can't possibly work any harder?

Are you trying to protect what you have already worked so hard to achieve?

Are you trying to take your practice to the next level?

Marketing is almost entirely about 'Human Motivation', just as 'Sales' is. It's not about numbers and benchmarking; those things are only used as a navigation tool to help you determine which way to steer your marketing ship.

Competition these days is FIERCE; far greater than ever before. It's like turf wars; everyone wants the most lucrative cases. Competition is also fueled because of the fact that it's becoming a smaller piece of the pie. Costs increase, reimbursements continue to decline. Unfortunately, the more experienced the practitioner, the more conservative they are. The more experienced practitioner is not used to tooting their own horn. It makes them feel uncomfortable. Inexperienced doctors, however, have a tendency to accept new things and ideas. So, if you are a more experienced doctor, remember, while you are in competition with the inexperienced doctors, THEY have no hesitation do whatever it takes to get out there and market their talents to get that experience. They are cutting into YOUR piece of pie and have NO PROBLEM doing it! If you want to expand your practice income you MUST embrace new ideas and have no hesitation in implementing them.

Additional advice to consider - Do not make the mistake of using your sales and operational staff to market. They did not go to school and study marketing or advertising. They should be on board, however, and use the designated marketing strategies to accomplish the goals that are set. But they are not 'copywriters' or 'graphic designers' and even if they were, working strictly on marketing and nothing else, it would take years and years to successfully create and implement in the timeframe as would be needed to be successful at it. You need them to concentrate on sales and operations - keep it that way."

HUMAN MOTIVATION - DO ANY OF THESE SOUND FAMILIAR?

1. You're working really hard but need to market so you won't be stressed; you want to be successful enough to make time for family and friends, and to take some time you need for yourself as well.
2. You're working very hard and want the tangible financial rewards that go with it.
3. You want to build it - see how big you can make it grow - increase the gross, and increase your reputation in your community, increase your quality of care.
4. You have a great practice- but want you want a bigger vision.
5. You are grateful and want give back to your community, nation or people.

We can help www.HealthcareBusinessManagement.com