Stay in Touch With Your Patient Using Medical Practice Newsletters

Source: Practice Builders

One of the best ways to stay in touch with your patient base is the newsletter. But not one of those canned “off the shelf” medical, dental or physical therapy newsletters you simply just place your logo on.

We’re talking about a real custom newsletter freshly written from the patient’s point of view 4-6 times each year. We’re talking about real news, too. And articles that are more about your patients than about your specialty.

The kind of newsletter we’re talking about is experiencing a resurgence of popularity in some markets. Smart medical, dental practitioners and other healthcare practitioners have learned to speak the language of their most influential patients – women, wives and mothers.

Women are generally the healthcare decision-makers and drivers in their households. Women are the ones who make sure their loved ones get the care they need. And women are the ones who are more likely to read articles about the social aspects of your practice than the clinical aspects (too bad most canned newsletters focus mainly on the clinical).

Has someone on your staff won an award, gotten married or given birth? Has one of your patients done something outstanding for the community or graduated from college or earned a big promotion at work? Is one of your patients famous? Do you know what your patients like to do in their spare time? Or what their hobbies and interests are?

Those are the things your newsletter should be about. Of course, every issue should have one article with something interesting about your specialty. But the rest… lighten up and have some fun with it!

Newsletters that are emailed to your patient base (or eNewsletters) are a very cost effective way to stay in touch with your patient base and do internal marketing for your practice.

Medical Practice Marketing Tip of the Month August - 2013

Source:  Practice Builders

Phone Answering Skills Critical for Medical Practices

First impressions are vital for any business, and your practice is no different. Your office staff is the first impression and the first point of contact for new and prospective patients, and that initial interaction can either make or break your practice.

Many consumers judge the quality of healthcare by how your staff treats them from the first phone call to their most recent appointments. In fact, some studies suggest that the typical healthcare practice loses approximately $50,000 in revenue annually from poor telephone management skills alone. For large group and multi specialty practices, the losses can be significantly higher.

The knowledge required for your staff to contribute to practice growth may not be intuitive, but it is teachable. You can empower your staff to help boost your ROI by training them in simple and efficient ways to provide customer service that enhances their patient experiences. These five steps will help you get there:

Five Steps to Better Phone Answering and Patient Engagement

1. Ensure that you have the right person answering the phone. Is he/she a good communicator, a “people person”, enthusiastic? Having the right personality type is crucial.

2. Ensure that the team member handling the phones is not the same one who greets patients or works with insurance companies and pharmacies. Think of your office phone as your “bat phone.” Don’t put an incoming patient or inquiry on hold while dealing with an insurance company or helping an onsite patient who also deserves your undivided attention.

3. Is your phone team fully trained on your services and practitioners? Ensure that their messaging is always value-based. For example, “I’m so glad you called today! Dr. Jones is one of the few local doctors who is trained in xxx. She’s also a great listener and communicator, so I’m sure you’ll feel like you are in great hands once you meet her.”

4. Ensure that your staff understands the mindset of the caller. Callers are often alarmed, stressed or simply concerned and need an empathetic, helpful person on the other end. Staff should be reminded that they work in the caring industry and a little empathy can go a long way if they know how to listen, affirm and engage each caller in helpful conversation.

5. Close every call. Too many phone staffers never even try to book an appointment. Too many give out pricing information but leave the caller to think about next steps. Consider incenting your team members for each appointment they book.

Whether it is role-playing, phone skills training or individual counseling, by giving your staff the skills to do their jobs more effectively, you can build a better practice and ensure that your employees feel like active, fully engaged members of the team.

Need more strategies for capturing your share of new patients and revenue? Call us at 800.679.1200 or email us at info@practicebuilders.com to speak to a seasoned program consultant.

Why It Is Essential For Doctors to Market Their Practice

In the yester years, we hardly saw doctors marketing their practice. Thanks to the strong referral system, there was no need to advertise or promote a medical practice. Medical professionals hardly knew what marketing was in those times. The competition was less and a positive word of mouth was enough for prospective patients to get an idea of the respective practice. 

A famous quote, “Time never stays the same” is perfect for describing the current state of the healthcare industry. A lot has changed from the old times. Nowadays, doctors need to learn the art of marketing. The scenario is such that if they do not, their practice will be doomed!

One of the critical factors as to why every doctor should market his practice is the way people are approaching to find information on medical practices. Preferences have changed immensely. Earlier print advertising was the dominant form. Now, it has paved way to a more accomplished, cost-effective and reliable internet. The fundamentals of today’s medical marketing involve a website design, quality SEO, an active social media profile, and blogging among others. 

It is not easy to take time off the schedule to indulge in marketing agenda being a medical professional. A big question always looms over every doctor or physician. How am I supposed to manage work and at the same time market my services? This part has been clear to physicians who have regularly marketed their services that successful marketing requires time investment. 

Those in the initial segment of marketing may find it hard to battle against time. However, one good and supposedly quintessential thing about medical marketing is that it can easily be outsourced. Medical marketing agencies can perform the task of echoing your services to a larger audience in their hands so that you can completely focus on your profession. And believe me, these agencies are damn good patient pullers. They may charge you the extra buck, but provide guaranteed results.

It really does not matter whether you are new to the healthcare industry or have been practicing for a long time. You stand no chance of competing without marketing. These days, medical practitioners have an eye for snatching each other’s patients. No matter how much experience and knowledge you possess in your area, you still need to learn the basics of marketing. If you cannot, then give it to somebody else. They can do it on your behalf.

The single most important point of this above discussion is to make doctors aware why marketing is essential for their practices. Your competitors might already have swung into action and by the time you realize this, you would have lost many patients. So why wait for things to happen later, when you can do them right now!

Internet Marketing Trends In 2013

For the past few years, internet marketing has been the mainstay of about every company’s marketing mix. Few options possess the ability to match the efficiency of internet marketing. As a medical practitioner, you would want your practice to prosper and reach newer heights. Internet is the perfect ladder for you to acquire new patients and reach a wider audience comprehensively.

For practitioners who have not yet come to the terms of internet marketing, here are some strategies you can employ as part of your medical marketing plan. Following these will not only strengthen your practice but also provide endurance to withstand serious competition from fellow counterparts.

Focus on the website design

Yes, design matters because it sells. An attractive medical website design can appeal to any prospective patient seeking your services. Actually, if your design can outclass your competitor’s website, it’s a win-win situation for you. For this to happen, employ the services of professional website designers. Unless the design looks professional, you don’t stand a chance of appealing a prospective client.

Content quality

The content you put on your website must be genuine, fresh and relevant. Content has its own significance because after the design, the client moves on to reading whom you are and what you offer. Including keywords that prospective patients use to find your services in your website content is an additional benefit. It also helps in Search Engine Optimization. More the keywords the better will be for your website rank in Google, Yahoo and Bing. Additionally, initiate blogging. It will help clients
know your practice deeply.

Thinking beyond design and content

Recently, YouTube has been in the thick of news for crossing a billion viewers per month. Needless to say, what a short, professional and introductory video on the most prolific search engine can do for your practice. It gives you an edge over your fellow practitioners. Additionally, an online video is foolproof way to connect with patients.

Mobile strategy

The number of smartphones has increased twofold in the past year. People are tuned 24/7 thanks to better internet connectivity. You surely do not want to miss this golden opportunity. Alongside a PC compatible website, create a mobile-friendly website too. Patients will love this, as you will be connected on the go. Don’t let this chance go begging as your competitors might well already have a mobile website.

The Significance of Online Patient Reviews

In the healthcare industry, patient reviews possess a significant importance. It is requisite for instituting brand identity, online reputation and the augmentation of your SEO marketing strategy. By instigating patients to give their unprejudiced feedback about their experience at your practice, you are looking at multiple things to expand your practice.

What are the benefits of online patient reviews?

Brand recognition: This is quite simple. The more your brand appears online, the more exposure people will have to your practice. Those individuals who are familiar with your practice will become patients themselves or refer their friends or relatives in the need of your services.

Flourishing prominence: In the medical industry, large portions of new patients arrive based on referrals from other satisfied clients and that is true when your services are termed excellent. Several review sites like Yelp, RateMDs and Google Places provide supplementary avenues to share their experiences and reach a greater audience than they would by word of mouth alone. Automatically, your credibility will grow when people see that you have a positive track record of satisfying your patients. When potential patients have ready information about your reputation, they are likelier to make a decision without hesitation to visit your practice.

Improving search engine rankings: Online directories, especially Google Places are great sources for potential patients looking for medical practice in their area. Positive reviews attached to these listings will help achieve higher ranks in Google’s search engine results. High rankings lead to increased visibility and can draw more patients. Furthermore, these directories also provide links to your website.

Satisfied patients are less likely to share their views online as compared to those who have had bad experiences. Encourage your satisfied patients to share their feedback about your services. Tell them how their views can help grow your practice. Click here! if you are looking to enhance your online reputation.

Marketing Strategies for Hospitals

The United States is witnessing an era where new hospitals are coming up at a rapid pace. There are slew of challenges that these hospitals are facing. An off-putting task that every hospital is facing today is of marketing itself. It is astonishing to know that many doctors are unaware of any existing marketing strategy. What’s even more bewildering that millions are spent structuring a hospital and nothing is done when it comes to promoting it. For those of you who are unclear about how hospitals are marketed or how to market a hospital in a professional and ethical way, here is a sneak peek:

Ever heard of Segregation or USP (unique selling proposition)? What makes your hospital different from private clinics? Be legitimate and different at the same time. Never duplicate what others are doing. Ask yourself, who will prefer an outdated imitation when the genuine is already available? You could be the most reliable or the most experienced, but your hospital will not be able to sustain serious competition if compromised on originality.

It’s a proven fact that Customer Relationship Management is a pioneer tool to retain old customers and ensure the publicizing of positive word of mouth. It is a widely known reality that if we retain our current clients and they are loyal to us, we can easily increase our business roughly by 20%. Moreover, we get additional benefits for retaining old clients. They are likelier to recommend your services to others.

Stick to your specialty. However, it is wise to expand but sticking to what you do the best is much more result-oriented. If you are widely acclaimed for your cardiology services then let it be. Don’t fall into the trap of augmenting dermatology or orthopedics. Playing with your brand identity can backfire and may cause harm to your reputation.

In the end, one needs to have patience. Marketing strategies won’t bring you results overnight. However, you can always explore other options like website designing, content marketing, SEO, Social Media marketing and so on for your hospital to reach a wider audience.

Where Video Can Help Your Practice?

In the world of online medical marketing, videos are much more conversant and favorable than most medical practitioners would think. Incorporating a video to your site is not just a strategy; it’s a way to generate more leads to your website and attract new patients to your practice. Diverse functionalities of an online video can take your practice to the next level. In fact, medical websites with videos are far more easier to locate on search engines. Here, we look at three major benefits you can get with online videos:

1. Brand Recognition – Branding is not just for profit making corporations offering a product or service. Just like any other organization, your medical practice is offering a service and must be branded. Do not restrict to just “catchy slogans” or imposing “one liners.” Branding is all about creating an image of your practice in your patient’s minds and nothing beats an online video when it comes to encouraging them to think of you first when they need medical care. A simple introduction in the video format goes a long way in making an impact. Relish this golden opportunity to highlight what’s great about your practice.
2. Links To Your Site – Videos are an easy way for patients to link to your website and talk about your medical practice. If posted correctly, a video can bring a huge number of crucial leads to your website. Furthermore, it helps you place links to your practice’s website all over the internet. All you need is to create a professional video, which prospective patients would like to link. A great way to begin an informative video is to give a brief description about your practice and services.
3. Your SEO campaign – A video can give a boost to your SEO campaign by improving search engine ranking results and ultimately increasing web traffic. Inducting a well-made video into your website can be a great way to generate large number of back links. These back links will help push the website up in the search engine rankings.

Looking for a professional to create an online video for your practice? Click here!