Today I’m going to write about ways to market your medical practice. I have learned so many different things over the years. If there are a few things life has taught me on my medical journey, they are the things other doctors do right and wrong when it comes to a successful medical practice. What makes some doctors so successful? You meet certain primary care doctors drawing in six million a year and you can have some super-specialists who barely make half a million. What sets them apart?
Marketing. And a lot of that marketing isn’t even that obvious. So here are some ways to market your medical practice.
20 Ways to Market Your Medical Practice
Marketing your medical practice may not necessarily mean flaunting your name everywhere. It includes multiple steps and links that fit together as a whole. Your business isn’t just you. It’s the team and the whole of the function as it operates. So even if you can slowly do these steps one by one, it will make a significant impact on your walk-in rates and better yet, your retention rate. Now, if you operate your clinical practice in a small town with very less competitors in the same specialty, the market share is higher. However, if you operate in a city like Miami, where the market is saturated and there are doctors at every corner, then you need marketing to stand out. I
1. A Professional Website
A lot is changing with the internet and the way search engines operate. Web traffic can vary based on a lot of minute details. I know this because I built and created my website from scratch. It takes a lot of effort to rank on google and other search engines on page one. Even that is not guaranteed.
- To create your own website, make sure you host the website yourself so that all the content belongs to you.
- Make sure the website is mobile-friendly. Lots of patients are accessing health information on their phones. Your website must have contact information, timings, staff information, and other relevant details.
- Also, try and make your website ADA-compliant for people with hearing and visual impairments.
Now, I know, people will say, why not get a Facebook page instead? You can only cut so many corners but a page will not rank you on a search engine and it will not do what a website does. Besides, it’s the least basic thing a business is expected to have. Remember, you do not own any content on a social media platform.
2. Invest in SEO
Once you have a website, invest in search engine optimization (SEO). I have learned and done this for the last 10 years for various clients.
- Create a roadmap around the keywords you want to rank for.
- Include the city and area that you’re targeting.
- Then build content around it that is SEO optimized so that you can rank on the first page of Google or whatever search engine.
Most of my clients tend to have no time to create custom content and if they do, they don’t know how to optimize. If you’re a plastic surgery clinic, it’s not enough to do twenty articles on rhinoplasty. You need to have a plan in place. If you start a blog for your patient population, it needs to be customized and different from what’s already out there on the internet. That includes articles, how-to’s, videos, and specially designed infographics.
3. Fill in Your Local Listings
Local listings can really drive a ton of traffic to your website as Google and other search engines see your business as legitimate.
- Fill in as much detail as you can.
- This includes, what kind of business it is, physical location, business hours, services offered, photographs, and contact information (this is only for google but is hidden from the public.)
Search engines like these details filled out and will rank your website higher because the more details there are, the more legitimate you seem. Here’s a YT video courtesy of Howfinity to show you how.
4. Use Professional Photos
A picture is worth a thousand words. Don’t use free stock photography. I see this all the time and people recognize these pictures. Stock photos also seem unrealistic at times.
- Hire a professional photographer to take pictures of the space and you.
- If you’re including staff photos, ensure they have a uniform background and look professional.
- The exam rooms should be well-lit and clean.
I hired a professional photographer for my own website and books and they have served me well over the years. I use them everywhere. And they have become part of my brand.
5. Create A Business Avatar
Remember you’re building a reputation that will draw in people. Your online business avatar is important. If you’re on social media, stay close to your brand. I understand that you’re a human and deserve to have the freedom to be who you are but you can’t be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I have seen people post awful stuff about themselves and others online.
- Don’t post drunk videos of yourself or snorting drugs.
- Don’t curse and swear online because that’s what you would do in real life. Your patient’s don’t need to see that.
- Don’t post explicit/depreciating images no matter how funny you think it is.
There are days when I would love to speak my mind into the void of the internet but I remember that I have a business to run. And my reputation is a part of that.
To build your business avatar, you need to carefully craft an image of your business online all the time, no matter what social media you follow.
6. Create a Brand
If you have grand plans of expanding into a center or facility, it makes sense to build your brand. This includes choosing the colors and logo for your business. We all recognize the branding and logo of Mount Sinai health system or that of Cleveland clinic. In the case of the latter, the hallmark in their logo represents the four founders of the health system. You might think this is so trivial but this how marketing works on a subconscious level. You are training people to associate you with a particular color or logo. Every time they see it, they remember your service.
7. Offer Online scheduling
This is a huge draw for patients. Too many people don’t want to deal with long phone wait times and rude humans. Online scheduling makes everyone’s life so much easier. When I needed to get my COVID swab tests and shots, I remember my doctor’s office including the NYH health system, simply allowed us to schedule online. There was no queue and I was in and out in ten minutes. Your website should offer online scheduling.
8. Email Marketing
I don’t particularly like receiving email marketing but it works. One of my employers used to celebrate health days every month and I would create especially related infographics that were emailed to the patients.
9. Print Marketing
You can send out direct mail to patients. This includes brochures, pamphlets, and birthday cards for their birthdays. Patients like being made to feel special. You can also create branded takeaways from your office. If you’re in pediatrics, brand the lollipops you hand out. Think of smaller knickknacks that you can brand and give away like a pen or a keychain. I know an orthopedics office that created keychains in the form of metal plates that they would give away. Talk about being creative.
10. Word of mouth
How the patient experiences you and your business is extremely important. This is because when people like you, they bring their family members to you. They tell their friends and co-workers about you. It is your job to ensure that the backend experience is as good as the front-end experience. By that I mean, are the people manning your front desk hospitable and nice irrespective of circumstances?
If you ever call the Four Seasons hotel, the staff at the desk are trained to speak in a particular tone no matter the time of day. How how much more important when it comes to health? True, people can be sometimes downright rude and impatient, but your front desk needs to be amiable at all times.
- Ensure that you have an answering service that answers all calls and takes messages timely.
- Respond to those messages soon and resolve them.
- Use automated reminders for appointments and see to it that people can access all their records through the EHR portal.
11. Feedback and Reviews
Don’t wait for reviews online. Leave feedback cards that people can fill up. In Orlando, one of the places where I volunteered had several feedback cards that asked how did we do? That allows people to directly share what they’re happy or unhappy with. Send out surveys to patients after their visit to solicit feedback. Train your practice manager to respond positively to all reviews online. Share reviews and testimonials on your website.
12. Harness the Power of Video
Video is powerful. There is an art to video.
- You can either share a video of a specific procedure or a demonstration on a 3d model.
- Or you can use video to create a brand.
NY-Presbyterian has this amazing campaign about how their doctors and medical staff have made a difference by sharing patient stories in short clips. This is really amazing marketing in a city like NY which has many amazing competing health systems. It is a really good example of brand creation.
13. Create funnels
Creating a funnel is a way of driving people toward you and your services. Funnel creation is a different beast in itself. However, one example would be offering a free ebook (related to your specialty) and collecting emails in exchange. Then using email marketing to share discounts, coupons, and seasonal services and even announce if you’re open to new patients. I know in NY there were several messages that were sent to me to get a particular test done and I would be eligible for x or I could get a gift card for y. A funnel requires a lot of planning though and needs extensive A/B testing.
14. Advertising Billboards
I have seen this a lot in Miami. If you travel anywhere in Miami, the billboards are hard to miss. Especially on the expressway. Even Mount Sinai has this huge billboard in South Miami announcing they’re accepting new patients in every specialty. Smaller centers are also doing the same. I’m sure this is very expensive and not for everybody but if you’re a big shared practice, it’s something to consider. The first billboard is at an art and cultural center in Hialeah. The medical center advertises on the cultural center’s board.
15. Branding vehicles
There are vehicles for various purposes. Some of them deliver meds and others transport elderly patients. Concierge care and their services tend to include all this. You can include your branding on the vehicles or run bus ads. These are some more obvious in-your-face ways of marketing your medical practice. Here are some examples I have seen.
16. Do TV and radio interviews
This is a great way of getting new clients. One of my attendings did a TV interview recently debating the benefits of GLP-1 medications in diabetes patients and their safety. Soon, people start calling in because they see the doctor showcasing their expertise and knowledge and want an appointment with the doctor on TV.
TV and radio shows are a great way to introduce your practice and show people your medical experience through a Q &A or call in session.
17. Offer free events
At one of my previous employers, there was a monthly free blood pressure camp or Diabetes camp where random sugars were tested. Sometimes, we took these camps to various offices. These camps were a great way to build a funnel and also introduce people to our nurses and doctors. Even if you do it once a month, you can build the practice by simply letting people know about the practice. They may not need you right now but in the future, if they do, they will remember you.
18. Community events and Health Fairs
Take part in community events. That’s one of the subtle ways to market your medical practice. During Christmas, I went to the Clermont Christmas parade. South Lake Hospital OBGYN had their own float, so did many other dentists and other allied health folks. They didn’t have to but people loved to see them be a part of the community. The whole of Clermont was there so it was a beautiful advertising moment without really advertising.
- You can also participate in health fairs if they are present in the area.
- Give a talk at the local library.
- If you offer a screening procedure, do a lecture or a presentation at the local church or Annual Parade to highlight the issue.
- Offer women discounts during women’s health month etc. You get the idea!
19. Answering mail
If you have an answering mail service, don’t let the call-hold time go to waste. Record a podcast or audio clips for patients to hear. Don’t play silly music. I remember my attending asked us, volunteers, to call a practice and we were on hold listening to classical music for 45 minutes. We almost had torticollis. This is prime time. Use it wisely. I notice some practices have resorted to playing the news but I think you can do better. Play important health awareness campaigns or use this opportunity to let people know about discounts or offers. It’s one of the most ignored ways of marketing your medical practice.
20. Talk to your colleagues
You cannot practice medicine in isolation. You need your colleagues to refer to you and they must know you. I have seen several PCP’s refer just to certain doctors based on the reputation of the doctor, their timeliness with sharing notes, the patient experience at the office, and the turnaround time. Often PCP’s will ask patients how was their experience with a doctor and then decide whether to refer others to them or not in the future. They sometimes ask if the patients understood what was said and whether their condition was explained to them. Primary care doctors are learning about you from the patients. Let them know you by talking to them and allowing them to get to know you better before hearing from patients.
Need Help
I know that it is impossible to single-handed do this on your own. When it comes to implementing any of the ways to market your medical practice, most doctors don’t have the time or the inclination to do all this on their own. Between patients and paperwork, they would rather outsource this to someone else. If you need help creating content for your website, SEO optimizing your web presence, and building a brand, you can always reach out to me. As a freelance medical writer, I have created medical content for many doctors and their practices. Or you can work with a medical ad agency to help you out. Better yet, you can implement the above steps slowly over time.