Healthcare marketing resources for private practices.
Summer is upon us, and that can mean a slow down in business for some. Let’s look at some ways to give your practice a boost during the slow summer season.
Now that things are quieter, you have time to devote to all those projects you neglected when things were hopping. And if you focus on the right ones, they can help drive business to your practice during the slow summer season.
Junk food marketing works in the short term, but it’s not a sustainable way to grow your practice. Make sure you aren’t a junk food marketer!
Have you ever read ingredient labels while food shopping? Almost everything is filled with sugar, even savory foods like bread and tomato sauce are loaded with the stuff! Why? Because it’s a cheap, lazy way to make food palatable. Is it good for you? Certainly not, but it’s cheap and easy. The same thing holds true for practice marketing.
Once you decide to become a membership practice, the next step is choosing membership services for your patients. We know the benefits for providers: A smaller patient load, reduced overhead, and less record-keeping. But what services will you offer your patients?
When some people think of a membership practice, they think of fluffy robes and private waiting rooms. Those things are nice extras, but they don’t do much to make a patient’s experience better. Ask your patients what would improve their experience. The most common things patients are looking for all relate to time: Faster access to appointments, longer appointments, and a practitioner who listens (which takes time!).
Previous blog posts focused on membership practices, and you’re convinced! This post will discuss ways to structure a membership practice.
Before we look at the different models, remember that much of your success when transitioning to a membership practice depends on understanding your patient demographic, choosing the right structure to serve them, and educating them on how the new practice model will work. If you’ve selected the right practice structure for your demographic, communicating the benefits to your patients should be easy. Now let’s look at the three most common ways to structure a membership practice.
The terms “membership practice”,”concierge medicine,” and “direct primary care” are sometimes used interchangeably. While they have similarities, they have distinct differences too. It’s important to be familiar with the differences so you can help your patients understand them and be more comfortable with your new practice model.
If you’re among the many doctors seeking a better way to serve your patients, you may be considering a membership, concierge, or direct primary care practice model. To help you make the best decision for you and your patients, this post will outline what these practice models have in common and how they differ.
More and more physicians are transitioning from a traditional practice to a membership, DPC, or concierge practice. The three terms are often (mistakenly) used interchangeably. (The various ways to structure this type of practice will be discussed in future blogs, so stay tuned!)
If you’re thinking about making the leap, you’ve probably done enough research to know that one of the biggest issues for these practices is marketing.
Perhaps “marketing” is the wrong thing to focus on. Focus, instead, on patient education to help your current patients become comfortable and excited about the new practice model. This can smooth the transition and alleviate some of your patient-retention fears. (Plus it can also save you time and money since you won’t have to focus so much effort on constantly attracting new patients.)
Healthcare practice marketing indecision can cripple your practice growth and stability. Wow, that’s a pretty bold statement…but it’s true. Indecision can result from a lack of focus, certainty, information, or confidence. Since most healthcare professionals receive little education in how to successfully conduct healthcare practice marketing, it’s no wonder they struggle to make strategic marketing decisions.
Healthcare practice marketing sabotage exists, and should be considered when reviewing your practice marketing strategy. Sabotage is the intentional destruction (or obstruction) of an action, process, or accomplishment. Most of us would be furious to discover someone sabotaging the healthcare practice we’ve worked so hard to build…yet sometimes we’re the ones unintentionally sabotaging ourselves. For example, you’ve probably seen a patient sabotage his own efforts to stick to a new exercise regimen, or her own efforts to lose weight. Self-sabotage happens in personal life, as well as in our businesses.
Mastermind groups have been around for several decades, but have you ever thought of creating or joining a healthcare marketing mastermind group? A mastermind is a group that meets on a regular basis (typically monthly or quarterly) to share challenges, successes, and ask for feedback. The participants can be from the same profession or from a variety of professions. For a healthcare marketing mastermind, I’d recommend working with practitioners from various healthcare disciplines.
Healthcare marketing and Zonkies? Seriously, what’s the connection? Healthcare providers often do the same, old, tired events and activities for their healthcare marketing. Certainly there’s a place for those things…they became “standard marketing” (or “workhorses”) because they were effective or provided useful information. We don’t want to throw them out completely…but consider enhancing them with some new, fresh, and interesting healthcare marketing activities where you dare to be different! (The zonkey!)
That’s right! Think outside of the box. Pretend there is no box! Be clever. Be unique with your marketing. Stand out from the crowd of healthcare providers clamoring for the public’s attention…
