Healthcare Marketing Mindset I

If you spend any amount of time speaking with healthcare professionals in private practice, it’ll quickly become clear as to their healthcare marketing mindset. In other words, what do they think about the concept of marketing their healthcare practice? I find this topic so interesting that I decided to write a series of blogs on the subject of practice marketing mindsets. This first installation will discuss the two main mental perceptions regarding the financial aspect of healthcare marketing.

We all know marketing takes time and money. The question is, how do you view that expenditure of resources? Some healthcare professionals focus on the expense involved, while others accept the cost as an investment into their practice. Have you ever had this conversation with a patient? Where they saw the cost of care in your practice as an expense and you tried to help them see it as an investment into their health and future?

When you view something as an expense – in this case, your marketing efforts – the tendency is to want to minimize the expense. Every decision becomes about the bottom line – dollars and cents – instead of how it could impact your practice or community in multiple ways. An expense is part of the cost of maintaining a business, but doesn’t necessarily help it to grow and thrive.

Conversely, when you view something as an investment, there’s a willingness to commit the necessary resources to make sure it’s successful. The hope is that the investment will pay off in some form in the end. An investment seeks a long-term outcome such as practice growth.

It can be easy to fall into the habit of seeing marketing as just another expense…dollars flowing out of your accounts, never to be seen again. And actually, that can be the reality if you aren’t monitoring, measuring, tracking, and modifying your marketing activities to implement the ones that work best for you.

A better approach is to look at your healthcare practice marketing from the perspective of an investment. Do your research. Determine your goals (what are you hoping to achieve with your healthcare marketing?). Consider your options carefully. Obtain expert guidance when necessary. Have a plan. Invest in the future growth of your practice and your life by financing those activities that successfully grow your practice.

A word of caution – not every marketing activity will produce spectacular results in terms of new patients or revenue. In fact, not every healthcare marketing activity is intended to produce patients or revenue, so be clear on your goals. (For example, perhaps you host an event simply to raise awareness of a serious health condition.)

I’d like to hear from you! How do you perceive the commitment of time and resources necessary to market your healthcare practice? Have you recently switched from seeing healthcare practice marketing as an expense to an investment? How did that happen for you? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!

For more information on building community connections, I encourage you to read my new book Community Connections! Relationship Marketing for Healthcare Professionals. If you want more valuable information about how to Connect with YOUR Community, you can find FREE healthcare practice marketing content, PowerPoint Presentation Jumpstart Kits, workbooks, blog articles, and my FREE “Practice Marketing Planner” Now!

Who Are Your Healthcare Patients?

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

Who Are Your Healthcare Patients?

As Seth Godin, marketing genius, once commented, “Everyone is not your customer.” In the solo healthcare practice realm, this can be re-stated to say that everyone is not your patient. What?!? A healthcare marketing consultant and published author is telling you not everyone is your patient? It’s true. On a superficial level, of course every single one of the billions of people on this planet aren’t your patients. Let’s look closer and use a specific example.

Imagine you’re a dentist in private dental practice in a town of 40,000. Of that population, perhaps 500 people have seen you professionally. What about the other 39,500? Do they all need a dentist? Yes. But do they all need to see you as their dentist? The answer is no. You can’t be the “right” dentist for all people.

So how can you help increase the chance that those who find themselves in your dental practice are your “right” patients? By being crystal clear on who your ideal patients are. What characteristics do they have? What are their demographics? Et cetera. If you’re passionate about instilling proper dental habits at an early age, your ideal patients are likely to be moms with young children. You’d build your branding and private dental practice identity around this concept. You wouldn’t necessarily turn away patients who didn’t match your ideal, but you wouldn’t spend time and money marketing to them.

When you develop a clear picture of who your ideal healthcare patient is, you’ll be able to identify those for whom you’d be a good match. You can spend your time and resources marketing directly to them instead of trying to be all things to all people.

What does your “ideal healthcare patient” look like? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comment box below!

Are You Attractive?

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

Are you attractive? I don’t mean to get too personal with this question, so let me clarify. Are you “attractive” to other people in the sense that you draw people to you and your healthcare practice? This isn’t a discussion of the sort of attractiveness which includes cosmetics, clothing, accessories, or physique. Instead, I want to talk about your personal ability to interest and engage people.

I’ve heard it said that everyone has the ability to light up a room. The difference is some people light up a room when they enter…and others light up the room when they leave. (Be honest…which one are you?) This has little to do with physical build, clothing, or make-up and has everything to do with your personal charisma and personality. Do people want to be around you, or do they seem to take the first opportunity to leave?

In my experience, two things draw other people to you. The first is a sense of positivity – including a warm smile. No one wants to be around someone who’s negative all the time, but being around a positive person can help lift your spirits. The second item is a passion for what they believe in. Use caution here – this doesn’t give you permission to ram your beliefs down everyone else’s throats. Rather, a firm passion that’s evidenced by actions can be very compelling.

When someone is positive and passionate, they’ll constantly attract others to them. This provides them with the opportunity to meet more people and get to know them on a deeper level than someone who’s negative or apathetic. As part of your healthcare practice marketing plan, step back and check your attitude and passion. If they’re not where they need to be, make the necessary adjustments and create the best year of your practice.

What are your experiences with positivity and passion? Did you make an attitude adjustment that changed your practice or your life? I hope you’ll share your thoughts and ideas in the comment box below!

Be Your Local Healthcare Authority

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

If we polled 100 people in your community and asked them who the best [fill in your healthcare specialty here] is, would your name come up? Are you considered to “Be Your Local Healthcare Authority” in your field? If not, here are five things you can do to begin the process of being recognized as the local healthcare authority in your field.

1. Get involved in your community. The more your community gets to know you as a person, the more they will get to know and trust you in your professional capacity.

2. Write a book or e-book. Select a topic that’s important to your community and allows you to highlight your healthcare expertise.

3. Be a contributing healthcare author for local magazines and websites.

4. Engage the press. Contact the local media and let them know of your expertise and willingness to answer questions they may have. When you obtain continuing education, receive additional certifications/expertise, host a public lecture, sponsor a charity event, et cetera, send a press release to TV, radio, and magazine companies. They may run your press release as-is, or they may ask you for a personal interview. Here is a link to my press release for my first book Community Connections! Relationship Marketing for Healthcare Professionals:

5. Constantly educate the public on topics relevant to your field. You can offer health talks, sponsor panel discussions, host awareness events, or even host your own radio show. When people consistently see or hear your name and healthcare expertise, they’ll begin to rely on you for information.

No matter how you choose to promote yourself as a local healthcare authority, make sure you’re worthy! If you put yourself out there as an expert on something, keep up on the latest research and information. Constantly educate yourself so you can bring the best and most accurate information to your community. If your community trusts you enough to make you their “local authority,” then exceed their expectations!
How have you built your reputation as a local authority in your field? Please share your experiences and ideas in the comments section below!

Impact and Influence

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

I recently attended several sessions of the virtual Influence and Impact Summit produced by Michael Hyatt of Platform University. Online summits are everywhere these days, and some are worth your time to listen in. The Influence and Impact Summit was one of the best online summits I’ve ever participated in. The speakers were top-notch, the topics were relevant, and the take-aways were truly meaningful. For those of you who didn’t have the opportunity to attend, I thought I’d highlight some of the best quotes from some of my favorite sessions.

I actually had two favorite sessions, for two entirely different reasons. I couldn’t possibly pick one over the other, so to be fair, I’ll talk about them in alphabetical order! John Maxwell, a well-known leadership guru, has written over 70 books. Many of them are New York Times best-sellers. He recently released his newest book, Intentional Living. I got so many fantastic nuggets of wisdom from his 30-minute talk…

“You have to write your first book to get to your best book.”

“You should write books in order to influence people you’ll never meet.”

These two quotes resonated on a deep level for me as I’m in the finishing touches on my second book, Practice Excellence! An Integrated Approach to Creating a World-Class Healthcare Practice. While my first book, Community Connections! will always hold a special place in my heart, I’m super excited about the next one. It’s filled with so much more information, so many more tips, and so much more heart…I can’t wait for healthcare professionals all over the world to read it!

My fiancé, Michael, and I started Sage Media, LLC over a year ago with the stated purpose “To facilitate Practice Excellence in healthcare.” Writing books helps me to expand my reach and achieve this purpose in a way being in private practice never could. As John Maxwell would agree, my books are allowing me to help and influence practitioners I’ve never met!

“Preparation releases pressure.”

“Don’t wing it…work for it.”

John Maxwell shared these two quotes when talking about public speaking. Although it was something that came easy for him, he never got complacent about it. He could easily have gone on auto-pilot, but instead he was intentional about every talk he did, no matter how large the audience. Apply this to your practice. Have you ever gone on auto-pilot when taking a history, performing an exam, rendering care, or talking with your team? (I think we’ve all done it at some point…) Maxwell would say that no matter how good you are at what you do, never take it for granted. Work on every single interaction you have and ignore the temptation to “wing it.” Consistent preparation will help to combat pressure or stress you may feel, while honing your performance until it’s razor-sharp.

“What you have to share is more important than the perfection

with which you present it.”

“People want your heart more than they want your skill.”

Perfection is stagnation These quotes were a great reminder that we’re often harder on ourselves than anyone else. And…if we’re really being honest…your patients connect with you, not just the information you provide. Stop beating yourself up, struggling for perfection, and holding yourself back. Don’t put off a great marketing event or speaking opportunity because you’re worried it won’t be perfect. Because,…guess what? It won’t be perfect, no matter how hard you try. Do your event, learn from your mistakes, and commit to constant improvement. Be authentic and genuine, and people will respond.

“Don’t despise where you are…love where you are. If you don’t love where you are, you won’t love where you’re going.”

“Everyone influences someone.”

love Finally, in case you’ve forgotten…your life is amazing! Regardless of where you are right now, you’ve been blessed with opportunities, friendships, skills, and lessons no one else has. The best way to move forward is to be grateful and appreciative of what you currently have. Oh…and not only does everyone influence someone…but everyone is loved by someone.

Phew! I didn’t realize when I started writing just how many great pearls I took from John Maxwell’s talk! So I think I’ll end this post here, and save my “tied-for-first-place” other favorite speaker from the Impact and Influence summit for the next blog!

What about you? Were you able to listen in on the summit, or do you have an impactful quote which changed your life? Please share your comment, quote, or story in the comments section!

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