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.
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.
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…
Sometimes the harder we work, the less effective we are, and the same can be true for practice marketing. This blog will explore 6 signs your healthcare practice marketing is failing and what to do about them.
Sign #1: You find yourself working harder, yet producing fewer results. For example, you’re doing more marketing events, but have the same number of new patients each month. Like a hamster on its’ wheel, you can’t seem to make any marketing progress. Tip: Do less marketing with more focus, planning, and intention. Create a written Connections Calendar™. If you need help with this, my Ramp Up For Success Package! is perfect for you. Click here for details.
We examined the concept of internal marketing for healthcare practices in a previous blog. Let’s turn our attention now to the concept of external marketing for healthcare practices. Simply stated, [external marketing] for healthcare practices is any activity or event done outside the walls of your office to promote your practice. The most effective marketing strategies utilize a combination of internal and external marketing for practice success.
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.
A couple of weeks ago I attended several sessions of the virtual Influence and Impact Summit produced by Michael Hyatt of Platform University. It was seriously one of the best online summits I’ve ever participated in. (If it happens again next year make sure you sign-up for the free event!) The speakers were insightful, the topics were impactful, and the take-aways were truly meaningful. In my last blog, I reviewed several quotes by the legendary John Maxwell. (Missed it? Check it out!) As I mentioned in that blog, I actually had two favorite sessions. And because I couldn’t pick a winner, I chose to talk about them in alphabetical order.
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.
When was the last time you created a healthcare marketing calendar for your practice? Perhaps the single most critical component of a successful healthcare practice is planning. You develop the floorplan of your office, you plan the look and tone of your business cards and brochures, you design the décor of your rooms, and you plan the care you provide to your clients. Likewise, you should intentionally plan your practice marketing by creating a written marketing calendar. (I like to call the marketing calendar a Connections CalendarTM, because it details all the community connections you plan to make in the upcoming year.)