impact - Dr. Kelley

Influence and Impact II

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.

Today, I’m happy to share my other “tied-for-first-place” speaker from the Impact and Influence summit: Amy Porterfield. Now, I confess…I LOVE AMY PORTERFIELD! I’ve been following her on social media for some time, I subscribe to her blog, and I’ve purchased several of her products. She’s a gifted entrepreneur who’s changed the lives of countless people. Honestly, I almost didn’t listen to her talk because I thought I was familiar with her message. I’m so glad I changed my mind! In all the time I’ve been tuning in to Amy, this was the first time I saw her “unscripted” in an interview.

She was absolutely magnificent. Her vibrant personality and genuine compassion were evident from word one. Amy was engaging, funny, sincere, and humble while sharing pieces of her story and motivation. What struck me the most from her 30-minute interview was how much I could relate to her on a personal and professional level. We’re in completely different fields, but she has the same fears and worries that I do. (Well…she didn’t come out and say she’s afraid of zombies, but isn’t everyone???)

I was floored to learn that Amy sometimes worries her products might not be good enough…that her success might vanish…that there might not be enough money for future needs… Wow! Does that sound familiar? Do you ever have those same fears or worries? How do you handle them? When faced with these fears, Amy gives herself 10 minutes to worry about it, then she consciously shifts her focus to the next important thing. What a great tip to use in healthcare practices! (The host, Michael Hyatt, said he’s a worrier too. His wife tells him “wait to worry.” Basically, there’ll be time later to worry, right now you need to buckle down and get to work. Invariably, by the time “later” comes, there’s no need to worry!)

Another interesting lesson Amy shares is how, when she left her 9-5 job to begin her entrepreneurial journey, she was scared. So, she took on consulting clients for the first two years. She later realized that while comfortable, this was a distraction holding her back from her true path. Have you ever struggled to make something fit your life or your practice, to no avail? Then, when you stop pushing, you realize you were meant to go in another direction? (Me too!)

One last impactful moment in the interview occurred when Amy shared “What’s ahead of you is where the magic is.” We can get bogged down in the minutiae of today or the regrets of the past and lose sight of the future. We can’t change what happened yesterday…and the actions of this moment may have little impact on today. But…the future is molded by the thoughts and actions of today…it’s completely up to you. You can have a future that looks identical to your present life if you change nothing. However, if you plan carefully…choose your actions with intention…take deliberate steps…your future can be magical!

So how does this relate to healthcare practice marketing? If you change nothing about how you market your practice…if you fail to put a plan in place…then you’ll get the same level of practice success you’ve always had. Or, you can experiment, try new marketing strategies, take intentional marketing steps, and create new levels of practice success.

One last thought about the summit, and then I’ll go back to my normal healthcare marketing blogs…there were so many fantastic speakers. I have to give honorable mention to several more: Dr. Josh Axe, Dave Ramsey, Carrie Green, Donald Miller, Bob Goff, and Andy Andrews were all amazing. If you think about it, there’s no shortage of inspirational leaders. Even if they aren’t in the healthcare field, their messages can translate to your healthcare practice. Block some time out of your schedule to listen to a few of your favorites (via podcast, e-book, interview, etc.) every week. Their messages can raise your energy, motivate you, and help you intentionally create the practice – and life – of your dreams!

What about you? Who are your favorite inspirational leaders? Please share your comment, quote, or story in the comments section!

5 Steps to Create Your Healthcare Marketing Calendar: A Strategic Guide for 2025

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern

Creating a healthcare marketing calendar is a vital step for any successful medical practice. Just as you carefully plan your office layout, design your brochures, and structure patient care protocols, your marketing efforts deserve the same level of thoughtful preparation. A well-crafted marketing calendar—sometimes called a Connections Calendar—helps you map out all the community touchpoints and promotional activities your practice will engage in throughout the year.

A desk with a calendar, computer, and marketing materials. Post-it notes with "healthcare marketing" and a pen. A phone with scheduling app open

Planning your healthcare marketing in advance allows you to maintain consistent patient communication and capitalize on seasonal opportunities. Rather than scrambling to create last-minute campaigns, a marketing calendar gives you the structure to build meaningful relationships with your community while efficiently managing your practice resources.

Key Takeaways

A structured marketing calendar helps healthcare practices maintain consistent patient engagement and community outreach throughout the year.
Planning your healthcare marketing efforts in advance allows for better resource allocation and more strategic promotional activities.
Creating a comprehensive marketing calendar transforms reactive healthcare advertising into proactive patient connection opportunities.

Why You Need a Marketing Calendar for Healthcare Success

A busy healthcare office with a desk covered in colorful sticky notes, a computer open to a marketing calendar, and a team collaborating on ideas

A well-planned marketing calendar serves as the backbone of your healthcare practice’s outreach efforts. It brings structure to your promotional activities and helps your practice grow in several important ways:

Focuses Your Efforts
A marketing calendar helps you prioritize activities that align with your healthcare brand and practice goals. This focused approach prevents scattered efforts and maximizes your marketing impact with potential patients.

Controls Budget Flow
Planning your marketing activities in advance allows for better financial management. You can:

Allocate funds strategically throughout the year
Avoid unexpected expenses
Ensure resources are available for high-priority campaigns

Optimizes Staff Scheduling
Your calendar helps coordinate everyone involved in marketing efforts:

Practice staff
External partners
Volunteers

This coordination prevents burnout while ensuring proper coverage for events and activities targeting your niche market.

Prevents Missed Opportunities
Without a planned calendar, important marketing opportunities can slip through the cracks. Last-minute marketing rarely delivers the same results as well-executed, thoughtfully planned campaigns that connect with patients in your location.

Remember, successful healthcare marketing strategies require planning. Your marketing calendar transforms good intentions into actionable steps that attract patients and build your practice.

Get Ready!

A desk with a computer, calendar, pen, and coffee mug. A person is organizing and planning healthcare marketing activities

Block dedicated planning time on your schedule for creating your marketing calendar. You’ll need 1-2 full days either working alone or with your team during a staff retreat. This focused time ensures thorough planning without interruptions.

Gather essential planning tools before you begin:

Calendar with important dates marked
List of holidays and planned vacations
Schedule of major local events that might affect attendance
Inventory of potential marketing activities
Basic supplies (pens, paper, calculator)
Digital tools if you prefer electronic planning

Brainstorm creative marketing ideas by developing a master list of successful past activities and new concepts you’d like to implement. Consider your practice strengths and market opportunities while being mindful of potential threats and competition.

Personalize your approach to reflect your unique practice identity and values. Your marketing calendar should showcase your strengths and address your weaknesses through strategic planning.

Remember that your marketing calendar is a living document. You can and should update it regularly as you track progress, respond to market changes, or identify new opportunities. Flexibility is key to maintaining an effective marketing strategy that grows with your practice.

5 Steps to Build an Effective Marketing Calendar for Your Healthcare Practice

Creating a well-organized marketing calendar helps your practice stay on track with promotional activities throughout the year. Here’s how to build one that works:

1. Gather Patient Feedback

Ask your patients about their experiences with your previous marketing efforts. Create a brief questionnaire with questions like:

Which events did you enjoy most?
What activities would you like to see in the future?
How do you prefer to receive practice updates?

This feedback provides valuable insights about what resonates with your target audience and helps shape your marketing strategy.

2. Block Out Your Calendar Year

Start with the basics by marking:

Holidays and office closures
Staff vacations and time off
Industry conferences and events

Then plan at least three marketing activities each month:

One internal office event (staff or current patient focused)
One community-focused external event
At least one social media or content marketing activity

Remember: It’s better to plan conservatively than to cancel events due to time constraints.

3. Establish Clear Marketing Goals

Set specific, measurable objectives for each marketing activity. For example:

Increase new patient appointments by 15% this quarter
Generate 25 new reviews on Google by June
Grow email newsletter subscribers by 100 people

Your goals should be realistic, time-bound, and aligned with your overall business goals. Write them down and revisit them regularly.

4. Implement Tracking Systems

Every marketing effort needs a measurement plan:

Marketing Activity	Tracking Method	Success Metric	Person Responsible
Patient referral program	Referral cards	Number of new patients	Front desk staff
Educational webinar	Registration form	Attendance rate	Marketing coordinator
Social media campaign	Platform analytics	Engagement and clicks	Digital marketing team

Proper tracking helps you determine your ROI and informs future marketing tactics.

5. Ensure Team Alignment

Your entire team needs to understand:

The marketing activities planned
Their specific responsibilities
How success will be measured
Why these efforts matter

Hold regular meetings to discuss upcoming events and review past performance. When everyone understands the “why” behind your marketing calendar, they’ll be more invested in its success.

Pro Tip: Create a dedicated folder system (physical or digital) organized by month, with subfolders for each marketing activity. Include all relevant materials, budgets, checklists, and post-event analysis in these folders for easy reference when planning future events.

By following these steps, you’ll create a structured approach to your practice marketing that drives patient engagement, builds brand awareness, and supports practice growth throughout the year.

Common Questions About Healthcare Marketing Calendars

What should you include in your healthcare marketing calendar?

An effective healthcare marketing calendar needs several key elements to work well. You should include:

Important dates such as holidays, industry events, and health awareness months
Marketing campaigns with clear start and finish dates
Content publication schedule for blog posts, emails, and social media
Budget allocation for each marketing activity
Team responsibilities showing who handles each task

Your calendar should also include specific and measurable goals for each marketing activity. This helps you track progress and measure success.

How can you add digital marketing to your healthcare calendar?

Digital marketing should be a core part of your healthcare marketing calendar. Here’s how to integrate it effectively:

Schedule regular social media posts about health topics, services, and patient education
Plan email campaigns for appointment reminders and health tips
Coordinate website updates with your other marketing efforts
Schedule search engine optimization (SEO) reviews quarterly

It’s important to combat misinformation and provide accurate health information in all your digital marketing efforts.

How do you align your marketing calendar with organizational goals?

Your marketing calendar should directly support your healthcare organization’s broader objectives:

Goal Type	Calendar Alignment Strategy
Patient growth	Schedule campaigns targeting new patient acquisition
Service promotion	Time marketing around service launches or slow periods
Brand awareness	Plan consistent messaging across all channels
Community engagement	Include community events and outreach activities

Before creating your calendar, survey and gather insights from stakeholders to ensure alignment with organizational priorities.

When should you start planning your marketing calendar?

You should begin planning your healthcare marketing calendar at least 3-6 months before the start of the new year. This timeline allows for:

Thoughtful strategy development
Budget approval processes
Content creation lead time
Coordination with other departments

Many healthcare organizations create an annual calendar but leave room for adjustments. Start by filling in holidays, vacations, and office closings before adding marketing activities.

How can you measure your marketing calendar’s success?

To track the effectiveness of your healthcare marketing calendar:

Set key performance indicators (KPIs) for each marketing activity
Use analytics tools to monitor website traffic, social engagement, and conversions
Track patient acquisition sources to connect marketing efforts to results
Conduct regular performance reviews against your goals

Your calendar should include tracking mechanisms to measure performance and make data-driven decisions.

How often should you update your marketing calendar?

Your healthcare marketing calendar requires regular reviews and updates:

Weekly: Check for immediate adjustments needed
Monthly: Review performance and make tactical changes
Quarterly: Assess larger trends and strategic alignment
Annually: Complete overall evaluation and planning for next year

A written marketing calendar provides focus and consistency to your strategy, but it must remain flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances and opportunities.

Small Hinges Swing Big Doors

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

A hinge is a small piece of metal that uses leverage and physics to move something much bigger than itself…a door. No, this blog isn’t about home or office repairs. This blog is about the huge impact minor changes can make in your practice.

Here’s a specific example: Years ago I worked in a high-end wellness-oriented chiropractic practice. Our ideal patients were those who were healthy and wanted to be healthier. We couldn’t understand why, given the office environment and energy, patients often returned to the pain conversation. Then we removed one phrase from our vocabulary. That phrase was “How’re you feeling today?”

The focus of our care was on restoring proper function to the body…not on chasing symptoms. However, by asking that one question, it reinforced for people that how their bodies felt was more important than how they functioned. (This directly contradicted one of the office’s main messages!) Of course, if someone had a serious issue or needed to talk about their discomfort we would…we just chose not to start the conversation that way.

Instead, we substituted the question “How’s your day today?” As a result, that one simple change helped remove patients from the headspace of “being sick” or somehow broken to that of a person working on restoring proper function and health. It took them from the role of the victim and propelled them into their rightful place as a partner in their own health.

While this story shows the positive power a small change can have, remember that it can go the other way too. Seemingly minor changes can lead to disaster. For example, conversion issue with one small number resulted in levy walls that weren’t deep enough. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 the levees couldn’t hold and caused more damage than the hurricane itself.

What little changes have you made that yielded huge results in your practice? Or, what changes could you make? Please share your stories and comments at Dr-Kelley.com as we build our community of successful healthcare professionals!

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!

The Cost of Good Employees

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

Employees can make or break a practice. Even the best doctor can’t overcome a bad staff. If you want to keep your practice successful, you need to understand the cost of good employees. cost

The Front Line

We all know the cliché that your staff is the front line of your practice. They’re the first impression potential patients and patients get of your practice when they call or come into your office. And many of us emphasize this ad naseum to our employees.

But if they don’t feel valued and appreciated, they aren’t going to give their best. Once you understand the cost of good employees, their frustrations, and how you can reward them, your practice will thrive.

The Real Cost

The real cost of keeping good employees is high, very high. It’s estimated that it costs between 6-9 months of salary to replace a salaried employee. For high turnover, low paid positions, which account for many medical office jobs, it costs 16% of the annual salary to replace employees making less than $30,000 per year.

dollar To replace employees making between $30-50,000 a year, the cost is 20% of the salary. These costs account for things like hiring and training expenses.

We all know the cost in time and stress can be even higher. The hiring process is ponderous and frustrating. And some people interview really well, but turn out to be less than ideal once hired. It puts additional stress and responsibility on your long term employees too. They have to pick up the slack of constant turnover, and spend time training new co-workers. If you’ve ever trained someone you know how tiring it can be.

Hard vs Easy

Some positions in a practice are not necessarily hard, as in difficult to perform or requiring a lot of skill. And that’s why many people in those jobs are paid a low hourly wage, don’t get health insurance, retirement plans, paid holidays, paid vacation or even paid sick days.

But believe me, as someone who has been on both sides of the desk, just because a job isn’t hard doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Patients take out their frustrations on front desk and nursing staff in a way they wouldn’t dare with their doctor.

Reward Them

Not all practices are raking it in all the time and so can’t always afford to reward staff with pay increases. However, if you’re doing well, that certainly isn’t due to your efforts alone. Your staff is part of your success and you should share it with them.

There are other ways to reward your staff so they feel appreciated. Remember their birthdays and buy them a gift. Bring in lunch for the office occasionally. Give them a gift card when they’ve gone above and beyond for a patient. clouds

Even just asking if everything is all right when it seems like they’re having a bad day can go a long way to making sure they feel appreciated.

Listen to Your Staff

From time to time have individual meetings with each member of your staff. Ask them if they have any concerns or problems that need to be addressed. Sometimes a good venting session is all they need to feel better.

Have Their Back

We all know that when you deal with the public there are just certain things you have to put up with and most people are generally pleasant enough. But every office has a patient or two who are a real challenge.

You probably know more about the reasons behind that than your staff. You see a person frustrated by a health problem. Your staff just knows there’s someone who is nasty to them during every interaction. If your staff understands the reason behind the behavior, they’ll be more understanding.

That said, no patient has the right to abuse your staff. If you have a patient who consistently does so, you need to address their behavior directly with that patient. No one should be expected to accept abuse as part of their job.

Cheaper to Keep Them

It’s cheaper to keep good employees happy in terms of money, time, and aggravation. (Not to mention the well being of your practice.) Things run more smoothly when a team has been working together for a long time.

It gives a better impression of your practice when patients see and speak to the same people each time. When there’s a lot of turnover, people start to wonder if the problem is you.

It’s better for everyone, yourself included, when the office has a positive energy or feel. Patients will pick up on a happy office and want to be a part of it!

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!

Up for Review

by Dr. Kelley Mulhern Leave a Comment

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Even if you haven’t intentionally created an on-line presence, you may still have an on-line presence. Whether you’re aware of it or not, you and your practice are up for review.

Buyer Beware

If you’re thinking of trying a new restaurant or hair salon, do you hop onto a site like Yelp to find out what others had to say about them? Many of us do, and increasingly, patients are doing the same before choosing a practitioner. A lot of patients are doing this, and as much of 85% of patients let these reviews influence their decision.

Consumers have a lot of sites to choose from for reviews including, Vitals, ZocDoc, Healthgrades, and even Yelp.

On-Line Word of Mouth

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Many practitioners rely on “word of mouth” for new patients. On-line reviews are “word of mouth” shouted through a megaphone! That can be good, and it can be bad. Good reviews can bring in lots of new patients, and bad reviews can slow the flow to a trickle.

We all know some people simply aren’t happy no matter what we do. And whatever you might think of being reviewed on these rating sites, you can’t ignore the impact on-line reviews can have on your practice.

Welcome the Feedback

It can be daunting, but dive in and read your reviews. Many unhappy patients won’t complain in person; they just don’t come back. To use the restaurant analogy again; think of the last meal you had that you didn’t like. Did you say anything at the time or did you just decide you wouldn’t return?

Because review sites give people a non-confrontational outlet, they’ll use them to complain. Try to stay objective and don’t take negative reviews personally. As hard as it may be to read negative reviews, you can use that information to improve your practice and your ratings. Remember, it can be frustrating because the things you think make a good practitioner may not be what patients are judging you on.

For example, you’re up for review on things like how well you listen, how long the wait after arriving on-time for an appointment is, and how well the staff interacts with patients. Patient reviews are less focused on things like the effectiveness of your treatment and their overall health outcome.

How to Handle Bad Reviews

If you get a bad review, do not comment back to the patient on the review site. You might think the response is measured, apologetic, or resolves the problem, but you don’t know how the reviewer will react. It can escalate the situation for everyone to see.

Ideally, you should reach out privately to the patient and ask how you can resolve the issues that prompted the bad review. Hopefully, your good will gesture will prompt the patient to delete or at least to amend the review, although you shouldn’t ask them to do so.

If the review contains false information, most sites have a protocol in place that allows you to dispute and possibly remove it.

Get Good Reviews

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One of the best things you can do is to simply let positive reviews counter and overwhelm any bad ones. But you have to be proactive in getting good reviews. People are much more likely to complain about something they didn’t like than to praise something they did like.

So ask for reviews and tell your staff to do the same. You can be tactful about it. If a patient pays you or your office a compliment, ask them if they would kindly write a review saying the same thing. Make it easy for them. Make an instruction form for reviews and hand out copies to willing patients.

Make sure to include the web address of your preferred site. You might need reviews on ZocDoc, but the patient may not even know that site exists and was going to leave a review on Yelp instead. They can take the instructions home and type the information into your preferred review site, or fill it out in the office and give it to your staff to enter.

And remember, if a patient takes time out of their day to leave you a positive review, let them know how grateful you are. They have given you and a great gift and you want them to know you appreciate it!

Look at the Average

If most of your patients are happy, and your practice is thriving, don’t let bad reviews get you down. Consider how you look at reviews of other businesses yourself. You probably disregard the over-the-top glowing ones (figuring those were written by the owner’s mom) and do the same with the over-the-top bad ones because you figure it’s the competition attempting a little on-line sabotage.

On-line reviews are a powerful tool but don’t let them take up too much real estate in your head. Address the legitimate complaints and watch the good reviews pour in!

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!