4 Quick Ways to Start Marketing Your Practice

So, you are convinced that you need to ramp up the marketing efforts of your physician office.  But you  still feel swamped, and the practice manager will not be thrilled to have another thing added to the to-do list.  What's a doctor to do?  Call for a consult?  Give up?  Keep doing what isn't working?  How about a few baby steps forward in your practices marketing efforts.  These are 4 quick, easy and relatively painless ideas:

1. Make marketing a priority. Find a few marketing activities that take less than 30 minutes of time, such as Twittering, writing a blog post or following up with networking contacts at other clinics. Then, commit to doing these activities first thing in the morning before you do anything else.
   
2. Create a marketing calendar for the practice. Block out set times every month when you'll only focus on marketing, just as you might block out specific times for call, meetings or patient appointments. Then, be sure to keep these "appointments." Display your marketing calendar prominently so you can't "forget" you're committed to marketing.
3. Review your marketing calendar monthly. Each month, schedule one hour to review your marketing calendar and plan for any upcoming events. If you plan to speak at a patient support group, plan out what practice marketing materials you will need to create before that date. If your clinic publishes a monthly e-newsletter, plan out when you'll write it. Any tasks you commit to should be added to your to-do list so you don't forget.
   
4. Consider hiring an assistant or free intern from a local college (Marketing Majors may need internships). If you or your office staff still doesn't have time to market the practice, consider hiring an assistant to do some of it. Try out a Websites like Elance.com to find qualified professionals cheap and easy.  Consider trying virtual assistants, designers, writers, consultants and other professionals to help you manage your practice.
   

When you market your medical business on a regular basis, it becomes a habit.  Once it's a habit, you know your clinic is on track to be strong, growing and able to best serve the patients over the long-term. 


Note:  The thoughts and opinions on Training Wheels are my own, unless otherwise referenced, and are to be food for thought.  If contemplating business changes, these blog posts are not a substitute for consulting your lawyer or accountant. I'll bet you already figured that out, didn't you? 

Why Make Time to Market A Practice

One common problem independent physician offices have today is the belief that they too busy to market the practice. There is the new EHR system.  Staffing and billing is a nightmare.  The senior partner is retiring.  Marketing?  You have to be kidding! 


These practices may have, at some time, created a marketing plan, but maybe not.  They may have believed a shingle, a business card and some old friends or colleagues would be enough to attract new patients.  They may have a fairly stable group of referrals for now.  They may have passed all business and marketing responsibilities to their office manager who feels that there isn't enough time for marketing activities on top of all the other minutia of running a practice today.  They are just plain, frantically, busy.
So what happens? Well often, doctors just stop marketing and focus their attention on patients and day to day issues. After all, they have all the patients they can handle.  Their med school buddies will keep referring to the clinic.  They have a good reputation in the community.  They don't have to market the practice anymore, right?                                


Wrong!                      

That may be true for a few weeks several years ago, but sooner or later those patients will die, move away or change insurance plans.  Those referring colleagues may have their practices bought by a health system that discourages them from sending your office patients.  The hospital may build a clinic across the way and have a large successful marketing and advertising plan.  If you've just stopped marketing your practice, the office may suddenly realize you don't have any new patients, and it may be too late to impact that trend.

Marketing may not seem like a necessity when you have plenty of folks in the waiting room and your are booked out for six weeks.  But without steady marketing efforts, you won't be able to attract new patients to keep your practice healthy, stable and competitive in today's health care market.

Keeping abreast of your practice's marketing efforts requires planning, so my next post will have a few suggestions for marketing your services even when the office is extremely busy.


Note:  The thoughts and opinions on Training Wheels are my own, unless otherwise referenced, and are to be food for thought.  If contemplating business changes, these blog posts are not a substitute for consulting your lawyer or accountant. I'll bet you already figured that out, didn't you?  

Can Social Media Start Patient/Clinician Communication?

It’s no surprise to anyone that patients are turning to the Internet for information about their health.  Consequently, it’s more important each passing day for health professionals to understand that Facebook, Google, health news and patient online support groups will not replace the medical community. The Web is merely a tool that allows for more open conversation between providers and patients.   However, because of this broad use of the Internet, clinicians need to use social media and the broader Internet to help educate the patient.  Through the Web doctors, nurses and health care organizations have a great opportunity to provide accurate, reliable and truthful medical information to the health care consumer, and help a broad base of patients.


Still, many providers question the communication value of Internet as a whole and social media in particular.  Vast quantities of health information are available on the web and some providers feel that patients may be given inaccurate information.  Still other practices worry about potential liability in commenting on various conditions, or consumer postings on practice Facebook pages.  Finally, some doctors resent the potential ramifications of conflicting medical information.

In a recent New England Journal of Medicine article by Pamela Hartzband and Jerome Groopman the authors note that, "Doctors have to get used to the fact they are no longer the sole source of a patient’s health information. Instead, they need to serve more as interpreters of data, and be willing to separate the tangible information from the increasing amount of noise patients find online".  In discussing the physician's own use of email to interact with patients Hartzband and Groopman continue,"E-mail is quite different from speaking with a patient face to face, and doctors must consider carefully what they say and how they say it...written dialogue is quite different from spoken conversation: replies may be delayed, phrases may be more stilted, tone of voice is absent. We should pay close attention to any unintentional fraying of the physician–patient bond" .  So while caution is noted, the inevitability of the Internet has been acknowledged in the medical community.  The bottom line is that face to face communication still remains critical for the doctor/patient relationship.

The upside in this communication shift is that highly involved and educated patients are proactive in their health care.   By engaging in online health forums, patients get emotional and informational support from medical sources and others dealing with health care issues.  They can gather health information from the Internet to help them gain knowledge, collaborate and share medical information. They in fact become health care consumers that can talk to their clinicians about conditions, concerns and make knowledgeable decisions about their care.

Luckily, researching health information on the Internet has never been easier. Patients can interact in health communities,  on practice sites, research venues and via social media, like Facebook and Twitter.  In fact, 40% of online consumers use social networking sites for health information, and according to one study, 80% of these patients are highly engaged patients that take active roles in their own well-being.

So what does this mean regarding the way physicians and practices communicate with their patients?  Well the data really encourages the health care community to embrace the benefits of the Internet and partner with patients in this new communications frontier. Additionally, the Web will never change the fundamental need for face to face interaction between doctor and patient. That personal relationship will continue to be key for the best patient care and greatest patient/clinician satisfaction.

Note:  The thoughts and opinions on Training Wheels are my own, unless otherwise referenced, and are to be food for thought.  If contemplating business changes, these blog posts are not a substitute for consulting your lawyer or accountant. I"ll bet you already figured that out, didn't you?  

A great blog post: How social media has changed my medical practice

We always hear from the experts how physicians and hospitals should be using social media to be in touch with their patients.  Rarely, however, do we hear from the doctors themselves.  Here is a great blog post from Natasha Burgert, MD on KevinMD.com.  I've only included a bit to tweak your interest, but follow the link below to read the entire piece!

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/08/social-media-changed-medical-practice.html

How social media has changed my medical practice

by Natasha Burgert, MD |

Last summer, I joined millions of others in the deluge of social media. I committed one year of effort to see if social would enhance or distract from my pediatric practice.

That was my goal, just one year.

At that time, I wanted to dip my foot in the pool, and see if it made any ripples. The unexpected consequence was how much social media has changed my medical practice, and me. Ripples have returned as tidal waves.

My practice has seen tangible, real valuable benefits. I have been intellectually challenged, and have professionally grown.

For my practice:

• Increasing new patient traffic is creating revenue for our group.I average 1 new patient family per week who came because of our social media presence. I know this because they tell me, “I am here to see you today because I found you on Facebook,” or “I found your blog.”
  
  • 52 patients a year x $2700 (average pediatric care for 0-24 mon.) = $140,000 of average billable income over two years.

•  Creating information has added to my “search-ability” in search engines. All my work is available publicly and with fully disclosed authorship, so new patients can find me with ease.

• Investing time in relevant and complete posts actually saves me time in the long run. Questions I am repeatedly asked,  like “How do I start solid foods?“, can be answered quickly and completely by directing them to my site. This saves face-to-face clinic time for more specific concerns for their child.

Read the rest at:   http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/08/social-media-changed-medical-practice.html

Natasha Burgert is a pediatrician who blogs at KC Kids Doc.

Note:  The thoughts and opinions on Training Wheels are my own, unless otherwise referenced, and are to be food for thought.  If contemplating business changes, these blog posts are not a substitute for consulting your lawyer or accountant. I"ll bet you already figured that out, didn't you?  

Is Facebook Appropriate for Physician/Patient Communication? (or "Do I want a patient as a friend?")

Well, law practices are using it, government agencies are using it and even the President of the United States is using it.  So just what is the most popular "it" in social media, personal communication and professional marketing?  It's Facebook.  Using platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to is becoming commonplace in the health care industry to expand a clinician's or hospital's personal brand and/or business . The Mayo Clinic's Facebook page has 58,400 fans, Johns Hopkins Medicine has more than 14,000 people who "Like" it, and Cleveland Clinic is followed by 32,700 individuals.  So why do so many physicians balk from improving communicating with their patients through this medium?

There are some doctors and practice managers who think social networking is a waste of time and another electronic  inconvenience in their already over-scheduled day. The reality is that many patients and colleagues are online regularly.   It's not just kids on this social-media giant.  The fastest growing Facebook demographic is those 35 years and older, and today the patients that practices want to reach are on the World Wide Web.  A Facebook page is free, easy to set up, allows connections with patients outside the office and can strengthen an clinic's brand.

In the world of online communication, Facebook's not all sharing baby photos with grandparents or playing the latest game. At its essence, Facebook is about connecting people with similar interests - from patients with chronic diseases to former high school classmates.  A Facebook page allows practices to communicate with patients where they are - online. A clinic can start by choosing the information to promote: Where they are located, What are the hours, or a practice can highlight their areas of expertise and post patient stories, support-group sites and photos.

So while there are dozens of reason why Facebook is appropriate for doctor/patient communication, here are a few reasons medical professionals should put social networking to work for patients, doctors and a clinic practice:

1. Social networking is free marketing.

Having a presence online is more important than ever.   In fact, for those under forty if you're not online, you simply don't exist.

2. Fast and barrier-free communication.

Placing an ad in the local paper or snail-mailing a postcard about a clinic's new doctor is neither fast, nor free. A Facebook page is, and gives a clinic brand's presence broad exposure with a single click.  The more places a physician or practice is on the Web, the more likely that it will turn up at the top of the list of a local practice Internet search.  

3. Social networking can help advance practices and careers.

Potential patients and employers Google individuals to get a snapshot of people's credentials, philosophies and personality. A professional Facebook page can help give a good impression.  Add a top-notch profile on LinkedIn, and a few key thoughts on Twitter and a clinician can begin impacting his or her personal brand, as well as the practice's.

4. Patients  look for medical practices. disease management and physician information online. 

When it comes to choosing a new doctor, the studies find that the Internet is the first place many patients look.  If you "Google" a doctor or a clinic name, what shows up? How is a health care organization's listing on online locators like Google Maps or MapQuest?  First see what's online about an individual doc or a clinic. Then correct the information as necessary. Finally. start a Facebook page or Twitter account for the practice.  Each step will give greater opportunity to appear in online searches, and let a health care provider connect with patients in ways that don't occur with a practice's Web site.

5.  Patients looking for doctors and disease state management information online.

Most patient support groups have a Web site.  Specialty medical groups can add links or contact information to these national organizations and their local chapters.  Doctors can offer comments on the sites and then put a link up on their own Facebook page.   Be the local expert on a disease state and then communicate that with the patients.

     The Web also has multiple sites, such as WebMD or Vitals, that allow patients to do everything from finding a clinic to rating a doctor.  Its important to find out what patients have to say about a particular clinic or provider, and then take time to respond both online and in person to address both the negative and positive comments.  Sharing the data with staff, and in-office colleagues can help  improve patient satisfaction, and grow a practice.  Communicate this positive information on the clinic or practitioner's Facebook page with a link to the site.

These are just a few of the positive ways Facebook can impact a physician practice and even improve patient care.  Take a chance and give thought to communicating with patients in the new social media way.  It may take some time, but the effort can be worth it!



Note:  The thoughts and opinions on Training Wheels are my own, unless otherwise referenced, and are to be food for thought.  If contemplating business changes, these blog posts are not a substitute for consulting your lawyer or accountant. I"ll bet you already figured that out, didn't you?