The meteoric rise of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube has created new opportunities for web-savvy marketers. But seriously, what can any of these social networking sites do for you and your healthcare practice? In order to answer that question, we must first understand how social networking sites work for the end-user. You, for example…
Since Twitter has the greatest “buzz” right now, we’ll use it as an example. Unless you have been locked in a cave for the past several months, you have, no doubt, heard the terms Twitter, tweet, tweeting and tweeple bandied about everywhere. TV news, sports and entertainment programs, radio and print media have all been telling us not only who’s tweeting whom, but what they’re saying and why it’s important for us to know about it.
How can Twitter work for you?
Twitter is basically an online community that incorporated itself in March of 2007 in San Francisco, CA. It’s a virtual “place” where people can connect, gather, stay in touch and share their thoughts and ideas about virtually anything. Though it’s called a social network, it’s already being used rather effectively as a business/professional network. Think of it as a virtual water cooler where you have 24/7 access to 15 million (and growing rapidly) potential new patients and professional referral sources – around the corner or around the world. And best of all: so far, it’s free.
Twitter, paired with special electronic sensors (which are already in final development, btw) could be used to alert doctors when a patient’s blood sugar or heart rate climbs too high. Such real-time data streams could also aid medical researchers. Doctors are already using Twitter to ask for help and share information about the latest techniques and procedures.
Twitter makes it easy for people to connect with other people. The site asks one question, “What are you doing?” Answers must be 140 characters long or less and can be sent via mobile texting, instant messaging or on the web. To begin on Twitter, you open an account as you would on any other site. Set up your username and password and once your account is open, spend some time exploring the site to see what opportunities there are for you.
Twitter, like other networking sites, works most effectively as a marketing tool when you link it back to your practice web site. Think of your website as the hub of your online marketing wheel, and Twitter as one of the spokes leading to it. Your posts on Twitter, called “tweets”, can include your web URL (address), your latest new patient offers, health tips and new service offerings. You can even tweet about openings in your daily schedule, as one med-spa we know did recently. They filled their entire schedule within a few hours of tweeting. On a long-term basis, using Twitter consistently and effectively can help drive your website up the rankings on Google.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Besides a website, what can I do to build and grow a successful cash-only medical practice?
Question: I am ready to grow a cash-only medical practice in New Jersey. Besides a website, what can I do to build and grow a successful practice?
--A.J., Internal Medicine
Answer: A web site is a good starting point, but it is only a beginning.
If your true goal is to grow a cash-only or concierge “VIP”-type medical practice, then a strong valued brand is essential.
Your brand, or what marketing professional call your "Unique Value Position" or the "Why you", is critically important. This is especially true in the U.S., where patients view healthcare as a right and quite often expect to pay very little for great medical care.
Your brand is actually where you needed to start, even before developing your website. A brand or value position that is easy and simple to understand by your target audience is what should be on your web site.
A brand should differentiate you from the competition and tell simply and uniquely why you are the best choice for medical care.
In a cash-only practice, you will need to do internal marketing and have branded communication material, including brochures, a marketing bio on yourself and material that describes any and all of the services you offer.
You will want to develop a patient recognition and reward system that rewards patients who refer to you, as this is one of the least costly methods of marketing.
When it comes to external marketing, there are numerous ways to promote your practice to the general public, one of those being your website.
Most importantly, your website needs to be optimized for the key terms patients are searching for and to make sure your site appears on the first page of any web search. You may even want to employ a "Pay per Click" strategy with paid listings.
After that, it really depends on your specific goals for the growth of the practice, both in desired volume of patients and their unique demographic. These specific goals will dictate what types of direct-to-public marketing could work best in achieving your overall marketing strategy and goals.
--A.J., Internal Medicine
Answer: A web site is a good starting point, but it is only a beginning.
If your true goal is to grow a cash-only or concierge “VIP”-type medical practice, then a strong valued brand is essential.
Your brand, or what marketing professional call your "Unique Value Position" or the "Why you", is critically important. This is especially true in the U.S., where patients view healthcare as a right and quite often expect to pay very little for great medical care.
Your brand is actually where you needed to start, even before developing your website. A brand or value position that is easy and simple to understand by your target audience is what should be on your web site.
A brand should differentiate you from the competition and tell simply and uniquely why you are the best choice for medical care.
In a cash-only practice, you will need to do internal marketing and have branded communication material, including brochures, a marketing bio on yourself and material that describes any and all of the services you offer.
You will want to develop a patient recognition and reward system that rewards patients who refer to you, as this is one of the least costly methods of marketing.
When it comes to external marketing, there are numerous ways to promote your practice to the general public, one of those being your website.
Most importantly, your website needs to be optimized for the key terms patients are searching for and to make sure your site appears on the first page of any web search. You may even want to employ a "Pay per Click" strategy with paid listings.
After that, it really depends on your specific goals for the growth of the practice, both in desired volume of patients and their unique demographic. These specific goals will dictate what types of direct-to-public marketing could work best in achieving your overall marketing strategy and goals.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Health Care Practitioner Survey Reveals Referral-Building Tactics
Survey Reveals Referral-Building Tactics from
Nearly 400 Healthcare Practitioners
How to best generate referrals without seeming unprofessional is a key concern for healthcare professionals, according to the survey conducted in May 2009 by Practice Builders.
According a recent Practice Builders survey, which includes responses from 388 healthcare professionals in a variety of specialties, more than 37% receive greater than 41% of their new patients via referrals from other professionals. Referrals from existing patients, on the other hand, are a much smaller percentage: The majority of respondents reported that they receive only 11-20% of their referrals from existing patients.
The survey also revealed such interesting points as:
• Nearly 35% are seeing more professional referrals now than a year ago
• More than 43% are receiving more patient referrals now than a year ago
• In excess of 75% of respondents don’t identify their professional referrers by level
• And much more
The survey also revealed the most popular tactics for both patient and professional referrals, how practice representatives are compensated and how often they visit other practices, and much more.
To see how your practice compares to others and view the complete survey results, visit www.practicebuilders.com
For help developing a professional, effective referral-building program for your practice, call Practice Builders today at 800.679.1262.
Best regards,
Joel Ellis
President
Practice Builders
Nearly 400 Healthcare Practitioners
How to best generate referrals without seeming unprofessional is a key concern for healthcare professionals, according to the survey conducted in May 2009 by Practice Builders.
According a recent Practice Builders survey, which includes responses from 388 healthcare professionals in a variety of specialties, more than 37% receive greater than 41% of their new patients via referrals from other professionals. Referrals from existing patients, on the other hand, are a much smaller percentage: The majority of respondents reported that they receive only 11-20% of their referrals from existing patients.
The survey also revealed such interesting points as:
• Nearly 35% are seeing more professional referrals now than a year ago
• More than 43% are receiving more patient referrals now than a year ago
• In excess of 75% of respondents don’t identify their professional referrers by level
• And much more
The survey also revealed the most popular tactics for both patient and professional referrals, how practice representatives are compensated and how often they visit other practices, and much more.
To see how your practice compares to others and view the complete survey results, visit www.practicebuilders.com
For help developing a professional, effective referral-building program for your practice, call Practice Builders today at 800.679.1262.
Best regards,
Joel Ellis
President
Practice Builders
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