The Matrix — “Or” vs. “And”

You’re opening a new office or your practice is adding a new physician or you have added a rapid track for urgent care.  So how do you best communicate this to your patients and referral sources?  Do you send a letter? Or do you run an ad?  Or do you put an announcement on the home page of your Web site? Or do you set aside some time to make personal visits or community presentations?  Life sure would be easy if there was a single, surefire strategy for success or if we had the time and money to do everything thing we want.  However, as we all know too well, we live in a complex world without an “easy button.”  And of course budgets are always tight and so is time.  What works?  The matrix. Pick a few, select, targeted, cost-effective strategies that will have the greatest impact with the people you want to reach most.  Then develop a timeline for implementation that ensures your audience has the opportunity to see your message in multiple places over a set period of time.  As a result, your patient may receive a letter one day AND then see your ad or article a week later as they are glancing through their neighborhood magazine AND then be reminded once again when they go to your Web site to check your hours.  The result?  You have built layers, and your message is much more likely to stick than if you had put all your eggs in one basket.