Insights: Healthcare Marketing

Call or walk into any physician’s office or retail store, and after “Hello,” these are often the first words you hear.  You have probably even trained your staff to say this when they answer the phone or greet someone at the front desk.

But do they really mean it?

Recently, I was at a major national retailer with their latest marketing mailer in hand, looking for the product prominently displayed on the front.  It was exactly what I had been looking for. I went straight to that department and heard the familiar
greeting, “May I help you?”  However, what happened next was anything but helpful:

1. I showed them what I was looking for, and the first thing they asked was if I had looked around the store for it (I had).  Not
helpful.

Do you have a new office or physician you want to introduce to your community?  Although time is tight and schedules overloaded, a properly executed, well-timed event (local election years are great!) can still build awareness and strengthen referral relationships for your practice.  Here are a few things you might not have thought of that will help to make your soiree a success:

… or powerful prose.

Remember.

Remember to smile.  The power of a smile – whether face to face or over the phone (yes you can “hear” it) – can be just what patients wish would happen but not necessarily what they expect.

Remember your patient as a person. At each visit, write down something personal or memorable that the patient shares and then ask about it at the next visit. It can make that six-month or annual visit seem so much more personal.

“Mrs. D., how is John liking his first year of College at ABC University?"

"Mr. H., how was that golf clinic you went to? Did it help your short game as you hoped?”

"Ms. T., how many people showed up at the family reunion you were so busy planning the last time I saw you?"

Coordinate.

In the increasingly complex and ever-changing maze we call healthcare, many patients just want to know there is one person they can call to help navigate the system for them and to answer their questions. In many successful practices and medical organizations, this takes the form of a Care Coordinator. To patients, this person becomes their resource – the one person they can count on to be there, to answer their calls and to help coordinate their care – from appointments to prescriptions to referrals to procedure scheduling to community resources.  Now you’ve helped alleviate patients’ fears and reduced their stress.  You are also well on your way to building a loyal patient.  Why would they want to go anywhere else?

Quantify.

Don’t be afraid to ask your patients about their opinions and experiences. Once again, this helps to build a connection.  People want to know their opinions are sought and valued. In fact, a well-crafted patient satisfaction survey can be one of your most effective marketing tools.  It provides you the hard data to counter any negative online reviews.  You can comfortably and honestly assert your high “approval ratings.”

Apologize.

Unlike the days when HMO’s ruled the healthcare scene, the majority of today’s “prosumer” patients have plenty of choices when it comes to selecting a physician. And their expectations tend to be high. So how do you not only attract new patients but increase loyalty and build lifelong patients? One idea:

Dazzle.

Here are two of the most powerful ways for medical practices to use online video:

1. Physician Profiles - These let prospective patients see you as a caring human being and not just a thumbnail photo with a medical resume.

2. Patient Stories - Leverage your greatest asset -- satisfied patients. Did you know that according to a 2009 Social Media Industry Report:

• 70% trust recommendations of online strangers

• 42% trust advertising

• 90% trust friends’ recommendations

• 71% trust reviews from family and friends on the decision to use or not use a brand or product

Are you engaged and positioned to benefit from these trends?

1. Develop a referral physician newsletter. 

Keep it brief and informative. Include information on new services/procedures/treatments, breakthrough research in your field, participation in clinical trials, etc. This can be in print and/or electronic.  Either way, post an archive of all issues on your Web site.

2. Share case studies. 

Once again, keep them short and to the point.  Showcase in simple, medical terms how you successfully addressed a complex patient problem.  Be sure to include these on your Web site as well.

3. Do you have a physician or medical publication in your community? Contribute.