Doctor Marketing Plan

First thing’s first, start over! Uproot what you’ve implemented, do some fresh research and start from the ground up. This may seem daunting and stressful but you may catch things you’ve missed in the past and hit new trends head on. Competition and patients have changed and are always going to but you must start with a plan! Without a plan your practice will go nowhere.

Know your strengths. There’s a lot of competition so know what you offer and what a patient needs to make your practice the optimal choice. Be SMART about your goals and objective. This acronym will spell out what you need in a comprehensive goal that is sound and worth reaching. A goal should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. You wouldn’t want to reach for a goal that could never be achieved, you need to know if you’re close to achieving it, and you need to know exactly what you’re hoping to achieve by setting this goal. Now that you’ve set a SMART goal your office needs to understand that this new goal will tap into your budget, no matter how much or little it is important to count this when discussing the target. Another helpful acronym to utilize is a SWOT analysis; this is simply strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This will help you get a better look at how well you are meeting your target and maybe let you see your practice from a different perspective or change your plan to meet this goal.

Back to a threat, look at your competition. Every practice, business and institution are different; although they are in the same field it is important not to copy another group because something is working for them. Instead, acknowledge what the competition is doing and not doing. See how that affects your business and where their strategies may be able to benefit your group. When branding it is essential to make your name stand out. The general public may not be familiar with the new direction healthcare marketing is going so it is imperative you try and make a name (brand) for yourself that the consumer can recognize and seek out.

Now you have a plan, a goal and you’ve looked at competition. How are you going to get your name out there? Referral marketing, internet marketing, branding, internal marketing, external marketing and public relations are how to do this. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool that most practices don’t have control of, therefore internal marketing and past patient experience can really help you build your brand. The internet and its marketing capabilities are the wave of the future so get yourself online and work on SEO whenever possible. Congratulations! You’ve met your goal. You’ve followed these important steps and your practice is going strong, what now? Keep an eye on your progress and remember to occasionally conduct a SWOT analysis to make sure your business is staying on point, or make a new goal!

Twitter Can Improve Your Marketing Efforts

 
With over 230 million active accounts and over 500 million tweets sent each day, Twitter is one of the largest social media platforms in the world. Twitter allows businesses to communicate with their customers instantly with the simple push of a button. While many businesses have tried to incorporate Twitter into their digital marketing programs, few have used this social media outlet to its full potential. It is vital for companies to maximize customer engagement if they wish to get the most from digital marketing.

Maximizing your presence on Twitter is key to expanding your exposure online. It is essential to create a Twitter handle that accurately represents your company and is easy for customers to remember. Make sure to include the important information about your business in a clear and concise way. You should include a concise bio about yourself and the company along with contact information. Potential customers should be able to find a wealth of information about your company with minimal effort.

Setting clear goals for your company’s digital marketing plan will help to ensure that you use Twitter effectively. Is the purpose of your Twitter account to increase awareness about your business? Is your goal to improve customer engagement? Determining what you hope to achieve by using Twitter can help steer you in the right direction when it comes to posting content.

While many people consider Twitter to be one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available, it should not replace your current marketing efforts. Using other social media outlets, such as Facebook or Instagram, along with Twitter will help to increase exposure and improve customer engagement.

Creating an effective strategy for social media marketing means making adjustments as they become necessary. If you make changes to your company, make sure your Twitter page reflects these changes. Monitor your customer’s responses on Twitter and take their suggestions seriously. If you follow these guidelines to using Twitter effectively you can reach your marketing goals.

Going Viral Digitally

Viral websites, like Upworthy, Buzzfeed, and ViralNova, are gaining traction– fast. As in, zero to one million visitors in under a year fast.  Content that resonates easily with its audience is far more likely to “go viral” and get liked, shared, commented on, re-tweeted, and blogged about. All of which increases your brand’s visibility. While getting your content to go viral is no easy task, as it is pretty much like hitting the lottery, there are several things you can do to increase the conversation about your brand.

Keep it simple. This doesn’t always mean short and sweet. With videos called ‘vines’ at a maximum of six seconds, you have only a few brief moments to making a lasting and share-worthy impression on your audience. But with articles, blogs, and other web content, readers are willing to spend a few more minutes reading a longer article as long as they can understand it from start to finish if they feel it is worth their time.

You’re probably not going to win the lottery. While you may not become an overnight internet sensation, your website content, photos, videos, tweets, blogs, or Facebook page could. Any subject matter you create that is easily shared on an electronic device, or on any social media platform, could become popular within the right group of people. If you have a storefront, content resonating to the community within driving or ordering distance from you can be considered a large success.

Engagement is key. Make sure your audience is engaged. Why do they care about what you’re saying? Could they benefit in any way from your message? Keeping messages upbeat or tying into their heart strings will not only keep your viewers coming back, but it will motivate them to share your message. Positive articles and uplifting messages encourage people to be open-minded and have an enjoyable experience, which also leads to more sharing.

Be informative. Views directly from your website or Facebook page are those probably already know about you. Giving your readers new or better information is interesting, informative, and highly shareable. That being said, don’t forget to share this to your audience!

 For more information about how Prescription PR can help your healthcare practice please call (631) 392-4255.

Healthcare Marketing 101

When dealing with healthcare marketing basic attitudes can quickly define the success or failure of your business. When being offered new ideas it is reasonable to be uncertain but don’t be afraid of “being sold” when there is little to no cost involved with marketing professional’s suggestions. Remember, marketing professionals are trying to help your business grow, they are not out to make a quick check and leave you hanging. Try to keep an open mind, because having a fearful attitude is a barrier to progress which may lead you away from new opportunities. No one wants to reach a plateau in their business.

Courage is Key

What keeps doctors from being successful is being risk adverse, it is the number one factor. The biggest challenge to overcome is to have the courage to accept risks. This helps you achieve success. Your business has potential so why continue to stand on the sidelines in fear? You are in a competitive field; while your business is struggling to grow another local practice is outshining you, he has expanded his practice to several locations across the island and recently expanded with a freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC).

The Lesson

Bridges or barriers may be built between you and growth opportunities based on your attitudes. As marketing professionals we aren’t recommending unwarranted risk-taking or needless buying. If you would like a highly predictable outcome that is completely unrewarding then continue to stand on the sidelines in fear. As William Faulkner said, “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” What makes all the difference is a combination of courage and determination.

For more information about how Prescription PR can help your healthcare practice please call (631) 392-4255.

Building a strong foundation for your practice

Feet are the foundation to the body, so it makes sense to take steps to build the groundwork of a successful practice. But which is this right path for you? If traditional advertising has not gotten your practice where you want it to be, it is time to expand your marketing plan. In the age of the Internet, changing healthcare, and patients who are learning to advocate on their own behalf, you want to be on the forefront of their brain when they think about their podiatric needs.

If a patient is given a list of healthcare providers, why are they going to choose you over the other guy? Whatever your response is, you need to put that answer in front of everyone you can.  In order to do that, you need to change the way you think about promotion. This begins with developing a strong marketing plan that includes: establishing your brand, developing high visibility, and developing your referral network.

The beginning to any successful practice is branding. In order to build your brand, you need to establish who you are and what you’re all about. Do you specialize in Podiatric Rheumatology or reconstructive foot and ankle surgery? There are also those with athletic injuries, structural deformities, and diabetic needs that require your services. Each of these is a market that is looking for a provider that can help them with their particular problem. Once you establish what problem you are a solution to, it is time to make it known.

You need to be as visible as possible. First impressions come from whatever information a person can easily find on your practice. If you typed the name of your practice into Google, what would you find? How about your type of practice and the town you are located in? In order to rank higher in search engines, you not only need to have an online presence but your marketing plans needs to include a strong search engine optimization strategy. Your website, Facebook page, and internet reviews all reflect upon your practice. If you do not make time to focus on these tools, your site’s ranking will drop. Having a highly visible practice is the next step toward increasing referrals.

Most importantly, you need to focus on your referral network. Networking is vital in any industry, but healthcare referral marketing is a whole different ball game. Now that you have built your visibility and established credibility, you want to establish a connection to other healthcare providers. Reaching out to other providers requires time, effort, and constant nurturing of those relationships, but more often than not physicians are too busy with the day-to-day activities of their business to focus on these connections and develop rapport. Establishing a physician liaison to represent your practice allows you to continue focusing on your patients while still cultivating connections to other potential referral physicians.

Successful marketing for your podiatry practice requires dedication to your connections, credibility and visibility. As you develop your online presence and reputation, don’t forget to nurture the relationships between you and your patients as well as your fellow providers.

Engaging Customers Through the Marketing World of Twitter

Ever hear the phrase “A little bird told me?” Well, this particular bird is reaching out to audiences all over the world, inspiring and sharing messages, everyday. He goes by the name of Twitter. The social media site with over 230 million users sending 500 million tweets a day, continues to grow. What a fast and efficient way to spread awareness about your business. So much to say, but only 140 characters to do it. That is where effective Twitter Marketing comes into play and why businesses must take a proactive approach.

Like any successful business knows, you must always have a strategy and game plan for the best outcome. Making your Twitter profile so that it is easily identifiable will maximize your presence. Choosing a Twitter handle that is short, clever and easy to remember is the best way to go. Designs and colors that represent your business for the profile picture and header will make the audience remember who you are and what you represent. Always include the statement message and purpose of organization as well as a URL to the official website. These details allow your Twitter account to stay noticeable, recognizable and prevent your tweets from getting lost in what we call the Twitterverse.

Establish important goals in your strategy. When developing the strategy plan, there should be goals in which the purpose of your Twitter account is defined. Are you trying to increase awareness about your business? Want to generate engagement of customers or gain more leads? Figure out the exact purpose so you can determine what kind of audience you are trying to capture. This way, your business can produce the best message to relate to your audience and get the most responses.

Remember that Twitter is not a new marketing plan for your business, but rather an effective tool for the overall outcome. A Twitter handle, a live feed on your website, a blog, promotional events, contests and other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are important tools to use for your overall strategy. They put all the pieces of the puzzle together and make it one masterpiece.

So your Twitter account is created, up and running. Now it’s time to monitor, measure and make adjustments when necessary. Measuring behavior is crucial when determining your outcome and can be done so by using sites like Klout, Twitter Analytics, Demographics Pro, Sprout Social and Hootsuite. These will help you to see the influence you have made, who is following and interacting and what type of demographics your audiences possess. Don’t be afraid to change things around or re-word messages. That is the beauty of social media, it is always changing and most of the time for the better. So the next time you hear someone say “A little bird told me,” it may not come as a surprise to whom it is.