The value of marketing for medical practices is becoming increasingly evident, yet many practices are unsure of where to start. Some of the most effective methods for marketing are social media, rating and review platforms, and your practice’s website. Let’s explore each of these methods in a little more detail.
Social Media
The vast majority of Americans are now using social media of one kind or another. For this reason, social media has become an increasingly effective way to share your practice’s message. It’s important to post regularly and interact with your patients as the opportunity becomes available. While you can, and certainly should, provide information about your various services, especially those that are unique as compared to what other similar practices offer, remember that social media should not become a never-ending commercial. The point of social media is to interact and be part of a conversation that’s happening online. Post useful information such as healthcare tips, news, and updates to keep your practice in the mind of current and potential patients when they need care. The most important thing to remember when using social media for marketing is that your goal is to provide value to your audience. Finally, when using social media avoid using technical jargon. Social media is essentially a virtual social situation. Keep your tone light and conversational and you’ll make a good impression.
Ratings and Reviews
Today’s patients view finding a doctor as a consumer task. It’s estimated that nearly 90% of patients trust online reviews just as much as they would trust a recommendation from a friend. Online reviews have taken the place that used to be held by word-of-mouth, and it’s essential to your practice to have a good online reputation on rating and review sites if you want to attract new patients to your practice. One of the most effective ways to ensure that you have a positive presence on review sites is to ask your patients if they’re satisfied with their service at your practice, and if the answer is yes, provide them the opportunity to leave a review. You can also supply links for review sites in email newsletters and hang signage in your waiting area. This is important because it’s estimated that nearly half of all patients would be willing to visit an out of network provider if the reviews were favorable.
While gathering positive reviews is important, it’s also necessary to monitor review platforms regularly to see what’s being posted and then respond. When patients have left a positive review, simply taking a moment to respond with something like, “Thank you so much for your kind words! Our goal is to provide the best care possible and we’re glad you feel we succeeded!” can go a long way in showing that you’re engaged with your patients, even when they’re not sitting in your office. It’s equally important, though, to appropriately respond to negative reviews. The old saying that you can’t please everyone is certainly true, and you will receive negative reviews. It’s just a fact of life. When those negative reviews are posted, you still need to respond, but of course this will require a little more intentionality to make sure that your response is well-received. Always be professional when addressing negative reviews, ideally starting with an apology that the patient feels as if they had a bad experience and continuing on to provide an explanation for anything that was a misunderstanding. Remember to be kind, thank the patient for bringing the issue to your attention, consider what they’ve said, make it known if any changes will result from the situation, and if need be reach out to the patient for a more detailed resolution as the most important thing to make sure you do when responding to a negative review is to protect the patients private information.
Website
Your practice’s website is your opportunity to tell the story of your practice, your way. Talk about why you started your practice, what makes it unique, and be authentic. While your website should certainly be professional, it doesn’t have to be dry or stuffy. That being said, you do need to provide practical information such as your hours, locations, accepted insurances, and ways to contact the practice. You can also include staff bios and in that section, feel free to provide some fun facts to make more of a connection with your patients.
Another important component for your website is to make it easy for your patients to communicate with your practice. Providing a phone and fax number are great, but if you can provide more convenient ways for your patients to schedule or ask questions as needed, that will go a long way toward satisfying your patients. One feature that patients are looking for today is the ability to schedule appointments online. This saves time for your patients and they’ll be happier with your practice because of it.
The ability to chat with your practice through the website is another feature that will attract patients. Imagine the ability to ask questions about your practice, clarify something you discussed with your provider at your last appointment, and more without having to call the practice, leave a message, and wait for a call back. Patients who are researching your website to decide if they want to visit your practice will see this feature and consider it a definite plus.
Effectively marketing your practice is essential to its success, and it can be time consuming to create a solid strategy. Luckily, though, there are resources available to assist your practice as you navigate the task of marketing. One such service is Practice Builders. Practice Builders focuses on social media, web design, reputation management, staff training, brand building, and electronic brochures and videos to provide a holistic marketing solution for your practice. The goal with Practice Builders is to attract new patients and increase the profitability of your practice. With Practice Builders, practice marketing isn’t seen as a one-size-fits-all solution. Practice Builders collaborates with each customer to create a marketing strategy that is unique to their practice and designed to bring success.
Another service that helps practices with marketing is PatientPop. PatientPop works to improve search engine results in order to help your practice reach more patients through web and social media channels. PatientPop’s platform is designed for growth, HIPAA-compliant, and delivers results that are clearly measurable. This is achieved through PatientPop’s engaging social media posts, informative blog content, and high-performing websites. Additionally, PatientPop establishes a continuous feedback loop with automated patient satisfaction surveys in order to proactively manage a medical practice’s online reputation.
Each of these services are a fantastic resource to help medical practices use marketing effectively to keep their business strong, and both Practice Builders and PatientPop are offered through Henry Schein Solutions Hub. Are you ready to take your practice marketing to the next level and see the difference it can make in your practice’s success? Visit henryscheinsolutionshub.com or call 833-433-2482 for more information on how to get started.
