One of the several factors of marketing for a physicians’ office is the ongoing process of locating, attracting and keeping patients. It’s a lot harder than it sounds and more difficult than ever to achieve successfully.
These days successful physicians and surgeons—the individuals and practices that stand out above the competition—are both savvy entrepreneurs and skilled physicians. They recognise that, more than ever, medicine is a profession, but healthcare is a business.
Secret #1: Patients are not outsiders to your business. They are your business.
Creating and maintaining a patient-centred practice is not a new concept. Top-tier practitioners understand that “patient-centred” has contemporary marketing interpretations… Having a deep understanding of the wants and needs of the target audience and providing appropriate answers to those wants and needs; seeing patients as informed clients who actively participate in their healthcare, and knowing that a connected relationship is a necessary part of patient satisfaction and experience.
Secret #2: A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.
Business savvy and marketing physicians often talk about personal lessons in courage and determination. Surgeons, in general, are risk-adverse and this is the main factor that holds back most surgeons which ends up preventing them from becoming successful. The challenging part is having the courage to accept the risks to reap the rewards in business. Success—and the professional and personal rewards it involves—is achieved when the desire for success is more prominent than the fear of failure.
Secret #3: What helps people helps business.
Some medical practices rush to advertise what they most want to sell, and they do so without regard for consumer needs and expectations. In all honesty, nobody goes out shopping to buy medical treatment or a surgical procedure. People are looking for the best possible care and the greater well being for themselves. Practitioners who market that understand and communicate an answer to a problem or a solution to a need which is essential to helping people and attracting patient revenue.
Secret #4: Successful marketing will help your practice.
A physicians’ practice is rarely staffed with marketing talent. Even if the entire office staff participates in marketing, a growing practice often requires experienced outside help to keep the growth upward. Practitioners that are persistent in breaking through usually hire a reputable marketing agency like online marketing specialists for surgeons, Azuri Group for the assistance that they need to grow.
Secret #5: Marketing is a revenue-generating investment.
Some surgeon’s make the mistake of thinking that marketing is an unnecessary expense. In fact, it is the new fuel to a thriving business, and the marketing measure of achievement is Return-on-Investment. Most principal medical practices that use marketing agencies soon realise that they have no more rewarding or better opportunity than in investing in the growth of their practice through marketing.
