With healthcare’s increasing competition, those who stand above the rest in receiving new patients flaunt a particular set of traits that got them to where they are today. These doctors are the entrepreneurs who understand that working in medicine is a practical skill, while healthcare requires business skills. Knowing how to separate and recognize the two distinctions helps them set up the marketing campaigns that captures hearts and minds. What are these concepts, and how can you apply them to your healthcare profession?
Listen to Your Patient’s Needs, Not Your Own
When a patient visits a hospital, they are not doing it to buy a checkup or treatment; they are only trying to get better. Many doctors get caught up in what they think will provide their business with the biggest financial returns, ignoring that sometimes the most expensive options may not be the best choice for the client’s needs. Knowing how to have a discussion with each patient and recognizing their pain points helps build a better understanding of the doctor-client relationship. This bridge building works towards attracting revenue from future new and returning patients.
Patients Make Your Business
Your patients do not need you. Unless you live in the Alaskan wilderness, your patient could have picked plenty of other hospitals nearby. If no one walks into your office, you d
on’t have clients. Always expect your clients to have an understanding of what to receive from a healthcare service. Good service doesn’t just mean knowing how to cure a sickness or get rid of pain, but doing so in a way that the patient finds comfortable and personable. If you don’t provide any real human connection, many people will leave the office feeling like you could have done better.
Marketing is Supposed to Make Revenue, Not Slash It
Doctors, as well as many other businesses, see advertising and marketing as a fire pit. They don’t do the research they need, and as a result, are not surprised when their investments lack a positive return. Avoid this self-fulfilling prophecy by tackling your healthcare marketing with the mindset that marketing’s primary goal is to make you revenue in the long run. Avoid relying on the unpredictable nature inherent in word-of-mouth; a well-researched advertising campaign is what fuels new business. In other words, your investment in marketing is not a nuisance, but an opportunity.
Your Comfort Zone is Dangerous
Because much of medicine is based on hard facts, it can be easy for a practitioner to fall into the headspace of playing it safe whenever they can. While this can save a patient’s life, it may kill your business. Avoiding every risk stops advancement, growth, and expansion of your practice. Of course, you can’t just flip a switch and run into new business ideas without thinking. You want to understand where you want your medical practice to be several years from now and figure out what is necessary to get there.
Idea Guys Don’t Get Far
Everyone has great ideas; few take the time to plan out how those ideas can take shape. Learn to condense your dream into a physical, achievable goal. Finding your future means getting specific with your goals and figuring out how to best track the progress and returns of your healthcare marketing.
Only One Person is the Best
Imagine having to undergo an operation and hearing that your surgeon is the “second-best” nearby. You most likely won’t feel comfortable with that. Attracting patients to your medical practice is what best shows your community the quality of your services. Positive medical outcomes, testimonials, personal satisfaction and career growth, are the building blocks to growing your business.
Both small clinics and large hospitals with strong growth understand that healthcare marketing is a team effort. Even when all the managers and practitioners work together to promote themselves, they often reach a roadblock and request expert outside knowledge. If you find yourself at a deadlock with your healthcare marketing, contact us for a consultation on your experience, current growth, and plans for the future.
