Insights on Healthcare Marketing

Woody Allen has been quoted as saying, “80 percent of success is showing up.” 

And showing up means more than just your physical presence going through the motions of the day. It means being being accessible, listening, asking, understanding others’ needs, adapting, learning, improving, evaluating, thanking, and always making the human connection. 

In the technology-driven world we all live in, this is more important than ever before. And it applies to new and established practices alike. In fact, sometimes established practices need this reminder the most. We see it happen in business and sports all the time — successful companies and teams start to rest on their laurels. They begin to take their success for granted and stop “showing up.”  So,

Pens, cups and umbrellas with your logo are great, and these promotional gifts can support your marketing efforts. However, it is the simple gifts — your time, your listening ear, your returned phone call or text, your availability, your proactive communication, your heartfelt and unexpected “thank you” — that build relationships and make the real difference each and every time. 

To learn more about how to nurture relationships that will strengthen your medical practice, check out Andrea Eliscu's latest book, It's Personal: The Art of Building Your Practice. 

No doubt you have heard of or played the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. In it, players take turns linking anyone in Hollywood to Kevin Bacon through the roles those actors have played, and they do so within six steps/connections. 

So what does this have to do with your medical practice? Quite a bit actually.

A colleague of mine has a chronic health condition and was telling me about her most recent visit with her specialist the other day. I already knew my friend loved this doctor and has thrived under her care. She frequently shares stories of the quality of both the customer service and medical care provided at this practice. What touched my friend the most at this recent appointment though was a simple question the doctor asked at the end of the visit: 

“How is your mom doing?”

See, the doctor remembered my friend had shared at her last appointment how her mother had been going through some tough health issues. This simple question and the conversation that ensued was so genuine and heartfelt, that it endeared this physician to my friend even more. 

You know who they are. Or at least you should. And so should your staff.

They are your long-time customers. Depending on your practice, they could be patients or referring physicians or maybe even both. Frequently, they are “ambassadors” for your practice, raving about you in conversations or on social media, and referring their friends, family, neighbors and colleagues to you. 

Do you take them for granted?

Make sure you don’t. Recognize and thank them — in person, by phone, in a handwritten note — and do so frequently. Make sure it is personalized, meaningful and heartfelt. 

You know who they are. Or at least you should. And so should your staff.

They are your long-time customers. Depending on your practice, they could be patients or referring physicians or maybe even both. Frequently, they are “ambassadors” for your practice, raving about you in conversations or on social media, and referring their friends, family, neighbors and colleagues to you. 

Do you take them for granted?

Make sure you don’t. Recognize and thank them — in person, by phone, in a handwritten note — and do so frequently. Make sure it is personalized, meaningful and heartfelt. 

So you’ve crafted the perfect press release. Now what?

1. Know the right media outlet(s) and reporter(s).
2. Familiarize yourself with the reporter’s former work.
3. Customize your pitch based on the specific media outlet and address the reporter by name.
4. Be concise.
5. E-mail first. Call later to follow up.
6. Include your contact information and offer to assist.
7. Don’t pit media outlets against each other.
8. Make sure your story is relevant.
9. Provide advanced notice.

A news release or press release is a concise, compelling document designed to share your news story with targeted media. Here are eight tips to make your press release effective and help it stand out from the crowd:

1. Attract attention with a compelling headline.
2. Keep it brief and factual.
3. Write in third person.
4. Incorporate relevant background statistics.
5. Include quotes to add a human dimension and credibility.
6. Be sure to proofread.
7. Include any relevant links.
8. Don’t forget to include your direct contact information.

It is Marketing 101 that it costs 10 times as much to attract a new customer as to keep an existing one. Yet, I continue to see too many practices and organizations neglect their existing base as they put all of their focus and effort (and $$) into attracting new patients or customers.

My good friend and colleague Bob Kodzis cautions against taking the “short view” on relationships and instead focusing on “lifetime value.” Here are a few more reasons why this is important:

“Advertising is what you pay for; publicity (the result of public relations) is what you pray for.” 

So goes a common business saying.

Both can play a part in your marketing efforts, but it is important to understand how they are different. Here are four primary ways: