Nibletz Staff
Every year, dozens of physicians and specialists become dissatisfied with being one more part of the massive, corporate infrastructure of a hospital, and quit to start their own private clinic. While this can give you a closer and more rewarding relationship with your patients, keeping a private practice afloat certainly isn’t easy. Like running any business, you’re going to need to implement some highly effective marketing if you want your clinic to succeed. Here are a few simple tips for this.
Online Marketing
Yes, everyone needs to see a physician every now and then, and you’re going to have a pretty big demand for your services no matter where you set up your clinic. However, it’s nearly 2017 now, and any kind of business that doesn’t apply good online marketing practices will be doomed to fail. You’re going to need a professionally designed and maintained website, with a regularly updated blog so that you can keep in contact with the local community. A well-monitored social media presence is also essential for small medical practices.
Networking and Relationships with Other Professionals
Although some of them may be your competitors, keeping up a healthy relationship with other local doctors is essential for successfully marketing a new medical practice. When you have close professional relationships with other doctors in your area, you’ll ensure a healthy stream of referrals from them. Word-of-mouth and professional referrals are one of the most important components of marketing for medical professionals, especially when the market’s somewhat saturated in a particular area. There are many ways to network and build relationships when you’re running a private medical practice. Pitching medical columns to local newspapers and magazines can be pretty effective for getting your name heard by prospective patients. When it comes to reaching out to other doctors, think about joining a major medical organization, or participating in some kind of medical camp.
Patient Satisfaction
Because word of mouth referrals count for so much when you’re running a small clinic, patient satisfaction should be an important part of your marketing strategy. If your patients have an especially pleasant and helpful experience at your clinic, then they’re likely to send more patients to you. If they have a markedly bad experience, they’ll drive people away. It’s as simple as that. Make sure that your receptionists, nurses, physicians and anyone with a customer-facing role is provided with excellent customer service training, and that you’re keeping an eye on how these standards are being upheld in day-to-day practice. You should also make sure that your patient experience outside the clinic is up to scratch. These days, it’s pretty much the standard to have calls answered 24/7 for medical practices, as well as prompt responses through social media channels, and simple online systems for making, moving and canceling appointments. Customer satisfaction can pay off massively, so make it a big part of your overall marketing plan.
Hopefully the advice in this post has made your marketing feel a little less daunting. Cover these three elements, and you’ll get your clinic’s marketing off to a great start.
