Archive for September, 2011
Attract More Patients by Partnering with a Patient Financing Company
Sep 29th
Driving patients to your practice isn’t always as simple as having an attractive website, setting up a profile page on a doctor directory, or executing a pay-per-click ad campaign. You need targeted traffic and need to find people who are ready to book an appointment. Partnering with a patient financing company can help you attract patients who are ready to finance a procedure and connect you with those patients who want to work with you right away.
Companies like CareCredit offer some of the most attractive patient financing options for those undergoing LASIK, cosmetic surgery or cosmetic dentistry procedures. In 2010, CareCredit marketed to its 7 million cardholders which resulted in $49 million in incremental revenue that went straight to LASIK and P-IOL practices in its network.
Imagine if your practice was positioned in front of thousands, possibly millions of patients who are interested in a procedure. Patient financing programs like CareCredit can help you get the extra exposure you need, and also connect you with patients that are likely to book an appointment right away. Prospective patients looking for financing options will see you in the list of providers on the network and may take steps to set up their appointment through the CareCredit site.
Keep in mind that your practice will benefit most from a multi-pronged marketing strategy. You don’t have to settle for just a single marketing strategy, such as partnering with a patient financing program, using pay-per-click advertising, or setting up an attractive website. You’ll be able to generate more and more leads consistently when you partner with businesses in your niche, and also use marketing methods that attract patients from different places.
CareCredit is one of the major patient financing providers for elective surgery and LASIK in the United States and may already be working with your competitors. Make sure your practice is linked to CareCredit’s growing network so that patients can find you easily and book that appointment. Learn more about CareCredit here.
Need help marketing your practice? Talk to one of our PracticeDock specialists about some of the most effective online marketing strategies.
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3 Most Overlooked Practice Marketing Tactics that Could Make You Big Money!
Sep 22nd
Don't overlook practice marketing tactics that could make you big money!
You’ve invested in an eye-catching website, filled out your doctor profile pages and have even set up a Facebook page as part of your online marketing plan. Still, you could be missing out on some simple but effective marketing tactics. Many physicians, surgeons and medical professionals overlook the benefits of educating their patients and the value of making themselves accessible at certain times of the day.
Here are just three of the most overlooked practice marketing tactics — and effective ways to get more patients through your doors:
Educating Patients about Services
Patients are counting on you for expert advice during the consultation, but many are also using the Web to find information about their procedures and treatment options. Take advantage of the opportunity to guide a patient before they even walk through your doors! PracticeDock Patient Education can help to educate and convert patients while saving time prior to and during your consultation. This branded content can explain procedure and treatment basics, and having the content on your site or profile can help you promote yourself as an expert and authority in this niche.
Maintaining Regular Business Hours
Even though a physician may be leaving early on a Friday afternoon, the practice staff doesn’t have to follow suit. You need at least one person to handle inbound calls when the practice isn’t as busy as usual or you could be missing out on some important calls. Remember that many prospective patients are working during regular business hours and may want to book an appointment or talk to someone about treatments on a late Friday afternoon, or just at the end of a business day. Make sure someone is available to take the call and at least direct the patient to your LocateADoc.com profile page or practice website so they can learn more.
Booking Consultations during Inbound Calls
If your practice staff isn’t trained properly on handling patient calls and inquiries, you could be missing out on dozens of potential appointments each month. Use PracticeDock Call Tracking to record calls and train your staff properly. Call Tracking also makes it easy to determine which marketing methods that involve calling a toll-free number are actually working.
Need help marketing your practice? Talk to one of our PracticeDock specialists about Call Tracking, Patient Education and other products that will improve your online marketing efforts.
More content you may be interested in:
- Train Your Staff to Secure More Appointments with Call Tracking
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- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
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- Five Minute Marketing Checklist for Marketing Your Practice Online
Train Your Staff to Secure More Appointments with Call Tracking
Sep 15th
Your front desk staff members are an important link to current and future patients. If staff members don’t have the right phone etiquette or ask the right questions, you could be missing out on several appointments and potential patients each day.
Training your staff to handle questions, appointment requests and other conversations over the phone can help you acquire more patients month after month.
With Call Tracking, you will be able to:
- Train staff more effectively by recording each call and reviewing them with your team on proper ways to handle a caller
- Capture all inbound caller information
- Multiple Call Tracking phone numbers can also help you measure which advertising methods are more effective by assigning a trackable phone number to each of your ads in print, billboard, radio, TV and online. Save money by only using the advertising services that make your phone ring.
Call Tracking is part of the PracticeDock online marketing suite and can help you measure how effectively your inbound calls are being managed. Our Call Tracking system will not only help you train your office staff to use proper phone etiquette, but will also track and measure the advertising and marketing methods that are really working for your practice. It captures all of your inbound calls by marketing source so you know whether your billboard advertising, postcards, direct mail pieces and even online marketing promotions are actually working. You can train your staff better by having them listen to the captured call and also use these recordings as part of your quality assurance program.
Here’s a testimonial from one of our satisfied clients:
I manage a very busy Ophthalmology Practice with two locations. PracticeDock’s Call Tracking service not only enables me to track where leads come from but also allows me to record and review every call. In turn, you can use this as a tool to train your front desk team on proper phone etiquette and individual sales techniques to secure appointments with potential patients. Since I implemented the PracticeDock Call Tracking service we have seen a significant increase in new patient appointments!
Shawn Menke
Administrator, Genstler Eye Center
Get PracticeDock Call Tracking for FREE* when you sign up for a new featured listing on LocateADoc.com, a top-rated patient lead generation site.
Want to try Call Tracking at your practice? Contact one of our PracticeDock specialists today to learn more about Call Tracking and other products in the PracticeDock online marketing suite or call 877-886-7731.
*Offer expires September 30, 2011. New clients only.
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- How to Grow Social Media Leads: New Research Findings
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- Top 3 Reasons Why Your Content Isn’t Shared on Social Networks
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- Top 9 Online Marketing Tips for Displaying Patient Before and After Photos
PracticeDock Imagined by Mojo Interactive Moves to Collaborative Workspace
Sep 14th
PracticeDock Team Moves into Mojo Imaginarium
Mojo Interactive, the innovative company that developed the PracticeDock online marketing suite of products, has moved to a brand new workspace designed to promote collaboration and transparency.
Mojo Interactive was one of just 50 companies in the world to be awarded the 2011 WorldBlu Most Democratic Workplaces award recently and strives to reinforce a collaborative, transparent, democratic and inspiring workplace. The PracticeDock team has moved to a new office building called the Mojo Imaginarium.
Glen Lubbert, Chief Imaginaut of Mojo Interactive, explains how this workplace reflects the creative, innovative atmosphere at the company. “We simultaneously want to improve creativity, transparency and productivity while reducing the costs and environmental impacts associated with an oversized real estate footprint. An environment which encourages a team to build trust and to play freely is an essential ingredient for innovation and at the heart of our culture.”
PracticeDock specialists now work in a dynamic work environment that’s maximized for decentralized planning and desk-sharing. Laptop computers are strategically positioned around the office for employees to pick up and work from a virtual server. This virtual server also makes it easy for the PracticeDock sales team to keep up with what’s happening at the office when they are attending trade shows, conferences or meeting with clients.
The Imaginarium itself is designed to create a sense of community and collaboration. It features teaming areas, a spacious lounge, sliding glass doors on conference rooms and open workspaces. It’s an informal and flexible office space that fosters a team atmosphere and provides a creative environment for employees to thrive.
Take a look at the new Mojo Imaginarium on the Mojo Interactive Facebook page.
Want to talk to one of our talented PracticeDock specialists? Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation and we’ll share some of the latest marketing insights to help you grow your practice.
More content from PracticeDock:
- Top 9 Online Marketing Tips for Displaying Patient Before and After Photos
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
- How to Grow Social Media Leads: New Research Findings
- Five Minute Marketing Checklist for Marketing Your Practice Online
- Top 3 Reasons Why Your Content Isn’t Shared on Social Networks
How to Grow Social Media Leads: New Research Findings
Sep 8th
Have you ever wondered whether you should start a blog or jump onto Twitter or Facebook to promote your practice?
Social media channels can be effective tools for promoting your practice and services, and for generating interest in the services you have to offer. Two new studies by HubSpot and Edison Research tell us that social media can be a very effective way to engage your target market and drive leads.
The latest research findings suggest the following:
- Frequent blog posts can generate more traffic and drive leads. Even though many doctors post randomly or just once a month, they aren’t making the most of their efforts with an occasional blog post. Frequency matters when it comes to posting to your blog but you do need to really understand what matters to your audience.
- More Twitter followers can translate to more leads. Growing your following can make it easier to book more appointments and generate referrals. According to Edison Research studies, about 10 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 are on Twitter and likely to influence public opinion.
- Facebook Fans can also drive leads. Building a Facebook fan base can help to drive more traffic to your website and also influence the customer’s buying decisions. Making an effort to grow a strong and active fan base can help you generate more leads throughout the year.
- More people are now engaged with social media. The Edison Research study results show that more than have of Americans now have a profile on one or more social networking sites. People are becoming more comfortable sharing and networking on these sites. Join the conversation happening online and you could tap in to a whole new segment of your target market.
When you share before and after photos in your doctor gallery and promote your practice with an online video package, PracticeDock will push out any new videos and gallery posts onto several social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube so that you’ll reach a wider audience. We can help you get started with a social media campaign and promote your content through our own established channels.
Talk to a PracticeDock specialist about some of today’s most effective social media marketing and lead generation methods.
More content you may be interested in:
- Top 3 Reasons Why Your Content Isn’t Shared on Social Networks
- New Technology Provides Digital Patient Visits and Consults
- Top 9 Online Marketing Tips for Displaying Patient Before and After Photos
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
- Five Minute Marketing Checklist for Marketing Your Practice Online
Top 3 Reasons Why Your Content Isn’t Shared on Social Networks
Sep 2nd
One of the best ways to distribute content that’s published on your practice blog or on your website is to share it across the major social networks.
Many doctors are finding that people are actually reading and responding to articles and blog posts that they post to their Facebook page or on their Twitter page at any given time.
Remember that social networks give you a chance to engage with patients in a whole new way. One of the great things about pushing your content out to the social networks is that your readers can easily share the same piece with others. But, many articles and blog posts simply don’t get shared.
With so much information being posted on the social networks every minute, your content could just get lost in a sea of articles. You need to make sure you write your content in a way that makes it shareable.
Here are the top three reasons why your content isn’t being shared on social networks:
#1: You’ve Lost Your Patients’ Trust
Do your patients see you as an authority in the industry, a trusted expert and a resource for information? If the answer is “no”, they may not trust you enough to read your content and pay attention to anything you post on the social networks. They also aren’t likely to share a single piece of content you post. Find ways to serve as an authority or expert in your niche so that patients are more likely to share content you provide on their favorite social networks.
#2: Your Content is Boring
Website visitors have very short attention spans and won’t even notice your content if it doesn’t stand out in some way. Make sure your content is relevant, valuable and even entertaining so that patients have a reason to read it and share it.
#3: It’s All About You
Provide content that caters to your audience and isn’t just an advertorial about your services or practice. Articles and blog posts that focus on what different procedures can provide, how your services can improve their quality of life, and how affordable your treatments are can pique the interest of current and prospective patients, and also encourage them to share the news.
Need help marketing your practice? Talk to a PracticeDock specialist today to learn about some of the most effective online marketing methods for your practice.
More content you may be interested in:
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