Posts tagged patient leads
Best Practices for Capturing New Patient Leads
Apr 5th
Attracting new patients to your practice may not be easy but there are several things any practice can do to build a solid patient base and continue generating leads via email, phone, and even the Internet. In fact, your online presence may be responsible for a significant percentage of leads you generate year after year.
The PracticeDock team of online marketing experts works with practices just like yours to build a strong online presence and also generate high-quality leads to help your practice grow. The next step is to convert those leads into patients, and we have tools and resources to help you with that as well.
Here are some tips and best practices for capturing new patient leads:
- Be quick to reply. Don’t wait more than 24 hours to respond to a lead when you can help it. Whether the inquiry comes via email, phone, or through an online contact form, make sure you have staff available to respond to the lead immediately. Waiting too long increases the chance that your prospective patient will go elsewhere.
- Be persistent. In most cases, calling back once is not enough. Research tells us that at least six call attempts increase your chances of converting that patient and booking an appointment.
- Consider the day. Some research also suggests that the best days to make initial contact are on Thursdays or Wednesdays. The best times to call are between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., and the second best time to call is between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Plan your marketing and communications accordingly.
Need more patient lead generation ideas? Talk to one of our PracticeDock online marketing specialists today!
More content you may be interested in:
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
- A Look at the Facebook Power User Infographic
- Case Study: How a Doctor Leverages Online Marketing Tools to Attract More Patients
- Use Videos in News Releases for Better SEO
- Online Marketing Technology Enhances Patient Leads
A Look at the Facebook Power User Infographic
Feb 25th
- 43% of accounts are Facebook power users in at least one activity
- 19% of Facebook users makes at least one Friend request every 7 days
- 35% of Facebook users were tagged in a photo by a Friend
- 27% of Facebook users sent a personal message at least once a week
- 59% of Facebook users received a personal message within 30 days
- Female Facebook power users post more than men
Need more tips on best practices for your website and practice promotions? Talk to one of our PracticeDock online specialists today!
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Converting Patient Leads into Booked Treatments – Part 1
Nov 27th
No matter which methods you use to attract patients to your practice, you need to fine-tune the process of converting that patient inquiry into a booked treatment. Most practices field dozens of phone calls or emails requesting information about certain treatments and services but the patient never actually books a consultation or treatment.
Your success is dependent on your staff’s ability to convert those leads into appointments. We’ll be talking about some effective strategies to help you convert those patient leads into an appointment for a service over the next couple of weeks.
Here are some essentials for converting those leads into new clients:
- Pay attention to your response time. According to Leads360, a lead management software company, speed is the single most critical element of converting leads. The company reports that conversion rats are more than 390% higher when you respond to an inquiry within one minute. The percentage drops to 120% within two minutes, 98% under three minutes, and down to 36% in under an hour. It’s imperative that your staff is responding to each and every lead within minutes – preferably right away – whenever possible.
- Don’t sell. Take the time to learn more about your patients and really understand what they are looking for, and what they might need. Avoid any sales talk or marketing hype and instead focus on building a positive relationship with the patient. Few patients will tolerate a sales pitch when they are looking for a treatment or service. Make sure your staff is trained to avoid sales talk and instead focus on the patient’s needs so they can lead them in the right direction.
- Be respectfully persistent. If a patient doesn’t schedule a consultation right away, that doesn’t mean that they may do so in the future. Schedule a follow up call with that patient a few days or a week after the initial communication to find out if they are still interested. Some may simply be shopping around and need a little nudge in the right direction.
Need more ideas? Stay tuned for Part 2 next week. In the meantime, contact one of our PracticeDock online marketing specialists to find out how we can help you grow your practice.
Don’t miss these PracticeDock on-demand webinars!
How to Turn Phone Calls into Profits
Generating Revenue from Online Patient Leads
More content you may be interested in:
- How Facebook Insights Help You Measure Your Campaign’s Growth
- Infographic: What Patients Are Paying to Go Under the Knife, What They Are Having done and Where
- Grow Your Practice with the Right Patient Marketing Strategy
- Join the LocateADoc.com “Top Doctor” Program
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
4 Ways to Handle Leads from Your Doctor Directory Listing
Mar 24th
You’ve created an eye-catching doctor directory listing and have already received some inquiries about your practice and service. Now what do you do? If you don’t have a plan in place to manage your leads effectively, you could lose a potential patient to a competitor.
Knowing how to handle your leads is an important part of your online patient marketing strategy, so make sure your staff knows how to follow-up from each inquiry and bring that patient in to your practice!
Here are four important tips for handling leads from your doctor directory listing:
#1: Recognize the Type of Lead Received
Not all leads from your doctor directory listing will be prospective patients. Some may be vendors, others may be doctors looking for someone to refer their own patients too. Even when someone is not qualified for treatment, they may know someone who is. Make sure that you always deliver a high level of customer service and treat every lead with respect. Focus on building a positive relationship with each contact, instead of only trying to book an appointment or make a sale.
#2: Focus on Booking a Consultation with Prospective Patients
When a prospective patient contacts you via the email form in your doctor directory listing or through the dedicated phone number, encourage them to book a consultation rather than an appointment for the service. If you try to sell the service first, the patient may feel intimidated and pressured into booking the appointment. Offer a complimentary consultation so that you can learn more about what the patient is actually looking for, and then proceed to sell the service.
#3: Collect Contact Information at Every Opportunity
Even if a lead is just in the “shopping around” stage, they may be likely to book a consultation or service in the very near future. Make sure you collect their name, address, phone number and email address whenever possible, and ask them if you can add them to your newsletter subscriber list or other contact database. Maintaining contact with your prospects can help to put you and your practice at “top of mind” when they are ready to book an appointment.
#4: Continue to Follow Up
Maintain contact with the lead with a follow-up call, an email message or by sending an invitation to an open house or seminar during your slow seasons. Following up weeks and months after your initial contact can help to keep your patient interested when he or she starts shopping around for services again. A handwritten note or a phone call from the doctor or medical professional can add a personal touch, and may encourage the patient to book an appointment.
Contact a PracticeDock specialist to learn more about the power of directory listings on LocateADoc.com.
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