Posts tagged practice marketing
Content Marketing Tip: Use Infographics to Drive More Patient Leads
May 23rd
One of the biggest challenges many practices face when it comes to patient marketing is driving quality leads to their website. PracticeDock works with doctors across all specialties to create a customized and targeted online marketing campaign that increases leads and helps the practice grow.
We often recommend a content marketing strategy for our doctors because so many patients are interested in learning more about different procedures, how to prepare for treatment, and what to expect when they work with your practice. Attracting these patients with visual content such as an infographic can be a valuable part of your content strategy.
Why Infographics?
LocateADoc.com is our online physician directory and primary lead generation portal. We were recently featured on SearchEngineLand.com for our use of infographics to attract more patients to our own website. An infographic is essentially visual content — it contains valuable statistics, facts, and tips, and has a strong visual element with eye-catching graphics and pictures. We’ve created several infographics about plastic surgery trends, industry insights, and tips for patients in the past few months with considerable success.
Infographics Can Increase Patient Leads
One of our infographics, “Plastic Fantastic: What We Pay To Go Under the Knife”, published in November 2012 generated a 2,100% increase in leads compared to another infographic about breast self-exams published earlier that year. Our infographics have continued to generate new patient leads and are a powerful addition to the LocateADoc.com content marketing strategy.
We encourage our PracticeDock doctors to share these infographics on their own websites and blogs, and also to consider publishing infographics with their own data and statistics. Infographics can be a valuable addition your content marketing strategy and allow you to present valuable information in a visually creative way.
If you need help with your content marketing strategy, talk to one of our PracticeDock specialists today!
More content you may be interested in:
- LocateADoc.com Announces MyMedLeads Integration, Providing Doctors’ Offices with Enhanced Lead Tracking and Management Capabilities
- Use Videos in News Releases for Better SEO
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
- Why Apologizing May Prevent Patients from Suing You
- Case Study: How a Doctor Leverages Online Marketing Tools to Attract More Patients
Why Apologizing May Prevent Patients From Suing You
May 9th
The Boston Globe Magazine recently covered a story about an interesting link between doctors who admit they have made a mistake, and patients who are likely to sue the practitioner or practice. While many doctors are conditioned to be suspicious of malpractice claims, openly apologizing to the patient may be a step in a positive direction. According to the article, physicians who express some type of remorse or formally apologize for their mistake may end up with slightly more satisfied patients – and patients who are least likely to sue them.
As a medical provider or doctor, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are providing satisfactory services and addressing any concerns your patient may have. However, you may run into situations where you or one of your staff members makes a mistake and this mistake affects the outcome of a procedure or treatment. Even something as simple as neglecting to return a patient’s phone call or email can cause a high level of dissatisfaction that needs to be addressed.
A program at the University of Michigan encourages physicians to reveal their mistakes as early as possible and even offer compensation to patients who might have been harmed in some way. According to experts, revealing the mistake and addressing it swiftly can protect a doctor’s reputation and may even prevent a malpractice lawsuit.
A few ways to apologize for a mistake or error may include:
- Following up with a patient immediately after he or she has expressed their dissatisfaction, either via email or by phone
- Taking the time to understand what the patient is concerned about and why they are unhappy with the situation
- Correcting the issue with compensation or a discount on a corrective treatment or service
- Asking the patient to collaborate on a resolution
- Doing the work necessary to reach a mutual agreement with the patient
Need more tips or ideas for managing your practice? Talk to a PracticeDock online marketing specialist today.
More content you may be interested in:
- Best Practices for Capturing New Patient Leads
- 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
FREE Webinar: Attract More Patients with a Keyword Marketing Strategy
May 8th
Launching an online marketing campaign for your practice may require both a local and national approach. For example, a dental clinic might only be interested in attracting patients in the local community or neighborhood, while a cosmetic surgeon might be interested in attracting patients from around the country.
The Internet has changed the way patients search for your business and you need a targeted marketing strategy using paid listings, geo-targeting, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns to maximize your reach.
Join us for a FREE webinar, “Attract More Patients with Google Search (and Other Targeted Keyword Online Marketing Strategies)” with Seth Winterer, PracticeDock’s Healthcare Digital Media Consultant, on Wednesday, May 15 at 1 p.m. EST.
We’ll discuss the most successful keyword marketing practices to attract more high-quality leads and maximize your marketing budget.
Key topics include:
- How to implement a Keyword Marketing Program (PPC Advertising)
- Why paid listings can be valuable for your practice
- How to set up a successful Google Adwords campaign
- The value of keyword research and how to incorporate keywords and phrases into your online marketing strategy
- How we can track response rates and tweak your marketing campaigns based on results
- How to maximize your online ad spending with paid listings, map listings, and top organic rankings on the major search engines
- The seven essentials of any effective online marketing campaign
- Understanding conversions
- …and more!
Reserve your spot for the FREE webinar NOW!
Need help with your online marketing strategy? Talk to one of our PracticeDock online marketing specialists today!
More content you may be interested in:
- Infographic to Share with Your Patients: Shaping The Idea Of The Perfect Body
- On-Demand Webinar: Marketing Metrics – Getting the Most from Your Marketing Dollars
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
- Haptic Technology and the Future of Dental Training Programs
- Doctor Offers Virtual Consultations and Mobile Services to Patients
Doctor Marketing Tips for Using the New Pinterest
May 2nd
Pinterest recently made several changes to its site to offer a better user experience. If your practice is active on Pinterest, you need to make sure you’re tweaking your social marketing strategy to accommodate for these changes. Pinterest has modified some of its core features and added a few new items that will change the way users interact with the site. If your practice is posting before and after photos, successful outcomes of procedures, or other content on this site, you’ll need to make a note of some of the latest changes.
Here are some doctor marketing tips for using the new Pinterest:
- Post very high-quality pictures. Pinterest has created larger pins so the images you see on the boards are slightly larger. This means that the quality of the images you post and share needs to be better than ever. Keep in mind that Pinterest users are more likely to be drawn to eye-catching images and pins with strong visual elements. Make sure you’re posting and sharing the highest quality images you have available.
- Review analytics regularly. The Analytics option is one of the newest features on Pinterest and gives you a much better idea of how many views or clicks your pins are getting, and how active your boards really are. Reviewing this data regularly will help you determine whether Pinterest marketing endeavors are working for you – or not. You’ll need to verify your website before you have access to the analytics section.
- Continue using the right hashtags. Pinterest has not disabled the hashtags feature so this can still be a great way to attract more users and generate interest in different types of content you post. Just make sure the hashtags are as simple as possible so that Pinterest users can find your content easily.
Need more tips and ideas for marketing your practice? Talk to a PracticeDock online marketing specialist today!
More content you may be interested in:
- A Look at the Facebook Power User Infographic
- Case Study: How a Doctor Leverages Online Marketing Tools to Attract More Patients
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
- Use Videos in News Releases for Better SEO
- Online Marketing Technology Enhances Patient Leads
How to Determine Your Actual Cost Per Patient
Apr 25th
You work hard to ensure you’re putting together creative marketing campaigns each quarter and training your staff to handle your patient leads. But do you have an accurate idea of how much it actually costs to acquire a patient? Even though reviewing financial statements regularly will give you an idea of how much revenue your practice is generating, those numbers don’t give you any idea what your return on investment is for various marketing endeavors.
You need a formula that calculates how much it actually costs to acquire each patient based on how much you spend to attract the patient.
Here are some was to determine your actual cost per patient:
Step 1: Track all expenses related to advertising and marketing. You want to have a solid idea of how much it costs to bring in new patients. You can do this by determining total costs of every single marketing and advertising campaign. Remember to include the cost of salaries you pay to people managing these campaigns, as well as any materials you purchase or investments you make to implement and execute the campaign.
Step 2: Track the number of patients acquired with each campaign. This can be tricky when you are running billboard ads or sending out direct mail pieces, but you can include a special phone number within these marketing campaigns so that you can track response rates. If you are executing an online marketing campaign, you’ll need to track the number of leads generated from the campaign and calculate how many of those leads turned into patients. Don’t be afraid to ask patients how they found out about your practice or a special offer.
Step 3: Divide the total cost of a campaign by the total number of patient acquisitions. This is the basic formula for determining how much it cost to acquire a patient with a specific campaign. For example, if you spent $2,500 on newspaper and magazine advertising and acquired 100 patients from these campaigns, your cost per patient is $250.
After you have a good idea of what your average cost per patient is, you can determine how profitable a patient is by reviewing typical patient purchase history and considering how much a patient might spend with you over their lifetime. The most profitable patients will, of course, be your returning patients because you have only spent that initial amount to attract them to your practice. After that initial ‘investment’, you can look to that patient to book more procedures or make more purchases. This will give you a lifetime value of a patient (LTV).
Need help with your patient acquisition strategy? Talk to a PracticeDock online marketing specialist today!
More content you may be interested in:
LocateADoc.com NEW FaceTouchUp Simulator Helps Doctors and Patients Visualize Results
Mar 21st
LocateADoc.com has unveiled a brand new FaceTouchUp Simulator tool that can help patients and doctors visualize plastic surgery results well before surgery day. You can encourage your patients to use this tool to see what they might look like after having some cosmetic work done. It’s a simple and FREE way to visualize results from popular procedures such as facelifts, chin augmentation, liposuction, breast enhancement, and even weight loss.
Test drive the FaceTouchUp Simulator tool for yourself here.
Prospective patients are already using this tool to visualize results from some of today’s popular procedures, and this tool could be an asset to your practice when you are working with patients who are still unsure about what to expect.
Some ways you could use this tool as part of your practice marketing and patient acquisition strategy:
- During the initial patient consultation process
- Training patient care coordinators and staff members how to use this tool to demonstrate results of popular procedures
- Linking to the FaceTouchUp Simulator tool from your website or blog
- Tweeting or posting a Facebook Page status update about this innovative tool
- Inviting patients to use the tool at home before returning to your practice for a second or third consult visit
We’e made it easier than ever for patients and practice staff members to visualize results of popular procedures with a few simple clicks!
Try out the LocateADoc.com FaceTouchUp Simulator tool today and share it with your patients and staff.
Talk to one of our PracticeDock online marketing specialists for more ideas on marketing your practice.
More content you may be interested in:
PracticeDock White Papers and Infographics Roundup
Mar 14th
If you’re struggling to attract more patients or want to employ some of the latest marketing strategies to build your practice, take advantage of the FREE tools and resources we offer. In addition to the blog posts you see here, you can download educational white papers for expert advice from industry professionals, and view infographics that provide industry statistics and insights. Don’t forget to register for our complimentary, on-demand doctor marketing webinars for even more tips and ideas!
Here’s a roundup of the latest PracticeDock white papers and infographics:
How Doctors Can Use the Power of Video Marketing to Attract More Patients
Find out why video can be so compelling when it comes to marketing your practice and attracting more patients. This white paper explains why video marketing is a critical component of every successful practice marketing strategy.
Why Your Practice Needs a Mobile Interface Right Now — And How to Make it Happen
As more of your patients turn to their smartphone or other mobile device to access the Internet, it’s become more important than ever to have a mobile-friendly website. This white paper explains the value of mobile websites and how simple it is to create a mobile version of your practice website.
How to Convert Leads Into Patients
Is your practice struggling to book those appointments, no matter how many calls or email inquiries you receive? This white paper is a step-by-step guide to converting more of those inbound leads into patients.
How to Create an Amazing Successful Marketing Plan & Budget
Putting together a realistic marketing plan and budget may be one the biggest challenges you face when managing your practice. Use this guide to create an effective marketing strategy that fits within your budget.
Train Your Staff to Sell and Convert More Patient Leads
One of the best investments you can make is to train your staff to handle different types of patient inquiries and book more appointments – without turning into a salesperson. This white paper will show you exactly how to train your staff to “sell without selling”, and convert more patient leads.
[Infographic] How the Facebook Timeline Affects Your Business Page
Don’t miss this infographic that shows you how the new Facebook Timeline layout will affect your business page. If your practice is on Facebook, you need to know how to take advantage of the new features and layout options, and make the most of your social media marketing efforts.
Talk to one of our PracticeDock online marketing specialists for more ideas on marketing your practice!
More content you may be interested in:
- Public Relations/Interview Opportunities for Doctors – March 2013
- 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
On Demand FREE Webinar: Booking 75% of Your Patients In-Office
Mar 5th
Did you know that the initial phone call with a patient is what will dictate whether the patient will book an appointment for a consultation or procedure? Learn how to increase the percentage of patients that are booking procedures in your office before they leave or need a call back!
Join us for this FREE on-demand webinar, “Booking 75% of Your Patients In-Office“ with guest speaker Jon Hoffenberg, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of the YellowTelescope Management Team.
This webinar covers the following key topics:
- Why the closing/booking ratio is NOT based on you, but on that first phone call with the patient
- How to properly “weed patients in” with a patient education approach
- How to pre-qualify patients for financing plans
- Why it’s so important to focus on those initial points of contact and communications with your patient
- How to increase the percentage of in-office booked procedures effectively
- …and more!
This webinar outlines exactly what it takes to book those patients in-office, thereby reducing the time, money, and resources spent on trying to build up that client base. We’ll show you exactly what it takes to increase your in-office booking percentages and convert those leads with ease.
Watch On Demand Now ”Booking 75% of Your Patients In-Office”
Talk to one of our PracticeDock online marketing specialists for more ideas on converting patient leads.
More content you may be interested in:
Practice Marketing Basics: Catch Up With FREE On-Demand Webinars
Jan 24th
Increase patient leads and generate more revenue this year by educating yourself and practice staff about the most effective practice marketing and patient lead generation
PracticeDock is proud to provide our clients with FREE webinars throughout the year to help you stay competitive and relevant in this rapidly-changing industry. We know what it takes to run a successful practice, and our own staff members and industry professionals we work with have been sharing their insights and expertise with these on-demand presentations.
Explore different marketing approaches and strategies that fit your practice with these FREE, on-demand webinars from PracticeDock:
Webinar: Advance Medical SEO Marketing – What All Doctors Need to Know (In Plain English)
Find out how the principles of search engine optimization (SEO) apply to your online marketing strategy and learn why SEO marketing is a valuable investment.
The Many Misdemeanors of Practice Management
If you’re struggling with attracting more patients, your staff may not be delivering the best possible customer service. Find out whether you’re making some common mistakes when hiring staff members.
Creating – An Affair to Remember – Planning Your Event for Success on Any Budget
Discover what it really takes to create and run events that attract the right types of patients. Learn the strategies professionals use to promote and host an event successfully.
Secrets of What Women Want – Attracting and Retaining More Patients
How well do you understand your female patients? Do you really know what they want? Discover what this demographic is looking for and how to gear your marketing efforts to attract female consumers.
How to Turn Your Phone Calls into Profits
Coach your staff to handle patient calls effectively with this step-by-step guide. This webinar will explain exactly what it teaks to handle patient inquiries, handle pricing questions, book that appointment, and more.
Generating Revenue From Online Patient Leads
Do you struggle with qualifying patient leads and attracting the right types of patients? Learn about some of the common challenges doctors just like you face and how to overcome them.
How to Market Your Non-Insured Procedures
Find out what types of marketing and advertising campaigns patients without insurance are most likely to respond to. We’ll help you create an effective marketing strategy to book more appointments for non-insured procedures.
Learn How to Turn Leads Into Consultations
Do you know what triggers actually convert a potential patient? Learn the most successful conversion strategies to start booking more consultations and managing patient leads.
Use the Web to Double Your Patient Leads and Revenue
Harness the power of the Internet to increase patient leads and revenue. We’ll introduce you to the benefits of doctor directories like LocateADoc.com, pay-per-click advertising, and social media. You’ll also learn why every practice must have a professional website, and how to get that website listed in the top rankings on Google.
Business Boosting Strategies for Cosmetic Practices
No matter what the economic outlook may be, there are several ways to generate a steady stream of clients and build a successful practice. Learn some of the best practices in sales, marketing, and operations that will benefit your bottom line.
How to Manage and Convert Patient Leads
This Q&A-style webinar will provide you with some insider secrets and tips for managing online patient leads and converting leads into appointments.
Find out why the success of your practice isn’t only contingent on the doctor’s skills and experience, but also on the staff’s ability to handle patients and maintain a high standard of customer service.
Twitter Medical Marketing & 10 Patient Consulting Tips
Find out how to effectively market your practice using Twitter and why you should be using it both as a content marketing tool, and also as a reputation management tool. Discover best practices for posting tweets and maintaining your Twitter profile.
Need more help marketing your practice? Talk to one of our PracticeDock online marketing specialists today!
More content you may be interested in:
- LocateADoc.com Announces New Medical Advisory Board Members
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
- Converting Patient Leads into Booked Treatments – Part 1
- Converting Patient Leads into Booked Treatments – Part 2
- The Best and Worst Times to Post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google+ and Pinterest Infographic
10 Great Rules for Customer Service and Acquiring New Patients
Jan 18th
If your practice is struggling to acquire new patients and retain existing ones, it may be time to take a closer look at the quality of customer service your staff is providing. One of the keys to running a successful practice is providing exceptional customer service. You need to go the extra mile to really make your practice stand apart from other practices in your area. Knowing how to take care of your patients from that very first point of contact – whether it’s by phone, by email, or even as a walk-in inquiry – sets the stage for either a positive or negative relationship.
Here are ten great rules for customer service and acquiring new patients.
1. Answer calls within the first few rings. It’s imperative that you have a trained staff member to handle all incoming calls during office hours. Prospective patients who can talk to a live person may be more likely to book an appointment for a consultation or proceed with a treatment.
2. Consider a call tracking program. PracticeDock Call Tracking makes it simple to track which advertising and marketing methods are working, and also monitor calls regularly for quality assurance. It’s a valuable tool for any practice struggling with acquiring new patients.
3. Confirm appointments. Show the patient that you take them seriously and look forward to seeing them by calling them the day before an appointment to confirm the visit, and also to encourage them to ask you any questions they may still have. Opening up communications with the patient in this way can increase their comfort level.
4. Listen – really listen. Don’t overwhelm your patients with sales talk or be pushy about booking a treatment or service. Let your patient talk about what they need and what they want, then provide them with suggestions and ways you can help.
5. Have a plan to handle complaints. No practice runs without any complaints, no matter how skilled and experienced the doctor and staff may be. Even though you won’t like to hear complaints, you need someone to address the complaint with professionalism and do whatever you can to ensure the patient is satisfied.
6. Train your staff to be professional. Making sure your staff undergoes a structured training program will help to ensure consistency every time a patient comes into contact with your practice. Train staff to be helpful, knowledgeable, and professional at all times.
7. Take extra steps to ensure your patients are treated well. Encourage patients to ask questions, have a conversation with you, and learn as much as you can about what they need. Don’t encourage staff members to stick with any type of script. A script may be appropriate for the initial point of contact, but after that, the patient needs to feel like they can talk to someone they trust. Following a script too tightly can come across as too “salesy” and may turn patients away.
8. Offer a freebie or discount. Encourage patients to come back or even book a treatment they are still on the fence about by offering a discount, free product, or other benefit. Timing this offer is crucial, as you want your patients to feel like this would be the deciding factor to work with you.
9. Follow up at every opportunity. If you can sense that the patient is still undecided or apprehensive about a certain treatment, don’t be afraid to send them an email or call them to tell them you’re here to address any concerns they have. Having surgery or undergoing any type of elective procedure can be nerve-wracking for some people and they may just need some encouragement or guidance to make a good decision.
10. Offer options. Make it clear to the patient that you are not just trying to book another appointment, but are here to provide as many options as possible. This pulls you out of a salesperson role and allows the patient to see you as someone they can trust and guide them through the decision-making process.
Don?t miss our upcoming webinar on February 13, “How to Train Your Staff on Patient Experience & Customer Service to Generate More Sales”, led by our Director of Sales Greg Brewer.
Need more help marketing your practice? Talk to one of our PracticeDock online marketing specialists today!
More content you may be interested in:
- LocateADoc.com Announces New Medical Advisory Board Members
- Need Help Marketing Your Practice Online?
- Converting Patient Leads into Booked Treatments – Part 1
- Converting Patient Leads into Booked Treatments – Part 2
- The Best and Worst Times to Post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google+ and Pinterest Infographic
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