Saturday, February 20, 2010

10 Essential Components of a Medical Marketing Campaign

In order to get the word out about your practice and differentiate it from the practices of competing physicians, you need a medical marketing strategy. In this day and age, a lot more than just word of mouth is required if you want to attract new patients and build a strong medical practice. Although many doctors are reluctant to advertise and market their practices, they must do so if they want to survive in today’s marketplace. Here are 10 essential components of an effective medical marketing campaign.
1. Professionally-printed appointment cards
Professionally-printed appointment cards serve as a reminder of appointments for your patients. Make sure that your practice’s appointment cards are branded and consistent with the image of your other marketing materials.
2. Business cards
Business cards should reflect the essence of your entire practice. As such, they must be printed on quality paper and be designed by a professional. Business cards represent your practice and will make a lasting impression on people. Hand them to your patients so they can pass them along to their friends and relatives.
3. Coupons
Branded coupons offering potential customers discounts and specials serve as a great way to attract new patients to your practice. You can feature coupons with advertisements in magazine and brochures or mail them directly to your target market.
4. A logo
A logo is not an absolute necessity, but it is recommended to have one designed for your practice in order to set it apart from those of competitors. Logos form an integral part of a memorable branding campaign. Patients and potential patients are more likely to keep your practice at the forefront of their minds if you use a professional logo to market your practice.
5. Posters
Posters non-intrusively advertise the services you offer to patients in the waiting room of your practice. A well-designed poster in a frame will tell your patients about the range of services you offer so they are aware of them. Many patients end up moving onto a new practice simply because they didn’t realize that their old practice offered the services they sought. To ensure that your patients are fully aware of the broad range of treatments and services you offer, decorate your practice with posters that tastefully advertise your practice’s offerings.
6. Website
A professionally-designed website with professionally-written copy is essential to your success in this day and age. The majority of adults search for medical information online. Furthermore, when people need to go to the doctor, they search online to find a doctor in their area. With a well-designed website coming up in the local search results to represent your practice, you will be far ahead of your competitors.
7. Promotional items
Promotional items that feature your practice’s logo are very effective in spreading the word about your practice. Anytime you attend a community event or trade show, give promotional items away freely to promote your practice. Furthermore, give your patients promotional items so they keep the name of your practice in mind. Encourage your patients to take several promotional items home so they can hand them out to their friends and relatives. Promotional items assist you in promoting your medical practice effortlessly.
8. Postcards
Sending out direct mail postcards to potential patients is a highly effective medical marketing method. Direct mail postcards are often more effective than TV or newspaper ads because they reach a targeted group of recipients. For example, you can select mailing lists for your postcards based on disease, age, and geographical area to ensure that the postcards reach your target audience.
9. Brochures
Use brochures that feature images and graphics to promote your practice and describe the treatments and procedures you offer at your practice to current and potential patients. Brochures help to convince potential patients of the benefits of choosing you over one of your competitors. Brochures provide enough space for you to explain the benefits of the procedures you offer in depth as well as showcase new treatments and equipments you offer.
10. Blog
Static websites that always display the same information won’t help your practice garner much attention online. The most successful medical websites online are constantly updated and provide useful, interesting information to users. If you want to take your web presence to the next level, consider establishing a blog for your medical practice. You can use your blog to discuss industry news, share the latest news about your practice, and provide information about the treatments you offer. If you don’t have time to update a blog on a regular basis, consider hiring a ghostwriter. A blog is a very effective way to attract attention to your practice because it increases your site’s search engine visibility and drives more traffic to your website.