Marketing Tip of the Month – March 2010
How to Help Your Patients Now
The long deep recession has American healthcare consumers reeling as they continue to face declining home prices and increasing unemployment. Most experts predict a long slow recovery. Given that, how can you best help your patients now?
Many physicians have experienced record appointment cancellations and declining numbers of patients as more consumers put off both elective procedures and medically necessary care to focus on other necessities. To help combat these economic realities, some physicians are finding ways to help their patients continue to receive medically necessary care.
The first step is to educate your patients about the potentially costly consequences of them putting off or avoiding needed care. Now is a great time to explain, in plain language, how a minor medical problem, which can be corrected relatively inexpensively, can become a major medical problem, which can only be corrected at high, potentially devastating cost to the patient or patient’s family.
According to CNNhealth.com, well over 60% of all American bankruptcies occur due to medical bills. This year alone, more than 1.5 million Americans will go bankrupt, with nearly one million of those caused by medical bills. Further, the study says, 78% of those bankrupted by medical bills were covered by health insurance. But coverage gaps and uncovered health expenses capsized consumer finances, anyway.
The second step physicians are taking is more drastic. They are finding ways to cut healthcare costs to their patients through reduced fees and low-cost or no-cost services. By doing so, they are building good will and loyalty, plus sending a powerful message about their patients’ health being more important to them than money.
To learn more about helping your patients through these difficult and challenging times, talk to one of the marketing experts at Practice Builders. Call us at 800.679.1262.
Many physicians have experienced record appointment cancellations and declining numbers of patients as more consumers put off both elective procedures and medically necessary care to focus on other necessities. To help combat these economic realities, some physicians are finding ways to help their patients continue to receive medically necessary care.
The first step is to educate your patients about the potentially costly consequences of them putting off or avoiding needed care. Now is a great time to explain, in plain language, how a minor medical problem, which can be corrected relatively inexpensively, can become a major medical problem, which can only be corrected at high, potentially devastating cost to the patient or patient’s family.
According to CNNhealth.com, well over 60% of all American bankruptcies occur due to medical bills. This year alone, more than 1.5 million Americans will go bankrupt, with nearly one million of those caused by medical bills. Further, the study says, 78% of those bankrupted by medical bills were covered by health insurance. But coverage gaps and uncovered health expenses capsized consumer finances, anyway.
The second step physicians are taking is more drastic. They are finding ways to cut healthcare costs to their patients through reduced fees and low-cost or no-cost services. By doing so, they are building good will and loyalty, plus sending a powerful message about their patients’ health being more important to them than money.
To learn more about helping your patients through these difficult and challenging times, talk to one of the marketing experts at Practice Builders. Call us at 800.679.1262.
Marketing Tip of the Month – February 2010
How to Market to American Healthcare Consumers
The average American consumer reads at a 5th-6th grade level. Yet most doctors and medical staff write to them at a 10th-12th grade level… and that’s just half of the communication problem.
The other half is that most healthcare professionals and marketers communicate to consumers using cold facts, logic and intellect. Unfortunately, the American consumer chooses products and services based on emotions and feelings. They may justify their decisions later with facts and logic, but virtually every buying decision, including the decision to choose a certain healthcare practice, is based on emotion.
This is not opinion. It is fact based on numerous market research studies.
American healthcare consumers are no different than consumers in general. Their primary concern is selfish. They only care about what’s in it for them. If you don’t tell them about the benefits they can receive from your care in language they understand, they will tune you out. Despite this fact, there is a prevailing sense among many physicians that healthcare consumers are somehow better educated, smarter and more sophisticated than consumers in general. They are not.
What makes healthcare consumers respond to a healthcare marketing message is the emotional connection they feel with the message. If they don’t feel that you really care about them, or that your message is written over their heads, they won’t respond.
To learn more about marketing effectively to healthcare consumers, talk to one of the marketing experts at Practice Builders. Call us at 800.679.1262.
The average American consumer reads at a 5th-6th grade level. Yet most doctors and medical staff write to them at a 10th-12th grade level… and that’s just half of the communication problem.
The other half is that most healthcare professionals and marketers communicate to consumers using cold facts, logic and intellect. Unfortunately, the American consumer chooses products and services based on emotions and feelings. They may justify their decisions later with facts and logic, but virtually every buying decision, including the decision to choose a certain healthcare practice, is based on emotion.
This is not opinion. It is fact based on numerous market research studies.
American healthcare consumers are no different than consumers in general. Their primary concern is selfish. They only care about what’s in it for them. If you don’t tell them about the benefits they can receive from your care in language they understand, they will tune you out. Despite this fact, there is a prevailing sense among many physicians that healthcare consumers are somehow better educated, smarter and more sophisticated than consumers in general. They are not.
What makes healthcare consumers respond to a healthcare marketing message is the emotional connection they feel with the message. If they don’t feel that you really care about them, or that your message is written over their heads, they won’t respond.
To learn more about marketing effectively to healthcare consumers, talk to one of the marketing experts at Practice Builders. Call us at 800.679.1262.
Marketing Tip of the Month – January 2010
To Achieve Something You Have Never Had Before,
Try Doing Something You Have Never Done Before.
When it comes to marketing your practice, it’s easy to fall into a rut, trying the same strategies year in and year out and hoping for a different (and much better) result.
Every year you buy the same ad in the same school program or the same health directory. Every year you get nothing from that ad but a bit of good will in the community. But you keep doing it, hoping it will generate a new patient or two. Maybe even a referral.
Unfortunately, hope is not a very effective marketing strategy. Marketing effectively requires due diligence, planning and real strategy. But, if you are like many practitioners, you have precious little time to create a strategic marketing plan, much less test various strategies to see what works for your practice or review your results regularly.
So you keep doing what you have always done. And you keep getting what you have always gotten, even though you want (and need) more. That’s why over 15,000 healthcare practitioners representing virtually every medical and dental specialty and subspecialty have partnered with Practice Builders since 1979.
So, if you’re tired of getting what you’ve been getting, start 2010 by doing something different. Save yourself all that extra time and hassle and talk to one of the marketing experts at Practice Builders. Do something you have never done before.
Call us at 800.679.1262.
Every year you buy the same ad in the same school program or the same health directory. Every year you get nothing from that ad but a bit of good will in the community. But you keep doing it, hoping it will generate a new patient or two. Maybe even a referral.
Unfortunately, hope is not a very effective marketing strategy. Marketing effectively requires due diligence, planning and real strategy. But, if you are like many practitioners, you have precious little time to create a strategic marketing plan, much less test various strategies to see what works for your practice or review your results regularly.
So you keep doing what you have always done. And you keep getting what you have always gotten, even though you want (and need) more. That’s why over 15,000 healthcare practitioners representing virtually every medical and dental specialty and subspecialty have partnered with Practice Builders since 1979.
So, if you’re tired of getting what you’ve been getting, start 2010 by doing something different. Save yourself all that extra time and hassle and talk to one of the marketing experts at Practice Builders. Do something you have never done before.
Call us at 800.679.1262.
Marketing Tip of the Month – December 2009
Ask a Real Marketing Expert about Real Marketing Issues
When people have health problems, they typically seek the advice of health experts (physicians, physical therapists, dentists, etc.). They generally trust that the advice you give is based on your education, training and experience – your expertise – and that you are giving them good advice.
Doctors often need good advice, too. Especially when it comes to marketing. Unfortunately, doctors don’t always know where to get good marketing advice. And it is sometimes difficult to identify individuals or companies with real marketing expertise. This is understandable given that so many purveyors of “marketing” services claim to have the expertise you need.
With your practice growth and success at stake, your prospective marketing partner should have a track record of proven successes with other medical practices. They should provide you with references of previous satisfied clients in your field and samples of the work they have done for other physicians. They should have a real understanding of your medical specialty or subspecialty, as well as an understanding of your marketplace.
Practice Builders has provided marketing services to physicians, physical therapists and dental professionals all over North America since 1979. We have helped over 15,000 healthcare practices representing virtually every medical specialty and subspecialty. And we have created thousands of success stories.
So, if you need answers to your marketing questions, save yourself time and talk to one of the real marketing experts at Practice Builders. Just call 800.679.1262.
Doctors often need good advice, too. Especially when it comes to marketing. Unfortunately, doctors don’t always know where to get good marketing advice. And it is sometimes difficult to identify individuals or companies with real marketing expertise. This is understandable given that so many purveyors of “marketing” services claim to have the expertise you need.
With your practice growth and success at stake, your prospective marketing partner should have a track record of proven successes with other medical practices. They should provide you with references of previous satisfied clients in your field and samples of the work they have done for other physicians. They should have a real understanding of your medical specialty or subspecialty, as well as an understanding of your marketplace.
Practice Builders has provided marketing services to physicians, physical therapists and dental professionals all over North America since 1979. We have helped over 15,000 healthcare practices representing virtually every medical specialty and subspecialty. And we have created thousands of success stories.
So, if you need answers to your marketing questions, save yourself time and talk to one of the real marketing experts at Practice Builders. Just call 800.679.1262.
Marketing Tip of the Month – November 2009
Familiarity Breeds Credibility
People will buy much more, and more often, from you if they have heard your name before. In marketing, familiarity definitely breeds credibility, providing what the public has heard is positive. If potential patients/clients aren’t already familiar with you, put out the effort to connect yourself with things they are familiar with.
That means getting yourself out into your community and participating in events. Offer free health screenings or do free talks at local clubs, churches, schools, etc. If your town has a popular health spa, arrange to do cooperative marketing with the spa, make mutual referrals and hand out one another’s discount coupons or brochures.
And use credibility phrases in your marketing materials. They may sound a bit grandiose, but remember…if you don’t tell potential patients/clients how good your credentials and services are, they won’t know. So tell them, subtly, and every chance you get. It isn’t bragging—it’s marketing. And believe me, your competitors won’t be holding back.
The trick is to brag with class. Be subtle. Use professional marketing materials. Create an image of excellence and desirability.
Here are a few credibility-building phrases to add to your marketing campaign:
• 20 years’ experience
• Board-certified
• Specializing in…
• The doctor performs all procedures
• I deliver 95% of my patients’ babies
• 9 out of 10 doctors recommend…
• Preferred by surgeons everywhere
• The dentist other dentists prefer
• Pioneer of the (XYZ) procedure
It’s important to brag a little when you’re trying to sell a service. Most potential patients/clients prefer to deal with people they know—they want to know something about you before they buy. They will be disappointed if you don’t project an image of confidence, competence, compassion and pride.
That means getting yourself out into your community and participating in events. Offer free health screenings or do free talks at local clubs, churches, schools, etc. If your town has a popular health spa, arrange to do cooperative marketing with the spa, make mutual referrals and hand out one another’s discount coupons or brochures.
And use credibility phrases in your marketing materials. They may sound a bit grandiose, but remember…if you don’t tell potential patients/clients how good your credentials and services are, they won’t know. So tell them, subtly, and every chance you get. It isn’t bragging—it’s marketing. And believe me, your competitors won’t be holding back.
The trick is to brag with class. Be subtle. Use professional marketing materials. Create an image of excellence and desirability.
Here are a few credibility-building phrases to add to your marketing campaign:
• 20 years’ experience
• Board-certified
• Specializing in…
• The doctor performs all procedures
• I deliver 95% of my patients’ babies
• 9 out of 10 doctors recommend…
• Preferred by surgeons everywhere
• The dentist other dentists prefer
• Pioneer of the (XYZ) procedure
It’s important to brag a little when you’re trying to sell a service. Most potential patients/clients prefer to deal with people they know—they want to know something about you before they buy. They will be disappointed if you don’t project an image of confidence, competence, compassion and pride.
Marketing Tip of the Month – October 2009
Can Your Target Audience Read?
According to the American Medical Association’s subcommittee on health literacy, only 35% of physicians know anything about literacy in America.
Which means that nearly two-thirds of doctors don’t know that 22% of adult Americans are functionally illiterate and another 27.5% of adult Americans are only marginally literate. In other words, nearly half (49.5%) of all adult Americans are less than fully literate. Which makes your job even more challenging, particularly in how you communicate with your patients and with potential new patients.
Newspapers, which are generally written for fifth graders, have known this sad fact about American literacy for decades. So have the healthcare marketing experts at Practice Builders. In fact, we frequently send the text we write for our clients through the Flesch-Kincaid Readability formula (it’s built into Microsoft WORD) to ensure that we are in the 6th to 7th grade reading range on our patient-directed materials (slightly higher for referrer-directed materials).
What patients don’t understand can kill them
The clear message is that doctors and patients don’t speak or read at the same levels. Though the average American can’t read beyond the 7th grade level, most medical forms, instructions and other patient-directed materials are written to the 12th grade level. Such a disparity can be dangerous to the patient’s health. Patients with limited literacy tend to seek care later (if at all) and have a harder time following instructions. They are more likely to suffer from medication errors, and they have higher death rates from chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
As marketers, physicians need to avoid high-level clinical language in their messages to patients, whether they are written or spoken. For example, don’t tell the patient he has had a myocardial infarction when “heart attack” is more easily understood. Use car or machine analogies to explain various body parts and conditions. For example, the human heart is like a “pump” and the kidneys are like “filters”.
For more advice about communicating effectively with your patients, talk to one of the experts at Practice Builders at 800.679.1262.
Which means that nearly two-thirds of doctors don’t know that 22% of adult Americans are functionally illiterate and another 27.5% of adult Americans are only marginally literate. In other words, nearly half (49.5%) of all adult Americans are less than fully literate. Which makes your job even more challenging, particularly in how you communicate with your patients and with potential new patients.
Newspapers, which are generally written for fifth graders, have known this sad fact about American literacy for decades. So have the healthcare marketing experts at Practice Builders. In fact, we frequently send the text we write for our clients through the Flesch-Kincaid Readability formula (it’s built into Microsoft WORD) to ensure that we are in the 6th to 7th grade reading range on our patient-directed materials (slightly higher for referrer-directed materials).
What patients don’t understand can kill them
The clear message is that doctors and patients don’t speak or read at the same levels. Though the average American can’t read beyond the 7th grade level, most medical forms, instructions and other patient-directed materials are written to the 12th grade level. Such a disparity can be dangerous to the patient’s health. Patients with limited literacy tend to seek care later (if at all) and have a harder time following instructions. They are more likely to suffer from medication errors, and they have higher death rates from chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
As marketers, physicians need to avoid high-level clinical language in their messages to patients, whether they are written or spoken. For example, don’t tell the patient he has had a myocardial infarction when “heart attack” is more easily understood. Use car or machine analogies to explain various body parts and conditions. For example, the human heart is like a “pump” and the kidneys are like “filters”.
For more advice about communicating effectively with your patients, talk to one of the experts at Practice Builders at 800.679.1262.
Marketing Tip of the Month – September 2009
Do You Know Your Target Audience?
Knowing who your marketing messages should be aimed at (and tailoring your messages accordingly) is going to be critical to your marketing success. For example:
A client recently asked us for an assessment of his self-created print ad. This ad for vision care showed a cute kid in eyeglasses who was about 8 years old. The ad had an even cuter headline that contained no benefit to the reader, no unique sales proposition (USP) and no differentiation for the practice. But the biggest problem with the ad was that it was aimed at only a very small segment (maybe 5%) of the client’s actual TA. And the client was spending over $100,000 just on advertising space!
Knowing your TA means knowing the age ranges of patients you want to treat. It means knowing whether they are primarily male or female and whether they are primarily blue and pink collar working people, white-collar executives or some blend of lower class, middle-class and upper-class individuals. It also means knowing how well educated they are – and understanding the demographics and psychographics most prevalent in your area. Most importantly, it means knowing their wants and needs.
You Are Not Your Target Audience
This is one of the hardest lessons to learn for most health practitioners. If you create marketing messages that suit your own personal taste, you are likely to fail at marketing. Unless your patients earn your income, live the way you live and have the same level of education you have, they will not likely share your personal tastes and preferences. And they will not likely have the same wants and needs in life.
Your best bet: partner with a professional marketing company who already understands the most effective ways to reach virtually any TA with the right messaging. At Practice Builders, we help physicians and other healthcare practitioners market more effectively every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
A client recently asked us for an assessment of his self-created print ad. This ad for vision care showed a cute kid in eyeglasses who was about 8 years old. The ad had an even cuter headline that contained no benefit to the reader, no unique sales proposition (USP) and no differentiation for the practice. But the biggest problem with the ad was that it was aimed at only a very small segment (maybe 5%) of the client’s actual TA. And the client was spending over $100,000 just on advertising space!
Knowing your TA means knowing the age ranges of patients you want to treat. It means knowing whether they are primarily male or female and whether they are primarily blue and pink collar working people, white-collar executives or some blend of lower class, middle-class and upper-class individuals. It also means knowing how well educated they are – and understanding the demographics and psychographics most prevalent in your area. Most importantly, it means knowing their wants and needs.
You Are Not Your Target Audience
This is one of the hardest lessons to learn for most health practitioners. If you create marketing messages that suit your own personal taste, you are likely to fail at marketing. Unless your patients earn your income, live the way you live and have the same level of education you have, they will not likely share your personal tastes and preferences. And they will not likely have the same wants and needs in life.
Your best bet: partner with a professional marketing company who already understands the most effective ways to reach virtually any TA with the right messaging. At Practice Builders, we help physicians and other healthcare practitioners market more effectively every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – August 2009
The Three Most Important Words in Marketing
Test. Track. Adjust. They are the three most important words because they summarize neatly and succintly what marketing is really about. Let’s take a closer look at what they mean in marketing terms.
Test – Instead of putting all your marketing eggs in one basket, you need to try different strategies. By testing these strategies against one another, you’ll soon learn which are most effective for you. If you run print ads, for example, test different headlines, images and offers against each other.
Track – This is perhaps the single most important word in marketing. This is what you do to find out what’s really working for you. The ONLY way to track effectively is to ask every single caller or new prospect how they heard about your practice. Don’t stop there. Ask them what specifically prompted them to call. Was it a headline, an offer or a particular service? Keep probing until you find out. It’s not enough to have a vague idea about what’s working or not. You should know with certainty.
Adjust – Based on your tracking results, you can either make minor adjustments to strategies that give you unsatisfactory results, or eliminate them from your marketing mix entirely. Some strategies will work and some will not. The goal is to keep the ones that work best and dump the ones that don’t work even after you’ve made some adjustments to them.
Practice Builders helps physicians and other healthcare practitioners market their practices more effectively every day. Ask us how we can help you today: 800.679.1262.
Test – Instead of putting all your marketing eggs in one basket, you need to try different strategies. By testing these strategies against one another, you’ll soon learn which are most effective for you. If you run print ads, for example, test different headlines, images and offers against each other.
Track – This is perhaps the single most important word in marketing. This is what you do to find out what’s really working for you. The ONLY way to track effectively is to ask every single caller or new prospect how they heard about your practice. Don’t stop there. Ask them what specifically prompted them to call. Was it a headline, an offer or a particular service? Keep probing until you find out. It’s not enough to have a vague idea about what’s working or not. You should know with certainty.
Adjust – Based on your tracking results, you can either make minor adjustments to strategies that give you unsatisfactory results, or eliminate them from your marketing mix entirely. Some strategies will work and some will not. The goal is to keep the ones that work best and dump the ones that don’t work even after you’ve made some adjustments to them.
Practice Builders helps physicians and other healthcare practitioners market their practices more effectively every day. Ask us how we can help you today: 800.679.1262.
Marketing Tip of the Month – July 2009
Look at Your Practice Through Your Patients’ Eyes
Has your practice experienced a decline in patient visits, new patients and new patient inquiries? Have you seen an increase in cancellations and no-shows? Would you like to know how some practitioners are reversing this trend? Here are four things they do to help ensure patient satisfaction and loyalty.
Keep Appointments – Nothing annoys patients more than waiting 30, 60, 90 minutes or more to see their doctor. From the patient’s perspective, having a health problem is inconvenient enough. Feeling that their own time and schedules are insignificant to the doctor, and being made to wait for their time with the doctor adds insult to injury. Physicians who run on time are likely to have more compliant, less disgruntled patients.
Keep Appointments – Nothing annoys patients more than waiting 30, 60, 90 minutes or more to see their doctor. From the patient’s perspective, having a health problem is inconvenient enough. Feeling that their own time and schedules are insignificant to the doctor, and being made to wait for their time with the doctor adds insult to injury. Physicians who run on time are likely to have more compliant, less disgruntled patients.
Build Relationships – If patients feel like you care about them, they are less likely to seek other practitioners. Build relationships by making eye contact, listening and providing thorough explanations of treatment options and expected benefits. This may seem like an obvious no-brainer, but get to know your patients by name. Use their name when you talk to them. Successful physicians know their patients well. They know their patients’ hobbies and interests and, often, they know their families, too.
Perform Regular Patient Satisfaction Surveys– Survey your patients at regular intervals to determine how satisfied they are with your services, personnel and practice. Let patients tell you how you might improve your care. Address negative feedback immediately and personally. Call or speak to the unhappy patient and try to resolve their complaints swiftly. They’ll tell their friends and relatives how you went out of your way to help them.
Speak Their Language – Talk to your patients, not at them. Explain their health problem and treatment options thoroughly in lay terms, not medical clinician lingo. Patients don’t think in clinical terms, and many are reluctant to ask questions. So try to think like a patient instead of like a clinician. Then speak their language when communicating your services and benefits.
Practice Builders helps physicians and other healthcare practitioners improve their services and achieve success every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
These Marketing Tips of the Month are just a small sample of the ways that Practice Builders can help you grow your practice without wasting money on marketing. Our marketing experts are ready to advise you and can be reached at 800.679.1262.