How Health Screenings Help You Attract New Patients for a Happier New Year
With the New Year upon us, we’re bound to be hearing a great deal about people’s latest New Years’ resolutions over the next month or so. And many of those resolutions will have something to do with improving our appearance and health (i.e. weight loss, smoking cessation, better nutrition, exercise programs, join a gym or health club, etc.).
How many ways can you screen someone?
There are hundreds of ways to screen human beings. Here are just some of the types of screenings healthcare practitioners have used in their local communities to attract new patients:
• Blood pressure screenings
• Body-fat screenings
• Body mass index screenings
• Cholesterol screenings
• Diabetes screenings
• Fitness screenings
• Hearing screenings
• HeartSmart screenings
• Oral cancer screenings
• Osteoporosis (bone-density) screenings
• Vision screenings
We human beings appear to have an endless fascination with self-assessment and seeing how we “stack up” against other human beings and various health standards. That simple psychology is what makes most screenings work.
Think about your target audience (patients). What interests them? What health concerns do they have? Think about your community. What types of events seem to draw the most participation?
Remember that today’s patients want and need answers to many common health questions. By setting up a community screening, you also set yourself up as an expert and someone who is willing to talk to people about their health concerns.
How can you promote your screening more effectively?
There are many ways to promote your screenings, even on a shoestring budget.
• Print announcements on your office printer and hand them out to every patient who visits your office. Be sure to include all the details about your screening event (time, date, location, contact information, directions, etc.)
• Ask your own friends and family members to hand out flyers for you.
• Send your patients announcements via “snail mail” or email. Tell them how your screening event can benefit them and help them keep their healthy New Year’s resolutions.
• Create discounted or free coupons for your event. These can be handed out or bulk-mailed to your target audiences’ doorsteps.
• If you are in a small market where radio and TV are still affordable, run announcements about your screening event concurrently on local stations.
Last but not least, create an inexpensive “free gift” you can give to every person who participates in your screening. Refrigerator magnets and pens are inexpensive but useful reminders about your practice and services.