How Seminars Can Help You Attract New Patients Any Time of Year
Some things never change despite economic up and downs. Take the health information seminar or health talk, for example. As a marketing strategy, it’s as viable and potentially effective today as it was 30 years ago when Practice Builders first began recommending it.
How many ways can you share knowledge about healthcare?
There’s a reason why “health” is widely considered one of the hottest topics for informational radio and TV news programming. Most people are extremely interested in health and still believe the old adage, “when you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything.”
So how can you capitalize on people’s natural curiosity and use it as a tool for growing and sustaining your practice? First, take a closer look at your local marketplace. Does your community have a preponderance of, say, diabetics, or a larger-than-average (forgive the pun) obese population or a large percentage of geriatric patients with arthritis or osteoporosis? Think about the needs of your target audience.
Once you have identified their needs, think about how your medical, physical therapy or dental specialty can address those specific needs. Remember that you are already perceived as the expert. Whether you have an MD, DO, DDS, DMD or PT after your name, most people readily accept the fact that you are expert in your field. They will value whatever you have to say about your health specialty.
The nuts and bolts of putting on a seminar event
Once you have your topic, you will need to decide on a venue for your event. The venue could be as simple as a large area inside your practice, or a meeting room at the Holiday Inn.
Give yourself enough time to create or assemble your presentation and promote your event. In other words, don’t book an outside venue such as a Holiday Inn a week or two out if you need 30-60 days to prepare and promote.
Once you have your “talk” prepared, you will need a week or two to promote your event through flyers, print ads and radio or TV spots. If you have never done this before, you might want to call Practice Builders for advice on how to do it most effectively.
Many of our clients offer quarterly or even monthly health talks and gain a steady stream of new patients without spending a small fortune on marketing. Other clients co-sponsor their health talks with their colleagues and professional referral sources. With a little help from Practice Builders, you can, too.