Our puppy is going through an active chewing phase. Every day she targets something new, and aside from some serious transgressions such as destroying my son’s rather expensive calculus textbook and our favorite Persian rug, mostly Lily leaves a trail of debris in her wake. She randomly chooses one thing, then another to chew on, and today we found her happily surrounded by a collection of sticks, cardboard, an old towel, and a mangled jug of ice melt.
This is very similar to some of the marketing my clients were doing before we worked together. Making a poor first impression and/or conveying a confusing message does real damage —losing potential patients. But mostly they were just randomly chewing on a bunch of ideas and tactics, not really getting any traction long enough to see results. They didn’t have a solid marketing plan, and it was hurting their bottom line and their practice.
A well thought-out marketing plan identifies:
1) who you want to target;
2) with what message;
3) which tool best delivers that message; and
4) when which messaging is going to happen.
Today I’ll address the first two:
Understand Who You are Targeting
Marketing for a medical practice is more complicated than most other businesses because the target market falls into four distinct groups – patients, referral sources, prospective patients, and prospective referrers. Prioritize who you want to market to and utilize the appropriate strategies. For a practice transitioning to concierge medicine, for example, online and print materials would initially be created with existing patients in mind.
Marketing tip: Who is your ideal customer? Imagine this person in very specific detail; my ideal patient is a first-time mother between the ages of 25 and 35, and a health conscious, busy professional who would highly value a pediatrician who offers home visits. If, in your mind you communicate to that one person, you’ll more easily find those patients, and zero in on exactly what you want to say to them and how to say it best.
Clarify your Message
Clearly communicate your “unique value proposition”, that is, what you offer and how that sets you apart from other physicians – your approach, skill set, focus, personality, beliefs and values. Focus on the benefits patients can expect to receive, rather than the service featuresyou are offering.
Marketing tip: It’s natural to communicate from our own perspective. However, your patients or referrers want to hear what’s important to them, not you. WIFM – “what’s in it for me” is how we humans are wired to receive messages. The simple solution is to watch for how many times you use the (self-serving) words “we” and “I”, compared to “you” and “your”. Take a count on your website pages and newsletters, and see which words win out.
Stay focused and stick with your plan, knowing you will need to review, update and modify it periodically. Flexibility is key–my January newsletter went out later than originally scheduled since Lily chewed through our Internet connection!
Latady Physician Strategies helps physicians transition to Concierge and Direct Care medical practices that help them treat their patients the way they want to be treated, while rediscovering their enjoyment in practicing medicine.
