Why Medical Professionals Need Marketing
Whether you are a physician or medical specialist, the ability to reach your consumer audience and patients through intentional, consistent and impactful marketing is critical. It has become increasingly so in a post-COVID-19 era, where consumer values shifted by both necessity and nature. “What used to be a volume-based industry centered around the physician, has become a quality-based industry centered around the patient” (Levo Health). Moreover, consumers are using digital platforms to research, engage with, and purchase products and services more than ever. So what does this mean for you, the physician?
Where to Start In Your Marketing Journey
It is the perfect time to start investing intentional energy in your marketing strategy. The reality is that with our large world made small on the internet, your service or specialty can become replaceable if you aren’t putting yourself in the right place, at the right time, in front of the right person.
Thinking about a marketing strategy might seem overwhelming. After all, you should be busy providing care with the hopes of pleasing your patients! However, there are simple ways that you can consistently devote energy to your marketing strategies that will engage your current and future patients.
1. Establish yourself as a thought leader in your field by writing articles and blog posts
You need to stand out and educate your audience about what makes your practice different. Sharable content from your practice is a great way to teach your audience about your values, methods, and patient/customer journey. Best case scenario is that your audience loves your content and helps share it for you!
2. Develop relationships with local media outlets and offer to be a source for their stories
Never turn down a good shoutout from a local news outlet. Sometimes we are so busy worrying about the customer or the day-to-day, that we forget to share what is going on in the business! When great things happen, let your local radio or news know! Things such as charity events, patient appreciation, sponsorships for good causes are all news worthy events.
3. Host or attend local events related to your field and network with other professionals
“Everyone should build their network before they need it.” Don’t sleep on opportunities to get connected with other community businesses/organizations and of course healthcare professionals throughout your greater medical community. Many providers are stuck referring to the same destinations simply because they haven’t learned about better alternatives. You never know when these relationships will lead to a referral or a lengthy referral relationship.
4. Give presentations at community organizations, hospitals, or other medical facilities
Just as sharing your own content is valuable and a great tool to build awareness, visiting other medical practices and giving presentations about your speciality or niche is a great way to extend your network and set you apart from others in your field.
5. Get involved with social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to share relevant content
In this day and age, social media is a no brainer. If it seems intimidating to be on all of them, choose one that appeals to your audience the most, and do it WELL. Create and reshare an array of content that is engaging for your consumers. Make sure to include a healthy amount of calls-to-action to help new patients or customers learn more about you!
6. Collaborate with other medical professionals to create content or offer services jointly! Write guest posts for other medical professionals' blogs
Putting two (or more) great minds together can be a great way to build connections in your field and create shareable content on social platforms.
7. Connect with other medical professionals on social media
Just as you need to connect with your target market on social media, you should also be connecting with other professionals in your field. This way, you can keep up on trends and also see new content opportunities as they arise that could spark interest in your consumers.
8. Attend medical conferences and networking events
Local events are great, and so are larger scale professional events. Not only can you expand your own knowledge, but these events often evolve into new opportunities to grow and expand your practice through acknowledging marketing and consumer trends.
9. Create marketing materials like e-books, whitepapers, and infographics
A great way to build trust with consumers is through the publication of your own materials showcasing your knowledge. From a marketing perspective, these materials can also serve as lead magnets (an online subscription/email signup/or similar) that can build your consumer network.
10. Hire a Physician’s Liaison
If you are looking at the 9 tips above this thinking: “I don’t have the bandwidth to do these consistently or at all”, then maybe a great place to start is by hiring a liaison. Physician Liaisons serve as the bridge between your practice and the medical professional or specialist that you need in your network. While you are running the operations and managing the relationships within your practice, a physician liaison can be the tool you need to champion those relationships outside, building your network and leading to referrals.
For more tips and best practices on growing your marketing in your medical practice, visit: https://www.physiciansliaison.com/