I am frequently asked what a good marketing plan looks like for a medical office, whether it is a podiatry practice, aesthetic surgery practice, or any of the medical specialties we work with here at Top Practices. New members to Top Practices say it like this, "How can I market my practice without breaking the bank?" My first response is that marketing shouldn't be frustrating or expensive, as long as it work. The problem is that most marketing doesn't work because most doctors are doing it backwards. Here are the key mistakes they are making in their medical practice marketing:
- They rely on salespeople to teach them what to do. There are swarms of salespeople who would like to do nothing more than separate you from your profits, all in the name of marketing. They are always selling something - Websites, SEO, Val-Pak, telephone books, or the newest one -online services from the same people that brought you the phone book. Don't rely on salespeople to give you marketing advice, it's inherently flawed.
- They practice what I a friend of mine calls MSMD marketing, "Monkey See, Monkey Do." Just because everyone else in your market is doing something doesn't mean it is working, in fact, it usually means the opposite. So, don't try to outdo your competitors all that will happen is that you'll both waste bigger and bigger amounts of money.
- They don't have a plan. The most successful doctors I work with all have a plan. A plan that is built on a solid foundation. A plan that is designed to attract new patients to you from many different sources and then, over time, convert them into patients. They key is to do it over time. There is no silver bullet -only salespeople will tell you that. But there is a sold plan with a good foundation that can help you build the practice you want, not the practice that just keeps coming in the door.
The key strategy they do employ that works is to listen to people who have earned the right to tell them what to do, because they've done it and it works. That is the entire point behind becoming a member of Top Practices. Getting the very best advice (invaluable advice) from how to grow your medical practice from doctors who know how because they've done it and from the experts who have helped them accomplish it. Request Why Most Podiatry Marketing Doesn't Work which you can have at no cost immediately and learn about the foundation of good medical practice marketing.