Download Presentation title option 1 - Medical Group Management Association

Practice Marketing 101: A Guide to
Making Strategic Decisions and
Boosting Patient Volumes
Presented by Jamie Verkamp, Managing Partner at (e)Merge
Our time together…
1. Setting the platform for a holistic marketing campaign
2. Getting started on the right foot; Common marketing mistakes even
successful practices make and how you can avoid them (or, fix the
ones you are making!)
3. Nuts and bolts; Strategic marketing initiatives, how to speak “patient”
and social media (i.e., “what are all the cool kids doing?”)
A few thoughts to consider…
Patients are now Consumers, First and Foremost
• Access to information 24/7 and share information 24/7
• Armed with the responsibility to spend more out of pocket dollars, patients
will become much more discriminating purchasers of healthcare services
• More and more they expect exceptional customer service with every
business transaction, including healthcare – from in person, to the phone
and online
• They are seeking a “better” healthcare experience and know they can
simply go elsewhere – to your competitor – in hopes of a better experience
• Marketing initiatives must be more innovative to reach consumers
Patient Perception is Reality
Your perception doesn’t matter, but your patients’ perceptions do!
Understanding Generational Influences
• The Greatest Generation
– Born between 1925-1944
– “Tell me what I need”
– Technology not required
– Wish to be directed through their healthcare decisions
• Baby Boomers
– Born between 1945-1964
– “Pursue Me”
– Beta testers of technology, quickly adopting new tools
– Wish to be engaged in their healthcare decisions, not passive
consumers
Understanding Generational Influences
• Generation X
– Born between 1965-1984
– “What are my friends doing?”
– Technology a necessity
– Wish to be educated so they can make their own healthcare decisions
• Millennials
– Born between 1985-2006
– “Interact with me”
– Technology is the only way
– Wish to be connected with when making healthcare decisions
Get Started on the Right Marketing
Foot…
Marketing Mistake #1
Failure to Define Goals and Objectives
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail!
75% of practices with a current marketing plan have yet to define goals or objectives for
that campaign.
• Goals are your roadmap for the rest of your marketing
• Determining factors in the rest of your marketing campaign
• What should they look like?
– Grow a certain patient volume, overall practice revenue, increase referrals, develop
an online presence and the list goes on
Marketing Mistake #2
Failure to Determine your Budget
“We don’t have a budget for our marketing right now, what will that cost us?”
• Know your budget BEFORE you go to potential vendors, don’t let them “educate” you on
how much to spend
• Practices with a set budget spend less than practices without a set budget
– Also see more success in a consistent marketing effort
• What should it be?
– General rule, 3% of practice monthly revenue (or sales) set aside for marketing efforts
– What does that include?
Marketing Mistake #3
Failure to Diversify your Marketing Mix
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
• Research shows it takes an average of SEVEN touches for a patient to make an
appointment
• One marketing method alone will not create success, it’s a consistent message across
several platforms that reach patients
• Think about yourself and your buying habits, remember patients are now consumers of their
healthcare services, you must think like a consumer
Marketing Mistake #4
Failure to Track Marketing Efforts
You cannot manage what you do not measure!
• MUST have a marketing tracking strategy in place prior to starting any campaign
• Marketing can be “trial and error”....must track to know which “errors” to stop!
• How should you start?
– Update intake forms
– Use separate phone numbers or offers
– Online analytics and page views/click-thrus
– Utilize software features
– ASK!
• You MUST know your “ROI” and “CPL”
– ROI = Return/Investment = (Gross Margin – Investment)/Investment
– CPL= Cost Per Lead= Total Costs/Leads Generated
Marketing Mistake #5
Focusing on the Mission Statement
• It’s time to GET REAL and show some PERSONALITY!
• Patients are seeking valuable relationships and that includes their healthcare
providers
•Tell the truth to your patients
• “We care about our patients” Really?
• Fight the urge to fit your practice culture into a box, what unique characteristics can you
share with your patients?
• Think authentic interactions and emotional connections with your target patients through
your marketing messages
Marketing Mistake #6
Failure to Define your Target Patient Profile
• To speak patient, you must know your target patient profile
• It doesn’t pay to try to be “everything” to “everyone”
•What type of person drives your patient volumes?
• Chances are, it’s a woman (80% of healthcare decisions are driven by women)
• How are you appealing to the women in your life?
– Requires more authentication and transparency in your message
– What makes her life better, adds value or keeps her loved ones healthy?
• Cause Marketing can be a powerful strategy
Nuts and Bolts:
Initiative #1: Tell a Story
What story can your practice tell?
What makes your office, your physicians, your staff unique?
What successes can you share?
Who are your most loyal fans?
Who best to tell the story besides your patients?!
Tell a Story
How do you get your patients to tell YOUR story?
– WOW them in your office!
–Stay on top of their minds!
–Utilize tools to help you get the word out…
•Social Media
•In-Office education
•Patient testimonials don’t work, think VIDEOS!
Initiative #2: Engage Your Patients
74% of medical offices do not connect with patients on a regular basis. How are you
doing?
•In-Office Experience
– “SCORE”
– Avoid the “processed” approach
• Out of Office Experience
– The fortune is in the follow-up!
– Create opportunities to connect online 24/7
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
Initiative #3: Get Real
With more clutter in the marketplace, patients
(consumers) are now gravitating to making real
connections and interacting on a personal level with
their healthcare providers
•Tell the truth to your patients
“We care about our patients” …Really?
• Fight the urge to fit your practice culture into a box, what unique
characteristics can you share with your patients?
– Share these with your patients
– Patient Experience
– Social Media Outreach
Initiative #4: Be Memorable
Homogenized is for Milk!
• Become a health resource
• Develop a practice calling card
• “Thank You for Your Business”
• WOW Experiences
• Top of mind awareness
• If patients are not talking about you after they walk out your doors, you
lose
– Take your customer service to the next level to increase word-of-mouth
marketing (the CHEAPEST form of advertising!)
– “Walking Billboards” are the goal!
Initiative #5: Patients = Guests
Perception is reality…how do your patients perceive you?
• Replace the word “patients” with guests, watch the attitude shift
– House Guests are:
• Welcomed
• Served
• Escorted
– House Guests have rules
• Prepare your practice for your house guests
– Staff training and attitude shift
– Make it an “All Five Senses” experience
Create Conversations
to Increase Referrals
The Social Media Effect
The Power of Engaging and Interacting
•If Facebook were a country, it would be the 4th Largest in the World
•78% of people trust recommendations from friends and family
•14% trust advertising
•Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months
•YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine
•Social Media has taken over Porn as the #1 activity on the web
•Women 50-60 year olds are the fastest growing population on
Facebook
Social Media Popularity: Google Trends
global warming
sex
facebook
Why Social Media?
The Harlow Group LLC
Because your patients are doing it! And, so is your competition!
Authentic
interaction
Genuine
Engagement
Trust
But remember, it’s only ”arrow in the quiver”
Influence
What are your Options?
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Practice website/blog/videos
• Online patient and health forums
• Association websites and forums
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
Your Patients are Talking, Where are YOU?
Patients are Now Looking for
Recommendations Online
I
Patients are Now Looking for
Recommendations Online
Challenges and Legal Considerations
•Patients requesting medical advice
•Negative comments
•Growing the participant base
•Patient privacy
•Keeping up with posts/contests
•Internal and external policy development
What are All the Cool Kids Doing?
Tell a Story
Getting Started with Social Media
Questions to ask yourself:
• What are our strategic goals?
• How can social media help us achieve them?
• What resources will we or can we devote to this effort?
• How will we structure this effort?
Measuring Effectiveness
•General Rule: Give it 3 months!
•Engagement Quotient
(# posts,likes,comments by fans / total #fans)
•Update intake forms
•Survey patients
•Remember: Quality over quantity!
Where do we go from here?
What can YOU do right away?
Revisit your practice’s marketing plan—get a clear picture on what you are
currently doing and how much it’s costing you.
Check your patient intake forms and current patient database. Are you collecting email
addresses?
3. Spend five minutes in your waiting room to observe your patients and your
staff; Spend five minutes listening to your staff members interacting with
your patients on the phone. What opportunities do you observe to create
a WOW Patient Experience?
A Few Final Thoughts….
•Cut the junk! Focus on the overall patient experience and look at your practice on a
holistic level: what are you doing to WOW your patients, not just spend your marketing
budget.
•These new initiatives may not fit into a spreadsheet easily, but they do have a direct
correlation to your practice’s patient volume and bottom line. Think about measuring the
perceptions of your patients (including their referral rates), not their satisfaction
level, to gauge your level of success.
•Success in shifting the attitude of your practice and creating WOW patient experiences
does not come overnight. But with small, consistent steps, you will make a positive
change in the patient perception of your practice and become successful in attracting
more REFERRALS and LOYAL patients through your doors. These small actions
repeated over time, have the biggest impact.
Resources
#HCSM homepage healthsocmed.com
Found In Cache (hospital SM) ebennett.org/hsnl
SMUG social-media-university-global.org
HealthBlawg social media posts j.mp/HealthBlawgSoMe
(e)Merge on Twitter twitter.com/eMergeMD
www.emergewithus.com
Toll Free:1.877.362.6584
[email protected]