Lead Generation Tips
How Call Tracking Services Can Convert More Patient Calls
Jul 28th
Join us for a complimentary webinar, “Assessing Your Office Staff” on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 1 p.m. (EST) to learn more about the benefits of call tracking and ways to train your office staff to increase patient satisfaction.
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/287312147
The way your office staff handles inbound calls plays an important role in the number of consultations and treatment appointments you book on a daily basis. Have you ever wondered what type of conversation takes place between a prospective patient and your office on any given day? Call tracking can provide some insight on how your staff handles inbound calls.
When a prospective patient calls your office to find out more about a particular service or is interested in setting up a consultation, it’s imperative that your office staff knows how to handle the call and bring the patient into the office as soon as possible. Call tracking systems also allow you to monitor all calls coming into the office and ensure that your staff is handling each call effectively.
Many doctors and medical professionals also use call tracking systems to as a training tool, because staff members are able to record and review their conversations. Supervisors can review each call to make sure it meets quality standards, and change scripts or provide more training to staff members to ensure that most inbound calls turn into an appointment for a consultation or treatment.
When you set up a call tracking system in your office, you will be assigned a unique toll-free number that makes it very simple to track the effects of all of your marketing campaigns. As you promote this phone number on your website, profile page and other marketing materials, you will be able to see exactly where your leads are coming from. This can help you tweak and streamline your marketing campaigns so that you generate more inquiries or requests for consultations on a regular basis.
Call tracking is very simple to set up and provides valuable data about your lead, including the time of day the prospective patient called, the duration of the call, and how the call was handled by the staff member. Take the guesswork out of your advertising campaigns with a call tracking system that is easy to manage and provides a high ROI.
3 Ways to Increase Patient Conversions Online
Jul 21st
Attracting more traffic to your website doesn’t always translate into booking more appointments for consultations.
Many plastic surgeons, dentists, chiropractors and medical professionals with beautiful websites and profile pages find that they are generating lots of traffic, but can’t seem to get their visitors to submit contact information for an appointment.
First impressions are essential for converting traffic into patients, and there are several things you can do to make the patient feel confident that you are the doctor of medical professional they should seek treatment from.
Here are just three things you can do to increase patient conversions online:
1. Make sure your contact information is visible on every page. Put your phone number, e-mail address or a contact form within easy reach so that patients who are ready to make that consultation appointment can do so within seconds. Patients who need to “dig” for this information may simply get fed up and leave the site. Make it as easy as possible for the patient to get in touch with you.
2. Provide educational content for patients who are doing research. Establish yourself as an authority in your niche and build confidence in the patient by providing articles or blog posts that describe various treatments you offer. This type of content can help develop trust and make you stand apart from your competitors.
3. Offer discounts and special offers regularly. Prospective patients who are still deciding whether or not to pursue treatment because of the price may be more interested in your services when there is a discount or special offer available. Take the time to come up with several different offers that you rotate throughout the year so that patients will choose you over a competitor when making their final decision.
Tips for Generating More Referrals for Your Practice
Jun 30th
There are several ways to generate more referrals for your practice, and some of them don’t involve any direct marketing. Here are a few simple strategies that will help to keep your appointment books full season after season:
Improve Your Search Engine Rankings
When patients are looking for specific procedures online, they are more likely to find you when you are at the top of Google search page results. When a coworker or friend mentions your practice name or doctor names, it’s important that you can be easily found after a simple search. Make sure you are investing your marketing resources towards higher search engine placement so that your customer referrals can find you easily after a simple online search.
Focus on the Patient
Make sure your patients feel welcome and comfortable in your office, and take the time to decorate your waiting room so that the patient feels right at home. Showing concern and care for each and every patient builds rapport, and may just encourage a referral. Running a successful medical practice is just like running any other business — keeping your clients happy is a top priority!
Market Your Specialties and Strengths
Define what you do best, and emphasize the key services and procedures your practice offers in all of your marketing materials. Think of ways that a prospective customer would describe you when introducing you to their friends or associates. What makes you stand apart from other doctors in your niche? How convenient is it for patients to schedule an appointment with you, or to find your office? Focus on marketing some key details about your practice so that anyone else can highlight these benefits when sharing information with others.
Become Active in Your Community
Make yourself more visible in the community, either by joining a local Chamber of Commerce, participating in local social events, or even sponsoring community events. Highlight your activities and involvement in the community on your website or blog. Prospective clients may be more likely to refer you simply because you’re at ‘top of mind’ by being visible online, and offline.
Effective Ways to Increase Patient Loyalty and Generate Repeat Business
May 26th
One of the primary goals of your online and offline marketing plan is to build a strong client base. Today’s patients have access to a wealth of information and can get in touch with doctors within seconds, so surgeons and medical professionals need to make an extra effort to increase patient loyalty and generate referrals.
Rewards programs are one effective way to generate more interest in your practice, and keep those patients coming back for additional procedures and services. You can develop a rewards program that offers discounts on future services, or even complimentary services after the patient acquires a certain number of points. If you are a cosmetic surgeon, you may consider offering free Botox injections or other lower-priced procedures in exchange for a certain number of points. Plastic surgeons may be able to extend a discount on laser hair removal packages, or may even offer a medical spa package as a reward.
For cosmetic and plastic surgeons that also offer medical spa services, a membership program can be a valuable way to generate repeat business. Membership rates and discounts can encourage patients to turn only to you when they are looking for more than just a cosmetic procedure. Today’s popular minimally-invasive procedures, including Botox, dermal filler injections and even laser hair removal, can be attractive to many of your existing cosmetic and plastic surgery clients. Membership rates on these popular services may an attractive incentive for your existing plastic and cosmetic surgery clients, as well as their friends and family members.
You can also increase patient loyalty by offering seasonal promotions and discounts. Highlight some key procedures for the season, and offer a discount or ‘double rewards’ on certain procedures or services throughout the year, to keep your patients interested.
Marketing to your patients is an ongoing process, and rewards and membership programs can be an effective way to keep existing clients coming back. Consider implementing a rewards program or offering membership rates on certain services so that you can generate repeat business, season after season.
Frequency of Your Email Newsletter – What Works, What Doesn’t
May 19th
E-mail marketing is among the most effective ways to reach out to current and future patients to generate more business. E-mail newsletters can feature the latest news about your practice, spotlight a special offer, or even introduce a new treatment or procedure.
When you have a list of subscribers for an e-mail newsletter, and are busy collecting e-mails of prospective patients to send out special offers and newsletter blasts, it’s important to pay attention to the frequency of your communications so that you can get the response rate you want.
While there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for determining how many times per week or month you should send out an e-mail newsletter, there are some guidelines to follow to ensure that your e-mails are read, and effective for generating more business.
Maintaining a schedule will help build trust and confidence with your subscribers, and will keep your practice at the ‘top of mind’. Stick with a monthly or bimonthly e-mail distribution schedule, and try to send it out at the same time of day each time. Consistency with your e-mail marketing will pay off in the long-term. More >
5 Ways to Cultivate Referrals for Your Practice
May 12th
While conventional marketing materials such as brochures, postcards and newsletters will help you improve brand awareness and encourage more patient visits, there are many more effective ways to keep your appointment books full each quarter.
When you make cultivating referrals a priority, you can maintain a steady flow of patients and clients — even when you?re not executing a direct marketing campaign.
Here are just five simple strategies for cultivating referrals for your practice:
1. Host a seminar or event. Build relationships with your Chamber of Commerce, local radio and TV stations, and complementary businesses, and host an event, workshop or seminar to generate interest from local patients. Personally invite your existing clients to the event, and encourage them to bring a friend. This is a prime opportunity for you to market your services to prospective patients.
2. Encourage patients to send your email newsletter to a friend. Make it easy for existing clients to ‘pass along’ your marketing message by posting a referral link within your email newsletter, or by providing a gentle reminder to “Send this email to a friend”. Many patients simply need the prompt to forward your message along to a prospect. More >
Six Reasons to Use Twitter to Market Your Practice Online
Apr 7th
Twitter is a micro-blogging tool, one of several social media applications that makes it easier than ever to communicate with prospective patients, other doctors and industry professionals.
The growth of Twitter in the past few years has enabled thousands of businesses to tap into a whole new pool of prospects. When you start using Twitter to market your practice online, you can start attracting a steady stream of new clients and prospects – without paying a penny.
Here are just six reasons to use Twitter to market your practice online:
1. Increase visibility. You may have an attractive practice website, and are posting to a blog on a regular basis, but you can generate even more interest from tech-savvy patients and potential clients with a Twitter presence and profile. Increase your online visibility by setting up a professional Twitter profile, and post updates about your practice’s treatments, industry news, or links to your blog posts so that more patients can find you.
2. Announce special offers and discounts. If you need to generate more business during a slow period, you can send out a Twitter-only special to attract more patients. You can post a special link to an offer page on your website, or introduce a discount code that patients must use when they contact your practice for a consultation. More >
Are You Sharing Enough About Your Practice Online?
Mar 24th
For business owners and marketers, social networking tools are making it easier than ever to connect directly with the ‘ideal’ customer. Doctors, dentists and other medical professionals also now have the opportunity to find and attract their ideal patient. You can track down your ideal patient with some simple online marketing strategies.
Sharing information about your practice online now goes beyond setting up a professional website. Today’s successful doctors and medical professionals are taking a proactive role in marketing their practice by participating in the social networking sphere through blogging, sending out Twitter updates, and being active on Facebook.
When you update your website, send out a Twitter update so that patients can find the fresh information they may have been searching for. Consider starting a blog that tells patients about the latest news in your industry, your perspective on the latest treatment options, or some news about your practice. Make sure the blog has an RSS feed so that prospective patients will be notified each time you post something new. More >
Attract Pre-Qualified Patients with These Simple Strategies
Mar 17th
Marketing your practice online effectively goes beyond optimizing your pages for the search engines and targeting keywords that your patients are using to perform a search. Today’s patient is using the Internet to learn more about their procedures, find out more about you, and to get in touch with you for the consultation. They must feel comfortable sharing personal information with you the moment they reach your website or profile page, and their comfort level will dictate whether they take action to contact you.
Tracking down patients that are ready and willing to take action, and follow through with the consultation and appointment. can be the biggest challenge when it comes to marketing your practice online. Fortunately, you have some tools and resources available to attract high-quality leads on a regular basis.
One of the simplest ways to attract pre-qualified patients is to create a very professional presence online. Take the time to create a professional profile page on sites such as LocateADoc.com so that patients can find you easily with a simple search. A professional profile page will help you convey your core marketing message, and can also establish integrity and trust with your prospect. More >
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