Marketing your practice will help you build excellent relationships with other physicians. Considering that most rheumatologists receive patients from referrals, marketing your practice makes your name known to primary care physicians or other physicians who would typically refer patients to a rheumatologist. Marketing your practice is also a way to let drug or product vendors know you are practicing in the area.
Marketing Action Plan
After understanding your practice’s market, you need to put the goals and objectives into an action plan. Your practice’s action plan should be created to achieve its specific goals and objectives over a defined period of time. A properly implemented marketing plan is constantly being assessed by accurate and consistent tracking systems to evaluate the plan’s performance against expectations.
Below are some examples of how to get started in marketing your medical practice:
- Conduct a patient satisfaction survey. The practice may discover lurking problems as well as confirm what it is doing right.
- If the practice does not already have one, create a website.
- Advertise in rheumatology newsletters or publications.
- Advertise on TV or radio.
- Hire a medical marketing consultant to help you get started.
- Join the local Chamber of Commerce and host a social or give them flyers to give out.
- Buy a full-page ad in the area’s Welcome Wagon coupon booklet.
- Make yourself and the practice known to the local pharmacies, grocery stores, restaurants, etc.
- Contact your local newspaper and the media to establish yourself as the medical expert in your area.
- Distribute refrigerator magnets, writing pens, and even envelope openers with the practice’s name and information on them.
- Reach out to other rheumatologists and physicians within the community by hosting a social or dinner meeting in order to get to know one another. Also, consider sending out flyers to physicians in the area who could potentially refer patients to the practice.
Marketing your medical practice is essential to its success. Make sure you understand the needs of the community you will be serving as well as what you are able to spend to make your practice visible.
Be open minded and listen to those who are involved in this venture with you—your spouse, partners, and staff should be involved in developing a plan to grow the business. There are many marketing techniques, so don’t be afraid to use all the resources available. Keep in mind that this is your practice and it will only go as far as you take it. Effective marketing can be the link to secure your success in these changing times.
