Marketing Strategies for Physician Practices

1. Marketing Strategies for Physician Practices

2. Seminar Subject Areas • Internal Marketing Strategies • External Marketing Strategies • Creating a Written Marketing Plan

3. Internal Marketing Strategies • It Starts with Good Customer Service • Patient Communications • Patient/Employee Interactions • Physician/Patient Interactions • Patient Follow Ups • Patient Information Packets • Print Materials – Professional Looking? • The Bricks and Mortar • The Reception Area • The Exam Rooms • Modernize the Practice • Use a “Shopper” Periodically

4. Internal Marketing Strategies • Customer Service • Send out a Patient Newsletter • Paper v. Electronic • Patient Recall System • Call Patients After Their Appointment • Send out a Patient Satisfaction Survey • Minimize Wait Times • In the Reception Area • Over the Telephone • Reward Staff for Good Customer Service

5. Internal Marketing Strategies • Develop a Patient Referral Program • Respond Promptly to Referring Physicians • Reward Referring Physicians • Develop and Market a First Class Website • Have Saturday Clinic and/or After Hours • Provide Transportation to Patients • Create an Advisory Board

6. Internal Marketing Strategies What Services Are We Providing and New Services Can We Be Providing??

7. External Marketing Strategies POSITIONING: The Battle for Your Mind

8. Advertising • Track All Contacts Resulting From Advertising • Where to Advertise • Yellow Pages • Billboards • Magazines • Newspapers • Commit and Don’t Quit

9. External Marketing Strategies • Interact with Hospital Marketing Efforts • Drive People to the Website • Healthcare Newsletter • Email/Fax Broadcasts • Speeches • Sponsorships • Authorship • Articles • Books • Provide Services at Reduced Rates

10. External Marketing Strategies • Create Marketing Joint Ventures with Vendors, Pharmaceuticals, Etc. • Brochure Mail Outs • Other Direct Mail Efforts • Create Administrator Lunch Program • Purchase and Distribute Specialty Items • Golf Shirts to Staff • Post it Pads • Notepads • Coffee Mugs, etc.

11. Managed Care Marketing • Goal: Marketing to Employees Through The Employers • Strategies • Brown Bag Luncheon Speeches • Write Articles for Company Newsletter • Provide Services at Reduced Rates • Render Service at Company’s Location • Add Employees to Email/Newsletter List

12. Marketing: Put it in Writing • Create a Written Marketing Plan • Monitor the Plan on an Ongoing Basis • Should be a Permanent Agenda Item for Management Meetings • Sample Marketing Plan

13. Elements of a Practice Marketing Plan • Marketing Goals and Objectives • Target Markets • Overview of Target Markets • Marketing Strategies • Tie to Goals and Objectives

14. One Final Thought Creating and Implementing a Marketing Plan Makes Absolutely No Sense if One’s House is not in Order!!!!!!!

15. Questions and Answers