Ideas for promoting a medical practice ?

IMO if you want to increase your familiarity to the community, then i would start with ideas that do just that, will probably require being voluntary efforts, like;

- helpful advise column, regular or occasional, in the local paper
- voluntary teaching for mother/expecting at local community center, etc
- local advertisements, which have a tid-bit of advise/what-to-watch-for advise

 

make sure when people type in "pediatrist (your city)" you come near the top. This is how most people find their docs these days. Heck, that's what I do sometimes when I need to find a specialist lol.

 

Associate yourself with the local hospitals? Leech some referrals from there.

 

I would advertise in local child care centers and schools. A pediatrician's office is located next door to my childcare center and it stays busy. We let them leave fliers and we advertise them as an emergency medical care center that will respond to any medical emergency if one were to ever occur. It's a win for both of us.

 

Do what every other successful kids doctor, cater to the kids and parents. A very good friend of mine is a pediatrician and his 50th bday party was enjoyed by over 200 former and current patients. Why? Because that guy is a lot of fun for all those involved. And, he is a great doctor.

Support local groups where kids have fun. Have frequent get togethers with your patients where both the parents and kids can have fun. Picnics, bbqs, whatever. You need to be the guy that everybody loves, just not likes.

Their practice is also open when the others aren't. Be available when the parents and kids want you the most. It will be tough at first but this is how you take over the town. My friend did. Geez, my three college age kids still go to him. Shot my first true semi-automatic weapon at one of his impromptu get togethers.

 

I agree with the Google Ads (also Google Maps, Profiles, Coupons, etc). Send mailers/pamphlets to all child-related businesses.

Being in a small town, you probably have the advantage of pretty cheap local media rates. A full page in a weekly newspaper for a few months might be an idea. My first law partner was Korean and we got a good deal (few hundred bucks) on the two local Korean papers for full page B/W ads. They brought in at least 10-15x their cost every month. Best ad money spent.

Surely you could get "known" or at least recognition in a town of 30k in under 6 months. People who haven't tried your service will at the least be aware of you. Extended or "after hours" services will also set you apart. I've been trying to see a GP for 6 months, but I rarely get out of the office before nightfall.

Also consider promotions for infants and toddlers to start clients off young. Discounted immunization, first visit packages.

What state are you in?

 

Subscribe and post in B&I

 

Small town?

KEEP THE FANCY CARS ON THE DOWN-LOW.

 

Just because you don't go to a church doesn't mean you can't advertise in the bulletin.

Find a church with an elementary school and pay the $150 or whatever it is to advertise the whole year. Also writing a column for the local paper is a fantastic idea. You become the 'expert' in the city.

You can start by finding the local heath reporter and becoming a source. Leverage some news event... flu season is coming, maybe call the health reporter and ask if he/she is going to do a story on who should get flu shots. Before you call, come up with a few bullet points for her: Kids below 3 should only get a certain type of shot... whatever.

They will start quoting you then after you get quoted a few times you can offer the publisher a weekly column at no charge. The Publish will love the free content and you establish yourself as the local pediatric authority. Ditto local radio and TV. Not only is it free media you establish yourself as the leading figure in town.

Always remember, reporters are lazy and publishers are cheap. Do their jobs for them and do it cheap and you're gold. -- Trust me I flew all of the U.S. shooting the NFL on this theory.

Google is of course important. Google 'your town pediatrician' and see what comes up. Then do one of three things:

1) Buy adwords to get to the top. In a small town probably cheapish, effective and basically instant. You're renting traffic.. once you stop paying for adwords, traffic disappears.

2) Build a site and get it to the top. Longer term, more money but OH so effective. You must be good, google put you at the top! You 'own' the traffic as once you're at the top, defending it is usually easy.

3) Killer potential: If the top ranked page is a listing of local pediatricians, try to get on the top of that page. So you're the first listing on the first page. I did this for a client and he's gotten (no joke) probably 200K a year business for the last 2.5 years. It costs him $300 a year.

If you PM me the town name, I'll do some research and give you a few recommendations.
---------

Besides that, if you want to build a book a business, spend more than 5 minutes with the parents before you toss them a script and run them out the office. ;-)

 

also try better "outdoor advertising". a catchy sign, better visibility, making a nice decor inside, tv's in waiting room, signup for mailing list, signup with pediatrist referall sites. etc.

 

I have two strong recommendations from experience.
1) Mommy network is the best marketing ever. Be nice to your existing patients and parents- the moms will talk about you and recommend their friends.
IMHO, all the paper advertising is worthless. No one looks at a newspaper ad and says" Wow, what a cute picture- I think we will use him as our newborn's doctor'". If they are that shallow and pick their healthcare provider from door-hangers, you do not want them as patients.
2) Be on every insurance plan, ppo, hmo, medicaid... that you can be on. No one in this day and age will still with a healthcare provider that is not in network- no matter how good you , your staff, or your office is.

Feel free to pm me

 

Voice of experience???



Mike

 

What Ferrari?

 

I can cast another vote for the "mommy network". It works and can be very powerful. Never underestimate the power of being friendly and personable with your patients. I always try to find one or two things I can relate to each person with on a personal level while I am making small talk. Mention if you know someone from their hometown, like to eat at a restaurant near where they live, if you cheer for the same sports team, swap fishing stories, talk about shared hobbies or interests, kids go to the same school, etc. Doing this lets patients feel a connection with you on a personal level, and in my experience they like this better than docs that put themselves up on a pedestal and act distant and aloof.

My situation is a bit different though. I just started practicing primary care sports medicine in a college town of about 125K, and joined a very large multi-specialty clinic (about 250 docs) with an established sports medicine program. So our clinic already has an advertising program in place and a built in referral base from our family medicine clinics. But I still try to do the little things right..... I make it a point to send thorough notes to everyone who refers me a patient, give a few business cards to each new patient, make myself visible at ballgames I am covering, and above all take the time to be friendly to and answer all the questions of my patients, ESPECIALLY the parents of my pediatric patients.

Luckily for me my town is a little bigger, not very uptight being a college town, and nice cars are not that uncommon a sight (thanks in large part to a fellow fchatter). So I may be able to get away with driving a fancy car, that is if I can ever manage to get one!

 

This is how we found ours, too. 9 years and 2 kids later a few hours on a Saturday at the hospital teaching the class definitely more than paid off for him.

 

Before I went to my first practice (in a small town), I sold my MB 230SL and my Bugeye Sprite, showed up in town in a Subaru Justy.

I found it entertaining a few years later when an ophthalologist and wife moved there from California and brought their new 420SEL and new SEC coupe (can't remember the #).

 

Ooooohhh. Do tell. I love stories!

(Not that anything you say can Justify you driving a Justy.)

 

Here's a better story.

My mentor from residency, Dr. XXX*.

He had a friend that was a pediatrician that moved to a small town. Guy went on a cruise for a week. Came home and his wife did a week's worth of laundry.

The scandalous gossip spread through out town that "Doc has 11 shirts, who needs THAT many shirts???" after a busy-body spotted the clothes line in the back yard.

BTW, Dr. XXX is the urologist who took out LBJ's kidney stones that the Pres famously pulled his shirt-tail up to show the incision.

* name not used to make it less seachable in open forum.


Dr. XXX:
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

My company does testimonials with our customers - I'll assume you have a phone system...what brand?

 

Affiliate w/ the local hospital. Work nights & weekends in the ER. Then market yourself on local TV stations as THE pediatrician available when no other is. Plug & work a marketing deal w/ the hospital by highlighting a meaningful case & saying, “That’s why I choose to practice at…” That way you have the credibility of the hospital behind you. Moms will flock in to see a doc that sees their child when they are sick, that day, that time. Get a pro photo taken of yourself w/ proper attitude to win over your clients in ads. I could go on…

 

I thought it was an appendectomy.