How to Promote Your Medical Practice as an Expert in Its Specialty

If you define your medical practice by specialty, as most practice managers do, you may think that patients see your physician(s), and thus your practice overall, as an "expert" in that specialty.  Certainly some patients, such as those who have received care at your practice for many years, do see it as an expert resource on their medical conditions.  But because patients today are generally more informed and think much more critically than in the past due to the extensive coverage relating to various medical conditions and procedures on the internet, in magazines, and on television shows, you need to actually brand your practice as an expert on the diagnoses and procedures on which you'd like to attract new patients.  Your medical practice's expert status will drive patient traffic and revenue, so promotional branding is a necessity in today's healthcare environment.

<!-- Item fulltext -->

First and foremost, use the word "expert" when you describe your medical practice and its specialty niche in marketing materials.  Make sure you refer to the practice's niche, i.e., "Cosmetic Dermatology Expert" or "Fraxel Expert" instead of a more general term like "Dermatology Expert."  This way, you offer information to the practice's potential patients about the benefits of selecting your practice in your descriptive phrase.  It's easy to overuse the word "expert," so pick one slogan that includes that word and use it repeatedly instead of using the word itself in a number of different descriptions.  A carefully targeted approach is more effective than trying to be all things to all patients – you can expand your branding messages as your practice grows and changes.

Next, support your categorization of your practice as an expert in all the practice's marketing materials.  "Marketing materials" includes anything that your current patients see, including appointment cards and billing statements, as well as materials you use to try to attract new revenue, such as directory listings and brochures.  A short phrase that illustrates the practice's/physician's expert status will fit almost anywhere and serves as very effective reinforcement with a very small investment of time and money.

It's a good idea to gather all your practice's marketing materials together and determine how you can use a concise message to consistently communicate that your practice is an expert in its specialty niche in all materials.  For example, the practice's website should incorporate well-written content about its specialty that is refreshed on a regular basis (this can include relevant articles from any reputable source that supports your practice's ideology, which is much easier and less time-consuming than trying to generate all the content yourself).  A blog is a great addition to your website because it helps you keep patients informed while creating top-of-mind awareness and encouraging them to return to your practice for additional services.  Make sure that blog articles are intelligently-written but not too advanced for your patients to understand.  Post links to your blog articles on the practice's Facebook page for more views and to help optimize your website for search engines.  Your Facebook page will also give you valuable patient and prospective patient feedback when those who Like your page comment on and ask questions about your posts.

Last, be sure your office staff understands why and how you are categorizing your medical practice as an expert in its specialty.  You'll need their support – if you don't provide regular updates and training, they could undo your efforts by communicating ineffectively with the practice's patients.  The staff can also provide you with valuable insight into how you can better communicate the practice's expert status, both internally and externally.  Ask them for their feedback and implement the best ideas; not only will this improve marketing strategy, your staff will feel valued and appreciated, which is great for office morale.

Promoting your medical practice as an expert in its specialty is actually quite an easy way to brand it once you recognize the need and take steps to implement it as a marketing strategy.  Creating consistent marketing messages that establish and support the practice as an expert will improve patient and potential patient perceptions and drive more revenue to the practice. 

To comment on this article please visit: http://www.practicemanagernetwork.com/Blog/HC-Trends/How-to-Promote-Your-Medical-Practice-as-an-Expert-in-Its-Specialty.html

About the Author

Welcome to Practice Manager Network, an online community of healthcare practice managers who have come together for purposes of sharing ideas, learning how to balance home and work life, and getting advice from experts on managing their personal and professional lives more effectively. To find out more please visit:
http://www.practicemanagernetwork.com/