Category: Medical and Dental Practice Marketing

Articles focused on helping doctors, dentists, and medical practice marketers attract, engage, and convert online searchers into patients.

Marketing Consultants Show How to Grow Sales, Patients, and Customers

Consultants by definition provide expert advice, education, training, support, and/or connections to resources in exchange for a fee.

Constants 15 diverse

 

Notice that the definition of a consultant does not include “selling.” Digital marketing consultants do not sell online marketing products and services like search engine optimization (SEO), Google pay-per-click advertising (PPC), website design and development, reputation management, retargeting, social engagement, mobile application development, or any online advertising.

 

Expert marketing consultants show you how to align your marketing with your organizational goals. They’ll show you how to identity, measure, and get better at optimizing your key business drivers like your new customer or patient acquisition cost, or your number of new website leads.

 

Many digital marketing agencies, vendors, and companies try to position their sales people as consultants.

 

DON’T BE FOOLED BY PROMISES

Don't be fooled

 

In truth, employees of most agencies and internet marketing service providers are sales people. Their goal is to sell you specific advertising and marketing services that their company provides, and they are paid commissions based on what you purchase.

 

An expert marketing consultant will be paid by the hour, month, or project. They will charge you a fee for services that include; marketing and business plans, brand development, lead generation, competitive research and analysis, customer research and analysis, market research and analysis, product or service research and analysis, project management, vendor screening, etc. They will educate you on the benefits and risks, advise you about priorities and choices, and they will conduct regular marketing performance reviews. The best marketing consultants will help you build a foundation that will let you measure and optimize your performance throughout your customer’s buying cycle over time.

 

Your marketing foundation should be built on #4 key concepts. They are;

 

  1. Understanding your top customer types, and their buying behaviors.
  2. Giving your top customers what they want, when they want it, and how they want it.
  3. Developing measurement metrics and collecting data that shows how well you are accomplishing what you must do to be successful.
  4. Optimizing your marketing performance based on your performance results.

 

HIRE A MARKETING CONSULTANT WHEN…

 

  1. You don’t know what your top customer groups want, and how to influence them to buy from you.

 

  1. You don’t know your new customer acquisition costs.

 

  1. You can’t measure the return on investment from each of your marketing and advertising investments.

 

  1. You have a limited marketing budget to drive sales, or accomplish your goals, and your not sure how to be effective.

 

  1. You feel like your marketing is an expense instead of a profit center.

 

If you feel like any of the reasons above fits you, a good marketing consultant will help you align your marketing with your organizational goals, they will help you develop performance metrics to measure and optimize you marketing performance, and they will share their guidance, resources, and knowledge to help you accomplish your goals.

 

Never purchase marketing from anyone, or any company that has not asked you first about your business goals, how you will measure performance, and what your expectations are. If they don’t know the answers to those basic marketing questions, they can’t possibly understand your challenges, or know if they truly have a service that helps your organization succeed.

 

Denver, Colorado based URWA Consulting has helped more than two hundred businesses and organizations understand and improve their online marketing. The company’s Managing Partners have more than 50 years of combined marketing, business development, sales, and engineering experience. To guaranteed performance URWA Consulting works on a month-to-month retainer; beginning at less than $500 per month.

 

For more help;

 

Website & LiveChat: www.urwaconsulting.com

Call: (303) 562-4744

Email: info@urwaconsulting.com.

12 Case Studies of Successful New Patient Marketing for Medical Practices

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The majority of case studies below come private pay or non-covered medical and dental practices. Although there are two case studies from a general practice and a large orthopedic practice. All of them are using measurable processes that can be repeated buy others.

In just a few minutes, you can learn the problems confronted by these practices, and their solutions, and results. URWA Consulting has compiled these 12 case studies to help your marketers jump-start your practice marketing by showing you how other medical practices are succeeding online. The common thread with all of these businesses is that they correctly identified their top customers, their goals and their key challenges. Then they developed and implemented creative solutions with measurable performance metrics.

 

URWA Consulting helps with New patient marketing for medical and dental practices
Medical and dental practices new patient marketing

CASE STUDY #1

Practice Type: Vein Specialist

Location: S. Carolina

 

Problems

More local competition

Low name recognition

No plan to achieve growth

 

Solution

New website, TV commercials, and newspaper campaign branded with the practice’s unique value propositions.

Offered a series of free varicose vein screenings

 

Results

New patient count exceeded prior year by 500 within six months

100 new patient calls in month six

 

CASE STUDY #2

Practice Type: National Liposuction Chain

Location: 10 locations in 7 states

 

Problems

Limited new patient referrals

 

Solution

Localized micro-websites

Paid search on major search engines

Multiple landing pages

 

Results

Increased referral volume by 63% within 2 months

 

CASE STUDY #3

Practice Type: MRI Center

Location: Columbus, OH.

 

Problems

Larger, better known competitors in market

 

Solution

Localized, micro-website highlighting pricing, scheduling, and technology advantages

Paid search on major search engines

Onsite SEO and blog

Directory listing optimization

 

Results

80+ monthly calls from micro-sites

40 to tracked, monthly leads from program

10 monthly appointments from program

Minimum 6 new scans monthly

 

CASE STUDY #5

Practice Type: Dental Practice

Location: Mid-West with 10 locations

 

Problems

Limited new patient leads

Not converting calls into appointments

No measureable returns on digital marketing expenses

Limited tracking on new patient acquisition costs

 

Solution

Localized and optimized landing pages for each location

Integrated paid search, Facebook, YouTube, re-targeting, and multi-level, online display

Implement lead and appointment tracking, with patient notifications

 

Results

Cost per lead down to $57 from $107

70% reduction in cost per booked appointment

Landing page conversions up 121%; from 3.3% to 7.3%

50% decrease in lost calls

 

CASE STUDY #6

Practice Type: Dental Practice

Location: Fort Lauderdale

 

Problems

No patient branding

Low awareness in local market

Limited new patient leads and appointments

 

Solution

New mobile optimized website with dynamically delivered patient content

Facebook advertising

Behavioral display

Paid search

 

Results

223% increase in new leads

61% increase in ad click through rate

42% decrease in ad cost per click

 

CASE STUDY #7

Practice Type: Fertility Clinic   

Location: Connecticut & New York; 5 locations

 

Problems

Low new patient leads

Very high cost per new patient lead

 

Solution

Implemented call tracking systems

Conducted keyword research

Paid search; 4 months

SEO; re-built presence on medical & business directories

Updated website

Social media outreach

 

Results

500% increase in organic traffic

42% reduction on cot per lead

1950% increase in social media traffic

 

CASE STUDY #8

Practice Type: Dental Practice

Location: Springfield, MA

 

Problems

Flat practice revenue past three years

New monthly patients decreased from 24 to 19

 

Solution

Emphasis on free consultations

Direct Mail

Local newsletters & postcards

 

Results

New monthly patients up from 19 to 29

Revenue increase $90k over prior year

 

CASE STUDY #9

Practice Type: Lasik Eye Surgery Practice   

Location: East Hanover, NJ

 

Problems

Only 3 new patient leads per month

Lack of visibility of practice medical director and founder of the practice

 

Solution

Rebuild the practice website as a “go to” resource for patients

SEO

Public relations and media outreach

Blogging and content marketing

Email

 

Results

Website traffic increased by 400%

Leads increased from 3 a month to 72 a month

 

CASE STUDY #10

Practice Type: Neurosurgical Practice

Location: Not reported

 

Problems

No prior marketing investment

Expand practice and patient base

Website had very few pages and limited content

Less than 20 website visits per day

 

Solution

Integrate brand across all platforms

New logo

New print brochures

New optimized website

Blogging

Public relations

SEO

Paid search

 

Results

20% revenue growth in first 12 months

2 new locations opened

Website traffic increased by 500%

 

CASE STUDY #11

Practice Type: Large General Practice

Location: Not reported

 

Problems

Low website traffic

Almost no new patient phone calls

 

Solution

Practice website redesign to be patient centric

Paid search

SEO

Social media engagement

 

Results

Website traffic increased from 15 to 300 visitors per day

New patient calls increased from 15 per week to 50 per week

 

CASE STUDY #12

Practice Type: Large Orthopedic Practice

Location: New Jersey

 

Problems

The practice brand was not well known

Practice website averaging 300 visitors per month

 

Solution

Website enhancements and content

SEO

Paid search

Public relations

 

Results

Website traffic increased to 10,000 visitors per month

New patient calls increased to 300 to 500 per month

 

While there are hundreds if not thousands of marketing agencies and experts that promise to help you, almost all of them want to sell you their services. As you review the problems, solutions, and results for each company below consider if you want to be sold a service or hire a firm to solve your problem(s). If you prefer the later, fill out the contact request form, and one of our managing partners will contact you within 24 hours, if not that same day.

Avoid These 15 Medical Practice Marketing Mistakes

 

Get More New Patients by Avoiding These 15 Common Medical Practice Marketing Mistakes

Many medical and health care services are not covered by insurance. Leading the list are cosmetic surgery, infertility treatment, acupuncture, weight loss surgery, weight management programs, hearing aides, private nursing, and long-term care. Although, many private pay medical practices and health services generate new patients from strong referral networks, there is a growing opportunity to drive new patients into a practice from effective marketing. If you’ve decided to invest in marketing, or you’re already marketing but you’re not generating consistent results, maybe you’re making one of the 15 common marketing mistakes outlined below;

  • Marketing without a plan that includes target audience, tactics, budget, measurement, and goals.
  • Not defining your best customers or patient types.
  • Not understanding your competition.
  • Thinking that you’re too good to market. Prospective patients don’t know that you’re great. You still need to market to them.
  • Treating practice marketing as an expense. It’s an investment that should be generating a reliable, consistent, and measurable return.
  • Only using traditional marketing sources. More than 90% of all patients use the Internet to find information. It’s critical to incorporate digital marketing into your tactics.
  • Having a lousy website. You’ll have 3 to 5 seconds to convince a prospective patient to stay on your website. A bad websites will cost you patients.
  • Thinking that getting website traffic is getting results. Results are having the right people find you, engage with you, and convert to leads and patients.
  • Not having forms on your website that patients can fill out before they get to your practice.
  • Promoting services without relating them to the benefits for the patient. Eight out of ten people are looking online for solutions.
  • Taking referrals for granted.
  • Overusing social media.
  • Spending money on advertising because you like the salesperson, or what they say.
  • Forgetting to use calls to action in advertising.
  • Not training your staff to handle incoming calls and patients. Even with the best ads, marketing, and website patients will not stay with your practice if your staff doesn’t provide quality service.

 

Research, defined goals, strategies, execution, measurement, and optimization generate consistent returns. If you need help correcting any of these mistakes, or you just want new ideas to improve your new patient marketing, take a look at our article Successful Medical Practice Marketing Case Studies to get some fresh ideas, or schedule a call with one of URWA Consulting’s Managing Partners to discuss your circumstances.

 

Not So Simple Truth About New Patient Marketing

URWA Consulting helps with New patient marketing for medical and dental practices
Successful new patient marketing off

If you’re not getting a consistent flow of new patients from your online marketing start helping online searchers find and use the information that they want. A 2015 Harris poll shows that patients want the following services from medical practices:

  1. Online scheduling.
  2. Email contact with doctor(s) for emergency questions.
  3. Insurance coverage information.
  4. The doctor’s time during appointments.
  5. Online access to test results.
  6. Telehealth visits.
  7. Patient portals to retrieve and exchange information.
  8. Medication, treatment, and appointment alerts via text.

Engage Website Visitors

ATTRACT THE RIGHT PATIENTS FOR YOUR MEDICAL PRACTICE

Any medical practice can generate a consistent flow of new patients. Start by identify your best patient types, and then focus your marketing on helping them find answers to their questions and meet their needs.

 

Sounds simple enough; right?  Not so fast.

 

buyer personas

GET YOUR MEDICAL PRACTICE FOUND

In order to help anyone, they’ll have to find you when and where they’re looking. That’s where it gets a little more complicated.

 

You only get found online when you have the right content, credibility, and authority that the search engines value. When your content is fresh and relevant, and it solves problems or provides answers for searchers, the search engines will want your content higher in their results lists.

 

Credibility and authority are established through relevance, accuracy, consistency, and time. Search engines and patients want to know that information that they find about you no matter they find it is accurate.

 

Start by reviewing and updating the medical practice directory listings. Then, work to increase and optimize 3rd party content, or what others say about you and your practice. Include patient reviews, insurance provider information, and aggregator websites.

 

At the same time, work on making the content on your website, useful, diverse, and easy to use.  Content on your practice website can include unique landing pages related to the patient preferences from the 2015 Harris Poll, and helpful information like staff bios and contacts.

 

Authority and credibility are established over time. So work on the elements above over time.  Getting found online is a dynamic, ongoing optimization process when it’s done well.

 

GET YOUR PRACTICE CHOSEN

Once your content is visible to searchers you need them to click on it. If you don’t have the content that they want, your best prospects are likely to choose another medical practice to schedule their first appointment. Using headlines with clear benefits increases click through rates, and including patient benefits and contact information in landing page SEO helps ensure that searchers see what you want them to.

 

ENGAGE MEDICAL PRACTICE WEBSITE VISITORS

After search engine users convert into website users they must be engaged through your website. Start by making information about becoming a new patient impossible to miss on your landing pages, and provide one-click links to that page and other core patient services. Add new patient and onboarding forms where they are easily accessible.  Immediately start establishing your physicians’ credibility and trustworthiness with Physician and Staff Bio’s, including their practice responsibilities.  Make all of your practice benefits easy for website visitors see and learn about, as quickly as possible.

 

If you practice isn’t already offering a patient portal and mobile applications to make it easier for patients consider how offering those services will impact your ability to engage and ultimately convert website visitors.

 

CONVERT WEBSITE VISITORS INTO NEW PATIENTS

Make it easy and obvious. Practices that use their websites and offer mobile applications that make it easy for patients to get what they want will convert more website visitors and leads into patients. The easier and quicker you get website visitors what they want, the more you’ll increase conversion rates to patients.  Make it easy for patients to contact doctors, handle emergencies, schedule appointments, review records, manage medications, and pay bills, and conversion rates will increase.

 

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By Warren Kolber, URWA Consulting Managing Partner. URWA Consulting helps businesses and professionals of all types optimize their digital marketing. The company is based in Denver, CO.

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