One of the concerns that medical practitioners often have is continually attracting new patients whilst maintaining loyalty from return customers. Like any business, marketing techniques can help you reach these long-term and short-term objectives.

Most medical practices try to implement a variety of marketing strategies, all with the goal of enhancing their cash flow and obtaining an advantage over the competition, however, many become overwhelmed with Marketing tasks and then fall short with results and return of investment for your clinic.

The following Marketing tips can assist you in getting ahead, without getting overwhelmed and without spending a great deal of money.

1. Feature a Responsive Website

According to one Google survey, over 60% of individuals exit a website when it is not designed to be mobile-friendly. Therefore, it is crucial that you work with a web designer who is well versed in responsive website design. Not only should visitors be able to easily access the site, navigation should be user-friendly. Featuring a responsive website will also boost your SEO rankings as Google prefers this type of website design over a standard format.

2. Invest in SEO

Speaking of SEO, you need to invest in search engine optimisation (SEO). That way, patients can easily find your site online. If you want to expand your reach, you should invest money in SEO.

3. Regularly Add Fresh Content

Add fresh content to your site on a regular basis. SEO and the addition of new content go hand-in-hand in enhancing your influence on the web.

4. Take a Patient-centric Approach

Marketing also extends to traditional customer experience. In order to increase word-of-mouth referrals and underscore your online image, you need to be patient-centric. Everything you do in your practice should be focused on providing your patients with a pleasant experience. This is all part of your brand.

5. Target Specific Patients in Your Practice

Research shows that niche consumers convey more enthusiasm about their personal interests. Targeting a specific group of patients can increase your influence, for example, you might think about targeting female patients who have just had babies or women who wish to maintain or improve their fitness level and eat more healthily. Whilst your audience may not be as large, the level of engagement will nonetheless increase.

6. Develop Your Brand

Creating a brand image is also important. Develop your brand by posting relevant information on a consistent basis on your website as well as on social media and in medical journals. You should also consider posting articles through the blogging section of LinkedIn. By taking this approach, you will enhance your reputation online and gain more credence as an industry expert.

7. Provide Pricing Information Upfront

About 80% of patients want to know the cost for a particular service before they schedule a consult. By providing this information upfront, you can increase your number of appointments. Statistics show that patients who know the cost are about 40% more likely to go ahead with treatment.

8. Add Citations Online

When marketing your practice on the web, also make sure you add citations on related websites. Citations can be used to support your ranking for keywords in the search results.

9. Post Video Messages

Video content is one of the most powerful ways to reach and engage your audience. Make medical messages more interesting by posting them as videos – videos that can be easily viewed on a mobile phone.

10. Use E-mail Marketing

Remind patients about their appointments by using e-mail marketing. Schedule follow-up appointments via e-mails, and send out helpful and periodic updates about general health care and practice activities by e-mail as well.

For any modern practice it's essential to stay competitive by staying on top of industry changes as well as coming up with new ways of increasing exposure and improving your patients' experience.

Making effective use of the above tips will make you stand out from your competition and increase your word-of-mouth referrals and overall presence on the web.

And remember…while there are hundreds of methods to promote your medical practice, none of them can compete when it comes to your underpinning reputation. Established practices still find the most reliable source for new patents comes from old-fashioned word-of-mouth referrals.

If your current patients are happy with your medical services, they will naturally spread the word to friends and family. In this case, they normally use online reviews to express their satisfaction.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with your marketing, or you need assistance in improving the customer experience, engage a Business Consultant to assist you and your practice team by contacting Ami on on 0401 825 105 or 03 8606 0332.