Marketing ideas for medical practices: Use PR to your marketing advantage

 ‘Public relations’ (PR) is a marketing tool which includes methods and means by which an organization or individual (your practice or you) seeks to promote a favorable relationship with the public (your target audience of potential new patients and/or referral sources). PR methods and means may cover tactics like Press releases, news and feature stories, radio interviews, TV appearances and special events.

What are you doing that’s newsworthy?

Healthcare is one of the most sought-after topics in the US.  Hardly a TV news segment goes without some bit of health-related news being presented to the audience. These cover new treatments, new medical technologies and new ways of coping with various diseases. However they also present stories about doctors, dentists and physical therapists donating their time to worthy health causes in their communities or helping sick and needy people abroad. (for instance physicians without borders, etc).

Many practitioners provide to their communities. Many more do pro bono work here as well as abroad. And often the public never hears about the terrific humanitarian work being carried out by these hard-working individuals.

PR can be more cost-effective

Anyone with money to spend something to sell can run an advertisement. And that’s often the tactic you resort to when you want new patients for a particular treatment or procedure. There’s no doubt that advertising has its place in your marketing mix, however PR is often less expensive and more effective at building your credibility and gaining trust.

With public relation, you don’t pay for space or airtime as you would with a print ad or for that matter TV spot. A normal TV news segment for instance might be three-four minutes of airtime you don’t have to pay for. You can compare that to a typical 30-second TV commercial that may cost you thousands of dollars.

A simple PR, written and presented well, can generate much better results at a fraction of the cost of a print advertisement. If your story is chosen, there is a much better opportunity that it will be read and believed than any paid print ad.

To learn about what PR can do for your practice and other marketing ideas for medical practices, turn to various healthcare marketing agencies.

Why you should do medical practice marketing?

Marketing medical practice? Here are some factors why you need active marketing for your medical practice.

1.       To keep your practice growing if it levels off

2.       To stay profitable with income appropriate to your life style…it’s not easy to do since fees are tied down by law and by you know who.

3.       Able to hire top quality employees who are aware of your business talents…it indicates stability and long period of employment.

4.       Any business at present will fail if marketing in never involved…and medical practice is a true business.

5.       Early retirement from medical practice calls for more and faster income and loads of new patients right from the start to the end….and how to do that? Practice marketing.  

If the statistics are right about late retirement of physicians, 90 percent arrive at retirement with little money to show for all those years. A well funded retirement calls for constant practice marketing of your medical practice right up to your retirement.

It’s recommended that you prepare to start easy and go hard with your medical practice marketing projects. Start now to begin to effectively boost your patient load, your practice income and yes your personal value to your patients.  

When you can afford to invest a sizeable amount in the future, it is recommended that you turn to healthcare marketing agencies. They will not only help you with your marketing efforts but also help you in every possible way to bring in the money. In fact, it’s just the ticket for medical practice marketing. So get going!