~ Glenn Akins, Medical Marketing Whiz
Today, I want talk to you about a phone call I had earlier today with one of my clients. We were talking about how they were uncomfortable doing online videos or Facebook Live and doing the things that really boost up your visibility to potential patients. So then we started talking about relating that feeling of being uncomfortable to personal and professional growth.
So let’s think of fitness for a moment. If you had a personal trainer and that personal trainer is okay with you just loafing around and not pushing yourself or making you break a sweat, do you think you would get any stronger or lose weight? But when you're being pushed and when you're doing things outside of your comfort zone, that's when the growth is going to occur.
So I just want to encourage everyone today think about your marketing. Look at your marketing budget. Is it five percent of your annual expense or annual profit? You should be looking at those things and say " Okay, am I too comfortable here? Am I relying too much on one lifeline as far referrals coming in to the clinic?"
I have spoken with a couple of clinics recently who were telling me that they have so many physicians that refer patients to them so they don't really need to do any official marketing. These practices were not doing any kind of digital marketing or have a social presence and their websites were done a few years ago with few updates.
So when we come across practices with this mentality, they could be in for a wake up call. Their referral source could dry up quickly if those sources join the hospital system or decide to work with a different practice. It’s always idea to be diversified (just like your investments) so you aren’t relying on only referrals for your new patient stream.
I want to encourage you to become uncomfortable and do something that you haven't done before. Try new approaches to patient outreach, and let us know if you’d like a free marketing strategy session. We are happy to do a complimentary online review and give you some recommendations on ways you can push your practice to the next level this year!
