Q: Why hire a professional marketing company?
A: Their is a business side to the practice of medicine and it is “patient driven” – so, reaching the patient is very important for practice stability and growth. Hiring a professional marketing company is needed to keep your practice viable in today’s competitive medical environment. Professional marketers have the experience, time and resources to get the job done. Their business know-how can put you ahead of the competition from same speciality practices as well as others who may already be marketing similar services. An example of this type of competitive marketing of “cross-over” services is easily seen with cosmetic procedures. Often times dissimilar practices such as dermatologist, plastic surgeons, medical spas and others will offer the same procedures to the same patient. Marketing will help your practice stay competitive.

Q: Is marketing appropriate for any type of practice?
A: Medicine is a highly specialized profession. As such it is both appropriate and necessary to market a practice. Even high end practices such as neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiology, cardio-thoracic surgery, cardio diagnostics and others can benefit from marketing programs aimed at keeping them visible in the marketplace which in turn helps keep their bottom lines healthy. Many practices offer a full compliment of different services. Marketing of a particular one may be just what is needed to bring an underutilized area of the practice up to par.

Q: What should a practice look for in a marketing company?
A: Look for a company with a proven track record. One that has specific experience with medical marketing plus a good grasp of consumer related know how. Both elements are needed to get a good return on dollars spent. Additionally it is also a good idea for a practice to have specific goals in mind when it considers marketing. This can be anything from increased volume for all services or the marketing of a particular service within the practice. Clear goals help your marketing agency target the right demographic and media mix. This type of information will will make a big difference in the success of your ad program.

Q: Is there a cost effective way to advertise?
A: Newspaper and magazines ads rank high as cost effective marketing mediums They remain a reliable way for people to get information. In addition they also offer a variety of cost saving programs such as controlled circulation discounts, year long contract discounts, and access to a reader demographic that may b e a good fit for your practice profile. Also newspaper and magazine ads are far less expensive to produce that other mediums such as TV or direct mail. Aside from cost saving considerations you also get added benefits from the status of the publication your ad runs in. For example a high- end lifestyle magazine may be “just what the doctor ordered” for marketing of cosmetic services.

Q: What trends are going on in medical marketing?
A: The trend today is that marketing is more and more available to any practice, any size without worry that “advertising” will tarnish its image, reputation or adversely affect the quality of care it delivers. The interest in medical marketing is higher that ever. On both sides of the advertising equation (doctor and patient) we see an increased level of trust in traditional marketing methods. Traditional methods have proven their value over time and are used with great success by the biggest and most prestigious institution. Traditional mediums such as newspapers, magazines, direct mail, radio, etc. are also used to spearhead the effectiveness of newer electronic methods such as the Internet and a practice website. A website functions best as a meaningful marketing tool when the amount of traffic it generates reaches a critical mass. This happens when it is promoted so that people know how to find it where to find it. And knowing it is promoted in traditional mediums that let people know where to find it. Without traffic a site has minimal value.

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