Posts Tagged ‘practice marketing’

How well do you employ technology to assist in developing your consumer relationships? Creating Customer Value, Part 4 of 5

Monday, February 1st, 2010

For many medical practices and hospital departments, technology can sometimes be a frustration and trying to tame it is often left to the IT workers.  But don’t let prior experiences or installation/training frustrations limit your progress is using technology tools to enhance relationship development.

Step one should be the collection and analysis of consumer data from all possible sources.  This helps all who communicate with customers know the content of that communication and potential next steps.  This central repository helps an organization personalize the communication and track the process.

For a tool, you have a wide choice of options.  You can use something as simple as Access.  Or off-the-shelf options include GoldMine and ACT!  There are many other software tools that can help you collect data, monitor communication and transactions and they range from simple on-tool tools (HighRise) to more complex, enterprise wide options.

Having a database of information for your consumer allows you to focus on the needs and preferences of your “customers.”  Understanding what your customers want will help you work toward their needs and develop relationships.  You can organize and analyze the data that you collect to determine preferences and drive your efforts toward responding to those needs.

Customer relationship management as a tactical technology tool can help you gain insight into the behavior of your customers.  This can ensure physicians and patients are served in the best possible way. Customer relationship management helps organizations recognize and pay attention.  Keep in mind that while a technology tool can help collect and analyze this kind of information, it is the overall strategy and culture of the organization that puts energy behind this information and creates a responsive process.

Step two should be using your insight to improving communication with your consumer. Targeted communication that gets in the hands of your potential customer as they need it versus sending blanketed mailings to everyone with no particular focus hoping something will appeal will save the organization money and will improve the relationship with the individual target.  They will not feel bombarded with non-focused communication.

No surprise that different customers prefer different communication channels.  Certainly newer digital channels and social media tools offer greater opportunities to directly personalize messages.  But don’t throw out traditional methods which may appeal to a sector of your market.  The message is to carefully segment your market for both message and channel.  That new mom might find information on your FaceBook Fan page really helpful as she deals with the adjustments of having a baby in the house.  The grandfather who can’t finish a golf game without visiting the restroom several times might find a post card about your prostate services more helpful.

Working out the above is a matter of re-prioritizing your internal communication approach based on the insight you garner from data collection – the following are basic but sound steps to employ:

  • Communicate to the customer based on their needs; avoid silo approaches.
  • Use customer information from the entire organization and centralize it to make customer profiles and develop a more in-dept understanding of your customer.
  • Segment your market.
  • Communicate with the various segments as one entity – do not overwhelm your target with multiples communications and messages.

Whether you are focusing on your physician relations program or want to have  a more targeted approach with potential patients,  the need to track and measure nurturing activities is a basic outgrowth.  The information flow works in both directions so that significant market intelligence is collected as these relationships are cultivated.  The more individuals working on a specific relationship, the more navigation is required so that the target is not overwhelmed by a disorganized flow of information from various sources.  Technology can serve the process by easing the management and integration of information.  Use technology to enhance your developing relationships by being more focused in your communication and more aware of what your individual customer wants and needs.





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Physician Marketing – Branding ABCs

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Individuals have personas. Organizations have brands. What do you want your organization to represent? How do you want your patients or prospective patients to define your practice? The answer to these questions involves branding.

Too often organizations overlook their brand as a fluff item. In reality, your brand is an asset. It is the visual and experiential representation of your offerings. If you are initiating a new practice, adding a partner, or adding services, your brand and how well it is put together creates the foundation for patient acquisition and retention. For today’s health care consumer, you want to provide value while differentiating your services. But don’t think that branding is only important to the new practice. In a fiercely competitive market, having a well-hone brand is an insurance policy against patient attrition.

Building a brand is a thoughtful effort that takes consistency and time. There is no right brand. The brand should be what you, as the practice owner, want it to be. Each component to your brand adds to a robust experience for your patient. What does that mean exactly – each piece needs to fit together with the patient at the center of the experience.

The ABCs of Practice Marketing
A – All about the patient. Truly walk in the patient’s shoes to determine how your practice can best serve the patient’s needs while standing out in the delivery of those needs. What are you giving to your patient? Think through their experience and make sure you tailor your service to deliver on the expectation you are creating for your patient. For example, if you promise comfortable care – will the patient feel comfortable talking to you, post exam, in a paper johnny? Allow the practice operation to provide for time for the patient to get dressed and then have some consultative time.

B – Be Inquisitive. Brands are not static and can evolve and hopefully improve over time. Be the expert in medicine and let your patients be the experts in the service you deliver. Ask them about your service. Conduct surveys to see what is working well and what might be improved. This is a good step to take when starting or changing things in your practice. Ask, ask and ask. It is amazing how much information you can receive by simple market research. Then, use the specific information you glean from your patients to refine your services and enrich your brand.

C – Communicate well. Depending on what you choose as your brand will stipulate what you communicate but make sure that you communicate well with your patients. You can set up a variety of communication vehicles. Some of your patients may prefer to use the internet for information so be sure your website has the information you want these patients to have. Others may prefer a newsletter that they can physically handle. For these patients, have links to e-newsletters so they can download information from your site. Keep in mind the phone remains a key vehicle. Obtain cell phone numbers so you can text appointment reminders or alerts when the physician is running late. And, make sure that the face-to-face contacts are intentional and not the by-product of a busy day. If you brand promotes welcome and friendly, you will want to make sure the patient is greeted upon arrival and that you and your staff are familiar with their needs so you can make them feel like an important guest.

Be sure your brand puzzle fits together. You know who you are targeting and what makes your practice different. Follow through on this good planning with daily delivery of important brand-building components: messaging, look, feel and flow of the office and staff professionalism. Every single interaction should incorporate your brand philosophy.

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Know Your Market Before You Open Your Practice

Monday, April 13th, 2009

All too often, opening a satellite site or starting a new practice fell under the guise of “if I build it, they will come.” Take advantage of accessible research tools and conduct preliminary research that will help you shape your approach and enhance patient acquisition.

Consider your vision and ask some questions to set the planning foundation in place and to guide your research. You might consider the size of the market you are entering and basic demographic information such as income level, housing prices, employment, age and even gender. Are there particular attributes to this market? Is it growing? What kind of neighbors are there? What is the competition in the market? Does it seem to be well penetrated with physicians of your specialty? Does the community have several physicians who might refer to you?

You might be surprised at how easy it is to obtain some of this information. Start with the community hospitals in the area. They usually have a good sense of the medical community and population characteristics. If you have a good relationship with a hospital within the target market and they are working with you to conduct your assessment, you will have access to a great deal of local market information. The business development and/or marketing departments at a local hospital can provide general payer mix within the market, provider information and even case mix data broken down by zip code. If you are not fortunate to have access to this information from the local hospital, consider trying governmental resources such as departments of public health.

The local chamber of commerce typically has good resources about demographics and employment characteristics. The town’s website and local employers often have good information on their website especially if the community is interesting in attracting new businesses and families.

Make sure you find out about who the other providers are in the community. This information can be found using state licensing information and can be cross-checked via hospital web sites.

Doing a little detective work makes sense. Determining how full competing practices are currently can be useful information. You don’t want to enter a market that has an over-supply of your specialty. To determine if these practices are full or who the primary payers are, you will need to directly contact the office administrator at the individual practices and explain your purpose. This kind of surveying takes time but is well worth the information. Office administrators are not always easy to access, but hold considerable information about the market and can be very helpful.

Targeted research informs everything – services, location, marketing message and strategic positioning – and should not be overlooked. Research of this type can help you recognize how to approach the market. It can also alert you that the market may be over-saturated and not the best fit for your practice. Research of this type will help set a foundation for your practice positioning. It doesn’t’ take long and is well worth the findings.

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