Marketing a New Medical Practice
Brand yourself with a professional website and blog, search engine optimization, digital advertising — and face time
In a competitive market, you’ll have to work hard for every new patient, so start by finding out what patients really want. For example, 60% of patients are at least somewhat likely to select one doctor over another if they’re able to make appointments online.* Many other similar insights are contained in the ModMed® 2022 Patient Experience Report: What Patients Really Think.
Visibility. In any market, you should get out there and make yourself known. Apply for your hospital privileges and develop some rapport with the leaders, who can be good sources of referrals, especially if you perform a specialized procedure.
Meeting and Greeting. Get to know the nurses. Visit local urgent care centers. Give people your cell number and offer to help at odd hours. They’ll appreciate the resource and may think of you for referrals. Make a list of primary care providers in your vicinity and go meet them.
Community. Join chambers of commerce and other business organizations and participate in their events, especially ones that involve your specialty. It will help people remember you when it’s time to make a referral or an appointment for themselves. Keep in touch with mentors and pick their brains for guidance on starting and growing a practice.
Associations. To keep abreast of evolving issues, regulatory requirements, medical ethics and clinical developments, while supporting your industry, consider joining professional associations such as the American Medical Association, specialty associations, and local groups. You can find new mentors, network with colleagues, and learn what works and what doesn’t when starting a practice.
Creative Content. Make Facebook and Instagram pages and start a blog. Create new content. A steady stream of content informs potential patients and referral sources, keeps you top of mind, and attracts the search engines. Encourage readers to like your posts and follow your practice.
Search. Create a website and register it with the major search engines. Pay attention to your profiles on WebMD, Vitals, RateMDs, HealthGrades and Yelp! Run small, targeted campaigns leading to your site. Good reviews are important, so invite happy patients to submit online reviews.
Comprehensive Marketing. Get to know how social media and search engine optimization work. Use them to your advantage. You don’t have to do everything yourself. There are firms that specialize in medical practice marketing, with services including website design and maintenance, SEO, blog creation, digital advertising, campaign reporting, call tracking, reputation management, and E-stores for practices that sell products. ModMed AMP is one such service.
More in This Blog Series
Financing a New Medical Practice
Locating a New Medical Practice
Sources
ModMed 2022 Patient Experience Report: What Patients Really Think, ModMed research report (2022 July)
“Checklist for New Practice Start Up,” MGMA Health Care Consulting Group (2000)
“New Practice Start-Up Checklist,” Kareo (2020)
R. Rohit Dhir, “5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Career in Urology,” The Scope of Practice blog (2021 January 21)
This blog is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or medical advice. Please consult with your legal counsel and other qualified advisors to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards.
* Data reflected is a combined stat of “very important” and “somewhat important,” “very likely” and “somewhat likely,” or “strongly agree” and “somewhat agree,” as applicable.
