Innovative marketing is all about reaching and retaining new clients. In dermatology, it’s especially important that this is done in a way that inspires confidence in your ability as a leading medical practitioner. You don’t always need a marketing agency behind you (although it helps!), because behind any attempt at promoting and growing your practice sustainably, are two fundamental actions that will set your medical practice apart: establishing and maintaining a strong online presence, and investing in staff development and training.
Establish a strong online presence
The first port of call for most people seeking any answer is the internet. This makes establishing a strong online presence essential for your business. In today’s world this includes a host of SEO strategies to rise above the noise, including these 3 easy steps:
- Determining what sets you apart from other dermatology practices (called your USP/ Unique Selling Point). This unique aspect of your service forms the cornerstone of your marketing process. Leverage this offering as much as possible.
- List your practice on Google My Business. This is a surefire way to guide local patients from their Google Search to your door. Keep these listings up to date.
- Use social media to interact with potential and existing patients as an active member of your community. This gives your patients an opportunity to learn about your world, and you an opportunity to build an engaging reputation. Encourage, and make it easy for them to leave positive reviews of their experiences with you on these digital platforms. You can also extend this into promoting your practice through involvement in local events organized online — a nifty way of bridging the gap from digital to physical.
Invest in staff development and training
Your staff are an extension of yourself. Together you form a team that can ensure patients remain loyal to your practice, remembering you — their doctor — as an expert embedded in an efficient system, and supported by a knowledgeable team. With an empowered staff, you can:
- focus on retaining the loyalty of patients you’ve already seen, through increasingly specialized service.
- ensure your practice runs as efficiently as possible.
- set new patients at ease, being surrounded by a support staff able to more easily facilitate patient education.
In an environment that supports continuous professional development, your staff are motivated to grow. This morale-boosting atmosphere will have a calming effect on clients visiting you for procedures who become your word-of-mouth promotional network. A happy staff inspires trust in the expert practitioner that instated them. In this way, you’re seen to support your staff in remaining at the cutting edge of their practice, and this reassures patients that you’re at the leading edge of yours as well.
The good news is that supporting staff development needn’t cost you in the form of leave. With accredited courses such as the Advanced Training in Dermatology program, you’ll build capacity without affecting your workflow. Contact us today to explore your options and begin promoting your practice with sustainable growth from within.
