“Who am I reaching with my online marketing strategy?”
Anyone focused on medical practice management should ask this each time a marketing strategy is researched, planned or launched. And as you are keenly aware, the primary goal of marketing by most medical practices is to attract new patients and keep current patients coming back. With online targeting on a steady incline, it’s no surprise that everyone is looking for the best way to carve out a piece of the pie. The many options available to you should be carefully considered to optimize your results.
Missing the Obvious… Duh
Ingrained in any step of this process is a common thread so obvious that we often forget to take it into consideration. It is the audience. By taking the time to thoroughly consider who you want to reach, you will increase the likelihood that anyone will listen and take action.
Attraction
I did a little research today to understand the current stats on the number of marketing messages an average person in the US receives on a daily basis. Most of the seemingly reliable information I found informed me that the number is between 3,000 and 5,000 messages per day. You read that correctly, per day! Because I am a natural skeptic, let’s cut that in half… the numbers are still huge.
A successful medical practice marketing plan to attract new patients will aspire to cut through the clutter and get them to interact with and come to your website. The first step is to assess and determine the optimal methods to put your message in front of them and create an overall message that speaks to them. By customizing the right message, in the right place, to the right audience, your content can intrigue and draw people to you practice.
Attract… Capture… Measure… Repeat…
Your ideal patient has arrived at your website. Now what? Keep them on your site and get them to come back! Measuring audience interaction, page visits and time on site can help you to understand how search engine optimization can work for you to improve your results over time. This is not a “set it, and forget it” endeavor, but the good news is that if I can learn it, you can learn it.
A Secret Ingredient: Your Audience
“Who am I reaching with my online marketing strategy?” Now you know a secret ingredient to boosting the return on your marketing investment online. Audience. Understanding the ideal audience will empower you to reach them with a compelling message at a time when they are either looking for you or open to the information you are sharing. This will ultimately grow your practice’s brand and keep those new and returning patents coming through the door.
