On Wednesday, September 15th, BARQAR held their first live webinar of 2021: Digital Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Pediatric Practice.
Our CEO Brad Smith, joined by Lauren Wittschen, one of our marketing advisors, led the charge in an hour-long session full of marketing strategies, insights, and advice.
Didn’t get the chance to join us?
You’re in luck – this multipart series will break down what we covered in the webinar.
Let’s get started.
How do new patients choose your practice?
The first step in successful practice marketing is understanding how your office is discovered by new clients.
The initial, one-size-fits-all answer is, of course, word of mouth. And while it’s a good place to start, it’s not a stopping point.
We did some research and uncovered the following deciding factors:
- Health insurance (Does your office accept their insurance?)
- Office location
- Appointment scheduling process (How easy is the process to schedule an appointment? Are new patients left on hold or sent directly to unresponsive voicemails?)
- Office hours
What wasn’t mentioned in this list was trust – and it’s too important a factor to leave out.
It’s essential that new and potential patients feel they can trust your practice; establishing an authentic relationship with first-time visitors and maintaining existing client rapport is the key to growing your practice.
It’s true that word-of-mouth drives initial interest in your practice. But it’s these additional aspects, with a heavy emphasis on trust, that cements their loyalty.
Put yourself in the shoes of a potential new patient.
You’re looking for a new pediatrician for your child. You’d like the office to be relatively close to home with office hours convenient for your work schedule.
The first places you turn to for advice are, say, your PTA and a local Facebook parenting group, where you get a few recommendations. Of course you take them seriously – but like any good parent, you want to do your due diligence in getting more information.
What’s your next step?
That’s right: the internet.
70-80% of consumers will visit a company or brand’s website before making a decision – but 42% of people will leave that website due to poor functionality.
Just as a dirty waiting room will dissuade your patients, a disorganized, illogical website will take your practice out of a new patient’s consideration. Online, however, you’ll likely never even know a new patient visited your practice, making it all the more important to create a pleasant and inviting atmosphere.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to dive into the strategy behind improving your practice’s digital marketing.
The posts that follow in this series will cover everything from search engine optimization to making the most of a limited marketing budget – beginning next post with a how-to on improving your practice’s website.
Can’t wait for the next post? Watch the entire webinar here, free and on-demand.
Ready, set, grow!
Whether you’re ready to get started growing your practice or just want to say hello, drop us a line or call us anytime at 888.576.6100.
