Whether for reasons of a limited budget or lack of personnel, many pediatric practices seem to place marketing at the bottom of their priority list.
It’s tempting to brush off, and we’ve heard plenty of rationalizations for doing so.
But here’s the thing: whether your pediatric practice has 3 doctors or 30, it’s still a business.
And every good business needs a marketing plan – especially if you’re on the smaller side!
When done correctly, marketing improves visibility, builds awareness, and ultimately increases trust – leading you to a bigger and better practice.
Here are three problems faced by small pediatric practices that, well, aren’t really problems, as well as some tips to ensure marketing success.
Problem #1: “We don’t have a big marketing budget.”
That’s fine – lots of businesses don’t!
Plenty of marketing methods (some of the best, really) are low-cost if there’s even a cost involved.
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, for example, are all free to create an account, and the account owner can determine if and what they’d like to spend on promotions.
Partnering with a marketing company doesn’t have to equal big investment, either. Any good firm will work with you on your budget and help ensure your return on investment is as high as possible.
Other inexpensive marketing ideas:
- Learn SEO for your website copy.
- Start a blog and use top-ranking keywords.
- Create a Yelp or other business review account and keep it up-to-date.
Problem #2: “We don’t have a marketing person.”
The marketing “burden” doesn’t have to fall on one unprepared office manager – it really can be a team effort!
Let’s say you ask each of your coworkers to share your practice’s most recent Facebook post to their personal feed. Think about how many new potential clients your post can reach within this expanded network – and how hard was that?
More ideas:
- Ask patients to leave an online review if they’re satisfied with their care. They’re creating content for you!
- Use an online social media scheduling platform. Basic accounts range from free to low-cost, and with just an hour or two of work you can plan your content for the month (sometimes more)!
Problem #3: “We’re small-town/community-based. We do just fine on word-of-mouth recommendations.”
Word-of-mouth is a good place to start. In fact, studies show consumers trust reviews more than any other form of advertising.
But it doesn’t end there!
Make sure you’re taking full advantage of the referrals brought to you by word-of-mouth – how can you show your potential clients they’re more than just a name and a dollar sign?
Marketing, at the end of the day, is about creating connections.
Do exactly that through phone calls, direct mail, and personalized emails. Send emails/postcards for client birthdays, or stay in touch with regular, meaningful communications, like a monthly newsletter detailing children’s community events.
BARQAR can help with these problems!
No matter your marketing needs, we’re here with custom solutions for your business.
Get in touch or give us a call at 888.576.6100 to get started growing your practice today!
