There is a lot to be said for marketing techniques to catch the eye of prospective patients. Despite this, sparking initial interest is only half the battle when creating a thriving practice.
What is it that brings these potential patients across the payment barrier and encourages them to keep coming back for more? Here, we explore what it takes to convert browsers into established, loyal customers.
The process of onboarding potential patients can be long and arduous. It is time spent winning the trust of these individuals – creating a rapport between them and your practice – helping to familiarise them with your unique qualities as a business.
If your marketing has been successful, the next hurdle as a private practice is encouraging them to take action: to contact you, schedule an appointment, turn up, and pay.
Unless you offer free consultations for whatever reason, the chances are they aren’t too cheap – most patients will take a significant amount of time to weigh up their options before booking. This fact is especially relevant in the UK, where most patients appreciate free healthcare, and the idea of paying for medical treatment is far less common.
How can you encourage patients to join – and stay?
Healthcare marketing is becoming more sophisticated – you now have multiple channels at your disposal, increasing the likelihood that you might reach and engage your target audience.
Here are a few simple ways to pique their interest and begin their journey with you:
Offer online ‘get to know you’ or Q&A sessions
Webinars are an excellent way to showcase your unique offering to patients. They also offer the perfect opportunity to put people at ease by answering any burning questions they may have about treatment processes, costs, and risks.
Offer patient information behind a paywall
If people consider joining a private practice for medical treatment, they will likely want to read up on you and your treatments first.
Whilst some free information can be an effective way to attract prospective patients, offering information and guidance for registered members only may encourage them to take the next step and pay to join your practice.
Free introductory calls
Another way of helping patients feel comfortable and relaxed joining your practice and clinicians is by speaking to them! Offering free ‘get to know you’ calls show patients that you’re invested in them – plus, they are more likely to pay for a consultation after gaining trust and an understanding of the service you can offer.
Adding a ‘chat’ function to your website
This website addition is an easy and eye-catching way to encourage patient conversations. They’re more likely to reach out and ask you questions if they don’t have to pick up a phone or write an email to do so – also, your website will see more traffic as a result.
Offering a symptom checker
This tool can be an excellent way of showcasing your range of treatments and helping patients understand why they might need you.
Each practice is different, so implementing these measures won’t guarantee success with patient acquisition – although they are the perfect place to start.
Whether you have more patients joining your practice or not, you’ll need to protect yourself and your team. If you are looking for a specialist team to help you manage your practice’s risk profile and improve patient safety, please get in touch or visit our website for a quick quote.
