Whatever industry you’re in, there are some basic first steps you need to take if you want to market your business.
For those in healthcare who are setting up or already have a private practice – whether you are a private GP, consultant or other medical practitioner – there’s a lot to think about before you invest your money in raising your profile.
Here are some of the first things you should consider to help you build a successful marketing strategy.
Know your customer
It’s important to know your customers’ needs and expectations. You need to know who they are, what they need and their goals to ensure you are delivering the right service, the correct messaging and using the most appropriate marketing channels.
For example, if you are targeting young professionals, they are most likely to want flexible appointments and availability on evenings and weekends. They may also prefer virtual appointments. They are more likely to find you on Google or Instagram and through information shared by their employer.
However, if your target customer is older families, they probably want convenience, fast access to face-to-face appointments and referrals to specialists. They will probably use Google, Facebook or refer to ads in local papers or magazines to find a healthcare service. They are also likely to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations.
Know your competition – and focus your offering
Once you’ve established who your customer is, you need to assess the competition. You’ll need to take into account your local competitors as well as those with an online presence.
The next step is to focus your offering – but remember you can’t be all things to all people.
Consider the items below to ensure your offering is relevant and accessible to your target customer.
Price
Speed/convenience
Ease of access (digital)
Quality – trust, reassurance
Specialised medical expertise
Patient experience
Map your ideal customer journey
You may want to map your ideal customer journey so you can get a better understanding of your customers’ experience. This will help you to identify where the ‘pain points’ are and how you can alleviate these to make it as easy as possible for your target customer to access your service.
You should think about the following steps as part of the ideal customer journey:
Awareness
This could be an ad for a private GP or someone searching a medical symptom on Google
Consideration
Maybe the customer doesn’t want to wait to see their own GP and they are searching for a virtual appointment with a private GP
Conversion
At this point the customer is deciding to pay or use their private medical insurance and to book an appointment
Service
The customer has their appointment and has a good experience
Loyalty
The customer will come back if they need something else and they will also tell their friends and family about their experience
Now that you have all the building blocks in place, you can create your marketing strategy and choose your tactics. Depending on your budget, these could include a website, social media and paid advertising. You may also need to consider getting some help to deliver your plan.
Read our blog to find out more about the 6 things you must do to market your private practice.
This content was presented by Lyn Cruickshank at the British Medical Association (BMA) Private Practice Conference 2024.
Comments