Professional Referral Marketing: Four Cornerstones and Eight Fatal Errors

Don't do what they hate. There's probably no end to the list of possible mistakes, but here's our list of hot buttons that we know from experience will quickly kill a referral pipeline. In random order, here are things that primary care physicians, or referring practices, especially hate (and what you can do to avoid the problem): 

• Having the impression that you are stealing their patient. (The key word is impression.) Simple neglect, oversight or unintentional error or omission can create the feeling that their generous referral has cost them a patient. So always send the patient back–with some deliberate process steps and a bit of ceremony if necessary for notice–to the referring physician.  
• Failing to keep the primary care physician informed. Let the referring practice or business know that the patient has been scheduled, that you appreciate the referral and that you will continue to communicate about what follows. Let them know often with regular progress reports.
• Not seeing referred patients promptly. Referring physicians hate to have their patients' care delayed because the patient can't get in to see you in a timely way. Make a special effort to accommodate the referred patient as soon as possible. And let the referring practice know what transpires.
• Telling the patient that the primary care diagnosis was wrong. Nobody likes to be wrong, especially doctors. And absolutely nobody likes to be told they were wrong. If your specialist treatment plan is different from what the patient or PCP may be expecting, find a smooth-as-silk way to communicate this to both.
• Talking down to the primary care physician (or sounding like it). This is almost as bad as telling them they were wrong. A general practitioner may not know your specialty as well as you do, so take care to communicate peer-to-peer, as colleagues in the care of the patient.
• Referring the patient on to another specialist without consulting the original referring physician. When the best course for the patient is to see a different or second specialist or sub-specialist, consult the primary doc. This courtesy is respectful, avoids the "stolen patient" impression, and covers the "keep them informed" mandate. Good diplomacy has many benefits.
• Being unavailable when treatment is unsuccessful. The specialist who quietly fades away without recommendations on a next course of treatment leaves a bad impression and bolts the door on future recommendations.
• Refusing to take a "lesser" case after taking many good-paying cases. Enough said.

By the way, there's no fanfare when people stop referring. You will not get a telegram or fireworks ending a referral relationship. They just quietly stop referring. You may not even know what happened (or failed to happen). And worse, if a practice stops referring, they probably will NOT tell you, but they may tell their friends. Your reputation is damaged and you may quietly lose other referral sources. 

It is difficult to fix a referral relationship gone sour. Even when the cause was unintentional or an oversight, or a simple error–once stopped, referral channels are likely stopped forever. It is difficult to build the bridge of trust–and once lost, probably impossible to repair. 

For more enquiries, please email us at sales@medicalamrketing.com.hk or call us at 852-25801059 in office hour HKT 10:00 to 14:00 / 15:00-19:00.

www.medicalmarketing.com.hk

Hire us! Why? Because we have …

1.      Solid experience in management of medical-related projects.

2.      Ability to collaborate and work well medical professionals.

3.      Good understanding of usability, conversion funnels, web analytics, web design, and information architecture design.

4.      Good understanding of technical requirements of organic search

5.      Good medical writing skills and HTML skills

6.      Similar approach and philosophy about organic search as yours.

7.      Familiarize with Google’s webmaster guidelines.

If you have interest on the web marketing in Asia, you are also recommended to visit www.asia-web-marketing.com as well.

Outcome photos can be powerful, but use with care

Why some pictures can ruin your message?

Skilled practitioners want everyone to appreciate the work they do, and before-and-after photos can work wonders. But, remember that patients are interested in personal benefits, not clinical process. For external marketing materials, use images that illustrate positive outcomes and benefits and save the clinical pictures for colleagues.

We are often asked about using "before-and-after" photos in advertising materials. Here's the short answer: Outcome photos and "before-and-after" photos, often are terrific. "Work in progress photos" (e.g., surgeries), almost never.

Outcome photos (afters) work very well, especially when you say "actual patient."

Before-and after photos can also be very convincing, if there is an obvious benefit in the "afters."" (We can't tell you how many unimpressive photos we have seen for procedures like microdermabrasion and IPL treatments.) It is ok to style the patient in the after photos, as long as the styling doesn't appear to be the only difference.

One more thing - oftentimes the before can be too unattractive, so use care.

"During" photos are not only unappealing to prospective patients, they are downright scary. Maybe we should be asked more often because we frequently see brochures, websites and other external audience materials that include painfully scary photos. (It is sometimes reasonable to use them carefully as part of informed consent while you are there in the room.)

Almost every type of healthcare specialty and sub-specialty practitioner is tempted to display their skills, experience and handiwork as part of their marketing message. Surprisingly, this isn't limited to cosmetic and appearance-directed services in orthodontics, reconstructive dentistry, plastic surgery and the like. The question of "before, during and after" images also comes to us from unlikely medical corners such as gastroenterology and general surgery.

If you are tempted to use patient or medical condition photos on your website, brochures, or in your healthcare organization, hospital, group or practice-the wrong images will do more harm than good. If you're in doubt, call us for a second opinion.

Here are some general guidelines in selecting appropriate photos.

• Patients want results, not process. Universally, individuals seek healthcare in search of happiness. Their first and foremost desire is some measure of personal improvement. Accordingly, photos, images, illustrations and even videos about what you deliver should illustrate the benefits. These individuals don't need or want clinical instruction.
• Photos of people are better. Too many dentists, for example, use clinical photos of teeth. Generally, it is better to show the full face, in context.
• Advertising is not "informed consent." Distinguish between images for use in external messages (seen outside the office), and their selective use in the privacy of consultative patient information and informed consent discussions. Before and after images can provide comparisons to help shape realistic expectations.
• Be careful about implied promises. There is a compelling message in previous outcomes, but Illustrations or images of previous results cannot be presented as a promise about future.
• Clear all legal hurdles. Having a photo is not the same as having the legal rights and permissions to use it in any way outside of the private and clinical needs. Get advice on clearances, permissions and releases on all photos, especially if they are patient-related images.

Properly used, outcome photos can be effective support for a positive and persuasive marketing message about weight loss, dentistry, dermatology, cosmetic and plastic surgery, medical spas and medispas.

For more enquiries, please email us at sales@medicalamrketing.com.hk or call us at 852-25801059 in office hour HKT 10:00 to 14:00 / 15:00-19:00.

www.medicalmarketing.com.hk

Hire us! Why? Because we have …

1.      Solid experience in management of medical-related projects.

2.      Ability to collaborate and work well medical professionals.

3.      Good understanding of usability, conversion funnels, web analytics, web design, and information architecture design.

4.      Good understanding of technical requirements of organic search

5.      Good medical writing skills and HTML skills

6.      Similar approach and philosophy about organic search as yours.

7.      Familiarize with Google’s webmaster guidelines.

If you have interest on the web marketing in Asia, you are also recommended to visit www.asia-web-marketing.com as well.

 

Facebook’s Facelift: Does your practice need one too?

In keeping with the social media theme, Facebook’s CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg just announced one of the largest profile revisions to date on “60 Minutes” with Lesley Stahl this past weekend. The profile shift will emphasize photos, personal information, and increased usability.
The new look is designed to be more interesting to Facebook users and to display information in an easier way to understand. I’m impressed with how flexible Facebook is and how they are constantly adapting to make the Facebook “experience” the best possible. Healthcare practice owners can learn a lot from this.

Facebook remodeled the format of the profile page after listening to feedback from users and watching trends. A strong emphasis was put on photos and sharing personal information. The main profile photo’s size is larger, leading to an emphasis on it being a profile page about a specific person, just as your face and personality should be front and center in the marketing of your practice.  The site is now more collaborative, allowing a user to make groupings on their profile of friends, family, music, sports, or projects that are important to them.  Similar groupings on your website would allow for easier browsing.  What a referring doctor might look for and what a friend of a patient looking to find out about a certain procedure and then book an appointment are very different, yet equally important paths you should have.  Understanding what current patients and referral sources want from your practice will help give you a wider range of subjects to consider.

The idea behind the new profile design is similar to the suggestions I gave in a previous blog post about how physicians and healthcare providers should try to develop more personal connections with their target audiences. This can be done on your web site, Facebook fan page and your marketing resume. Creating connections are important to helping patients feel more connected to you as a person as well as their physician.

Are you open to reformatting your business from feedback and trends?  Successful medical practices remain flexible and look for new opportunities to expand. Understanding that change is part of the future and embracing that idea will help your practice grow with your patients.  This change in a major social media leader leads to the question of “How important is appearance and adaptability?” Patients coming to your office for the first time will take in your personal appearance and the layout of the office. When they visit your practice website, they will look to see if the information they find important is near the top and easy to understand.  Whether it’s your qualifications, a professional photo, how to make an appointment, your services, or simply how to contact you, your patients will appreciate you taking their feedback into account and the effort you display in remodeling your web site, and your practice as a whole, in an effort to better serve them. It will also enhance your practice’s brand.

For more enquiries, please call us at 852-25801058 for more information.

www.medicalmarketing.com.hk