Marketing Matters
I don’t know about most of you, but I did not receive any marketing education in nursing school or my graduate program. I knew how to persuade others to complete tasks, see things in a different light (like my light) and even get funding for projects, but I was not accustomed to selling myself or my skills. It always felt like I was bragging. I got over it.
Marketing your services can be a daunting task, yet it is probably the most important thing you do for your business. If no one has heard about you, it is pretty hard to build a client base. Where to start?
We wanted to be able to provide care for anyone who needed it, which meant we had to include those who were insured and those who were not. In Minnesota, credentialing with the insurance plans is usually the first step.
Our pre-clinic research identified four major insurance plans (with Medicare and Medicaid) that accounted for the majority of the insured persons in our area. We sought membership with these plans first because we knew that most people refer to their insurance books when choosing or changing clinics. If you are not in the book, you might as well not be there.
While we were awaiting our credentials for the insurance companies, we developed our marketing plan. Our previous business advisor suggested we hire a professional marketing firm who would be able to put together a comprehensive plan. The plan included postcard mailings, feature articles and advertisements in the city paper, radio talk show guest spots and more. We purchased a list of 10,000 families in the area that had some type of insurance and at least one child (costly). We mailed very cool postcards that had a mail back portion (postage paid by us) for interested parties to complete for more information about the clinic.
The plan was excellent and the ideas great, with one major problem: expensive!!! When we regrouped as Eagan Child and Family Care, we decided to take a different approach to marketing our services: cheap or free. The first thing we did was choose a name that was more informative and was closer to the beginning of the alphabet than the previous clinic. That meant we would be listed closer to the beginning inboth the phone book and the insurance directories.
As I have mentioned in past columns, you need to have a clear message and repeat it over and over. We stressed the fact that we are a pediatric and family primary care clinic that was different, yet offered the same services expected at most primary care clinics. We did not emphasize the NP role as much as we probably should have, but our staff was educated on presenting the role of a nurse practitioner in primary care. We helped script what to say when talking about what made our clinic different from those down the street. Whenever we received a call asking about our clinic, we encouraged people to schedule a “meet the provider” appointment or tour of the facility if they were considering a change in clinics.
One of the concerns we had in the beginning was how the low number of patients would look to the general public. When you have open appointments all day, every day, the lack of patients may be misconstrued as offering poor services. We train our staff to offer specific appointment times, rather than saying “there is no one on the schedule” or “the schedule is open all day.” This tactic gives the illusion that we are busy but that we will accommodate the caller’s needs.
We have held a holiday open house each December that includes music, real reindeer, local musicians, artists and, if we are lucky, an author or illustrator to read to the kids. We also invite a variety of independent or small business owners to provide chair massages, makeup tips, personal training tips and BMI analysis, coffee and more. The county Early Childhood and Family Education group mans a craft table. Our fire department brings a truck and Fire Department Explorers to review fire safety and have the kids (and parents) check out the fire truck.
Each year we collect food for the local food shelf and have donated to ECFE by having the author/illustrator’s books for sale. We call it our Healthy Family Holiday Event. It is open to the public, but we do not advertise in the paper. Word of mouth from our patients seems to be enough. Last year we hosted over 400 children and families with this event.
Initially, we held cholesterol screenings and blood pressure checks at a couple of the local fitness centers. The service was popular, but the return was next to nothing.
This year we changed venues and have been holding diabetes screenings at a Latino Money Sending store. These screenings have been very successful. In addition we worked with a nonprofit group that assists East African immigrants to offer “Women Together” meetings in area apartment complexes with higher concentrations of Somali immigrants. These meetings addressed topics like vaccination, ADHD, depression and nutrition. We are continuing to see new patients as a result of those meetings. Word of mouth is the best advertising around.
Getting your name out there, whether individually or as a group is essential in growing the business. Become involved with your school or other schools that educate and train health care personnel. Contact the school district to offer your expertise and time as a guest speaker for the professional group or students. Become a mentor.
Talk about yourself and your business whenever the situation is right – cocktail party, dinner out, grocery store, etc. Canvas the local neighborhoods with postcards, fliers and visits today care centers, senior centers and even Red Hat Ladies meetings. Participate in your community festivals like 4th of July parades, home and garden shows, fall festivals and even school carnivals.
Carry your business card with you wherever you go. Join chamber of commerce or other business networking clubs. We have received lots of referrals from our colleagues at various conferences and meetings.
Last but definitely not least, get your Web site up. (Ours has been down for quite a while due to changes in our IT consulting firm, and it hurts.) This is the single best tool for advertising your services. The style and content of the Web site should reflect the style and content of your “product.” Potential patients, agencies, referral sources and insurance companies constantly look “on the Web” for information, if you are not there … are you really there?
Marketing ideas and plans are constantly changing. At times EVERYTHING seems like a good idea. Take every opportunity you can to advance your practice’s name and recognition. Justremember to stay true to the message, over and over and over. Not every idea is the best idea. Pick those that you are able to do and do well. Learn how to sell yourself and your skills. Good Luck.