Medical Practice Consulting
Urgent Care Practice Development
It is inevitable that seemingly every physician, after a certain length of time in practice considers building a medical practice of his or her own. In recent years, urgent care clinics are emerging as the get rich plan of physicians everywhere. But, for every practice that grows wings, several more end up struggling, or worse.
In order to ensure that a clinic will be successful, there are many considerations, that must be addressed. Issues of compliance, staffing, computer systems, finance all include critical details that must not be overlooked. Perhaps most often ignored or under-supported is marketing. Simply put, a medical practice with no patients is not a medical practice at all. Its just a facility.
Marketing your Outpatient Clinic or Urgent Care
In medical circles, marketing is often a topic of significant discussion. Yet, once the doors open, many marketing budgets end up out the window. Largely this is because expectations of waiting rooms overflowing with patients often lead to the realization that building the practice will take time, and that any money allocated to promotion is cash straight out of the doctor’s pockets.
One problem related to marketing is that many doctors view themselves as marketing experts. And, why not? They’ve spent years getting through medical school…
Now, if you are a physician and that statement makes sense to you, then by all means, go ahead and run your own marketing campaign. But, for those whose goal it is to build a successful practice, a better plan is to use marketing professionals with the same level of expertise in medical practice marketing that you have in medicine. There simply is no corollary between medical school and the marketing and promotion of your practice.
Admittedly, that is a blanket statement that is not true for all physicians. There are those who do understand marketing and devote considerable time and effort to learning the best methods by which to promote a thriving urgent care clinic. Even so, using the Internet to market your clinic is highly specialized. Relying on the experts at iPutty can save you thousands of dollars as well as the frustration of countless months waiting for search engine rankings that never come.
Medical Practice Consultant
Having managed the startup of diverse medical practices, iPutty can develop your practice in the areas of brand development, marketing strategies and tactics, staffing and operations. Additionally, if your medical practice or urgent care clinic is in the early planning stage, iPutty can save you thousands, even millions of dollars by ensuring an accurate assessment of your market, appropriate site selection, assessment of cash requirements, business planning, etc.
Medical Marketing
Promoting an urgent care clinic or other medical establishment is unlike marketing a pizza place or a car wash. So-called “gorilla marketing” tactics like papering windshields and canvassing neighborhoods with flyers will most often leave your would-be patients questioning your standard of care. This might seem obvious. But, questionable promotional methods somehow take on a life of their own.
As an example, one Reno Urgent Care clinic used as a primary marketing method, the practice of infiltrating the waiting areas of local hospital emergency rooms. Once inside, hospital literature, pamphlets, flyers, etc. would be confiscated and replaced with flyers of its own. Yes, this really happened. Not only is such a tactic ineffective, but will nearly always backfire in ways far more damaging than possibly imagined.
Ultimately, the lesson is that marketing your urgent care should be left to marketing experts. Don’t expect spectacular results with a zero budget unless you have a prime location and no competitors. Call iPutty today to start by ensuring top search engine placement for your market, and then to ensure the best possible ROI for your promotional dollar. (775) 324-1644.
