3 Quick Tips to Build Your Practice that Don't Cost a Dime
If you own a private practice, you are always looking for ways to bring in new patients and get your name out there. Today, we’d like to discuss three free ways to up your practice’s exposure:
1. Get out in the community. Volunteering is a great way to do this:
Join your town’s Chamber of Commerce or your town’s Economic Development Commission (or your town’s equivalent). Doing so may not only get your name out there, but it may help your business in other ways, too!
Does your town have a local parade? Ask to march in it with your practice and hand out business cards and/or freebies to the kids.
Are you a Pediatrician, GP or Family Practice physician? If so, ask if you can give a short, fun presentation to the local preschools in your town talking about ways to stay healthy and active –and send the kids home with little goodie bags with your card and practice info.
Offer to serve as a resource or reference for your local newspaper(s) –many reporters often need quotes for stories they are writing. Or, offer to write a monthly column!
2. Establish referral/reciprocal relationships. Many practices do this to some degree, but most don’t take it seriously enough. Are you an OB/GYN? Why not establish a relationship with a med-spa in your area? Have a brief, formal meeting –“vet” the facilities, the services, the staff. If you find their operation recommendable, ask them to visit your facilities, too. If both practices agree, do an exchange of business cards and brochures about each of your facilities. This way, your referral to patients will be truly informed, sincere and have more weight –and theirs, likewise. As another example, if you’re a pediatrician, why not establish a relationship with a pediatric allergist, a pediatric ENT, and a pediatric psychiatrist, etc.
3. JUST ASK for referrals from your patients. If you are confident that your patient had a good experience, just tell them that you’d love a referral. Far and away, this is the simplest, easiest and cheapest thing you can do on a daily basis to get more patients into your practice.
