Marketing In a Small Town
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by Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
Joined Mountain View Medical & Surgical Associates of Madras, Oregon July 2008
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ne tool to create a successful podiatric practice is the marketing plan. Whether you practice in a big city, suburban area, or small rural town, marketing your practice is integral to generating a healthy patronage. Knowing the importance of the marketing plan, I’d like to discuss some of the methods we’re employing here in Oregon to build my practice.
When I started in Michigan, after completing residency, I entered a well-established practice with a good reputation. As such, I did not have to market myself as aggressively. I spent the majority of my time meeting other doctors, especially those who were not already referring patients to the practice. Now that I am in a new area starting a practice from scratch, the marketing plan has to be a bit different. |
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I don’t personally have marketing training or even much experience, so I plan to tell you what I’m doing with the assistance of my hospital’s marketing department. Some of these ideas may succeed or fail—it's a work in progress.*
Here’s the plan for both of my office locations:
I’m meeting EVERY doctor who practices in the area – face to face. No phone calls. I go to their office, shake their hand, and tell them why they should refer patients to me. This includes physical therapists, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, office staff, etc.
I’m meeting as many workers in the hospital as possible, including nurses, various therapists, cafeteria workers, ER staff, etc. They’re all referral sources.
I can’t emphasize the importance of this. It’s simple. If you’re kind, pleasant, friendly, and competent, your patients will LOVE you, and they’ll tell others. I KNOW this works. I saw lots of families and friends of patients in Michigan, and it’s already starting here in Oregon.
I have planned multiple public speaking events, such as diabetes education groups and local clubs. These include runners clubs, schools (coaches), Rotary clubs, and Lions clubs, among others. I’m planning an in-service for the floor nurses in the hospital to educate them on wound care.
I’ve manned a booth at a local fair (which honestly didn’t accomplish much). We have a diabetes fair for the community coming up in October, where I’ll be speaking about diabetic foot care and performing foot screenings. I’ll have literature and business cards available, as well as a screening form the attendants can bring to their physicians.
We’ve put ads in local newspapers and magazines. Additionally, the local cable company has an information channel that rotates 1 minute ads. We’re planning on advertising through this avenue. If you have a lot of money, you could have someone produce a commercial on TV. I would imagine this is too expensive for most of us, since I’ve never seen a commercial for a podiatrist. I’m also looking into being a guest on the radio, if possible.
The hospital will be sponsoring a “meet the new docs” event at a local hotel for a few of the new physicians in the area. They’ll invite the local government (mayor, etc.) and high profile individuals.
It takes a lot of work to market yourself, and I think the components of my plan that will prove most valuable will be meeting the physicians and word of mouth. In a small community where everyone knows each other, these will likely be most effective. For those of you who have been through this stage of practice growth, what did you do to grow your practice? Do you have any "pearls" to share with us? This very valuable information will help us young docs as much as the knowledge of any surgical procedure or new technique. Write in with your experiences. Best wishes.
Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT New Docs Editor
[email protected]
GRAND SPONSOR
This program is supported by
an
educational grant from
STRATA DIAGNOSTICS
MAJOR SPONSORS
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