Bridging the Gap in Your Annual Marketing Plan
Marketing is an ongoing effort, but even with a firmly established annual plan there are going to be lulls in activity – periods in which it becomes a struggle to achieve positive messaging and keep your practice front-of-mind with consumers. This ebb and flow is normal; most companies are limited to maybe three or four big announcements a year, usually centered around new products or company-related information. That doesn’t mean you should give up on marketing efforts during these quieter periods; maintaining awareness with the general public is just good business practice!
Three Strategies for Maintaining Awareness
Those organizations that focus their efforts on generating consistent messaging, even when there is nothing new to report, are rewarded with more sales leads and, ultimately, higher revenue figures.
Fortunately, coming up with regular messaging isn’t as difficult as you might think. Here are a few things you can do:
- Survey says… Patient insight surveys are an excellent way to get feedback from your patients, providing your marketing team with information that can be utilized in future marketing efforts. This data will help you narrow your focus in order to optimize your campaigns, and should prove beneficial to your sales force, as well. Surveying patients allows you to be proactive during an otherwise slow time.
- Gather positive feedback. In an era when online reviews are more important than ever, positive feedback from patients can go a long way toward the success of your practice. Putting together case studies with measurable positive results, gathering testimonials, and asking patients for feedback are tools that can be used in a number of marketing areas including blogs, practice brochures, and direct mail pieces.
- Get social. A well-crafted social media campaign allows you to connect with patients on a personal level, “humanizing” your practice, and serves as an excellent bridge between product or service launches and corporate announcements. You can highlight your employees, link to industry news and articles, and even showcase your business through photographs. The key is to be consistent; posting regularly is the best way to maintain a strong following.
Incorporate these three strategies to fill the gaps between major announcements, and you’ll be well on your way to ensuring ongoing awareness of your practice.