BLOG: A quick-start pandemic marketing plan
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As I mentioned in the previous post, communicating with your patients is a key component of any marketing strategy, and here are some critical areas where you can focus your messaging now:
Problem 1: Studies show that seniors in particular are worried about their possible exposure to COVID-19 and are wary about resuming public activities. Many are also getting barraged with misleading (or worse) information and don’t know who or what to believe.
Solution: Put up an easy-to-see (above the fold) banner on your website with links to specific information about COVID-19 as it relates to the patient experience. Specifics include changes in how they can interact with your staff, information on how you can still deliver eye care through telemedicine and what it all means for your patients. Give them a detailed list of service hours along with any instructions on after-hours contact or emergency contact guidance, which of your locations is open, any changes in workflow (such as instructions and videos on how to do remote check-in or check-out and drive-through IOP checks), and changes in patient safety and office policies (wearing face protection, spouses waiting in the car or outside, and distancing measures while inside the clinic, how to report an incident, what is reportable and what is not, etc). Be sure to put a contact form on that page and respond as instantly as possible when anyone has a question. This is more about building a strong relationship than distributing information.
Problem 2: Core services such as general ophthalmology, cataract surgery, glaucoma, cornea and retina will likely recover quicker than premium services. However, even taking into account the pent-up demand for these important quality-of-life services, medical practices may not return to their previous volume of clinic visits and surgical cases either because patients are tentative about resuming normal activity or because offices will need to continue to observe social distancing and other precautions.
Solution: Your marketing messages should focus on the negative consequences of not seeking or delaying intervention: loss of vision for untreated glaucoma or macular degeneration, increased risk for falls due to cataracts, etc. Have them take this time to become fully informed on what their patient experience will be once they are able to schedule surgery. The messaging goal is to make them stop shopping for another opinion and become “engaged” with you. In this way, your practice can stand out as an authentic partner on the path to healthy vision. Special outreach may be especially effective. This may also be a time to leverage technology and streamline your processes by employing such tools as virtual seminars and telehealth pre- and postoperative counseling and instruction or even basic marketing automation. For example, seniors fear losing their independence and being forced to leave their home, so messages explaining how you want them to be able to stay independent and how you intend to help them preserve and protect their vision will deepen your relationship with potential surgery candidates and may be a great source of referral business.
Problem 3: Premium services like refractive cataract surgery and LASIK may see longer decision cycles as patients are reticent to part with discretionary income, especially with uncertainties in the employment environment.
Solution: Practices that build pipelines for each of these services can be first to capitalize on opportunities when lockdown is loosened. Your marketing efforts should focus on emphasizing how these services will help them enjoy a higher quality of life and why yours is the best practice to help them achieve that. One great way to do this is to create messaging that engages patients early in the buying process, when they are first researching their options. Be sure you do not fall into the trap of commoditizing your practice with “we do that, too” marketing. Your new messages need to be about how you separate yourself from the pack. Here is a great list of things patients wish their doctors did more of (but rarely do), so take time to explain how your practice will make them feel (yes, feel) as you go through their “patient experience wish list” and explain why you are the preeminent local choice because you’re doing these things. Tie your marketing messages to anything your practice does from this list of things that makes patients happy by developing custom content showcasing how you’re different when it comes to preventive outreach or disease management.
Problem 4: Your existing patients (usually) know to call you if they are having an urgent problem, but what about new patients? Some of these may be seasonal residents who aren’t already established with an eye doctor and are most likely to seek a provider based on location and ease of making an appointment.
Solution: Be sure to have messaging that specifically reaches out to new patients who may be having an urgent issue. Make sure your established patients know if they have a friend or family member in need that your practice will see them ASAP and that they need not wait until they return home. Make sure this information is on all your digital pages such as links on your website or social media with contact information, hours of service, available locations, online appointments or office visit policies, and insurance plans accepted. For prospective patients, announce that you are happily accepting new patients on every digital property you own or that you are listed in. This means perhaps updating the descriptions on health care directories you are listed in and local directories where you have a citation. Changing your Facebook cover with a call to action to “learn more” or creating a pinned post on your page with this type of info can go a long way.
Next: Process-centric marketing: A portfolio of processes for making your marketing measurable and accountable.
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