You’ve spend a good portion of your life studying and perfecting your trade. You are passionate about your work and have garnered recognition for a job well done. You have established your own practice and business is steady. You are well respected by both your peers and patients, and honored by the referrals they generate.
But is banking on referrals enough for long-term growth? And how do you reach all who have yet to know you and the exceptional services you offer? Building your brand is key to establishing a pipeline of clients to help sustain your business for many years to come.
Begin organically
If you consider yourself an authority in your field, then teach others about it. Providing your knowledge freely – through writing, speaking, interviews, videos, etc. – garners respect and helps establish you as a leader within the community and beyond.
Presenting information through education is an organic means of marketing and is mutually beneficial to both your business and to consumers eager to learn. Demographics in the Coachella Valley lend themselves to health-conscious audiences looking for options and resources. Keep in mind that it is important to present educational information and not to present a marketing or sales pitch.
Start a blog, contribute educational editorial to medical websites or niche publications like Desert Health, contact media and podcast hosts for interviews, and reach out to organizations and clubs that may be looking for health speakers.
Associate to elevate
We are often judged by the company we keep, so consider others with whom you align. Select well-respected organizations, entities and arenas, and surround yourself with professionals that work with others you respect in your field.
It’s all about the presentation
When you put yourself out there, customers will come looking for you, so it is important to present yourself professionally and to ensure your business is easy to find. According to the National Institutes of Health, close to 75% of the population seeks health information online first.1 Thus, your online presence should be a top priority.
Do you have a website, and is it professionally created and maintained? Is your site easy to navigate and user-friendly? Is your brand messaging consistent and unified throughout your site? Has it been updated recently? Does it appear at the top of Google searches (search engine optimized)? These factors significantly reflect on your practice’s brand, so you should have a full understanding and full confidence in their appearance and performance.
Do you have a professional presence on social media (Facebook page, Instagram account, LinkedIn profile)? Do you actively participate at optimal times? Do you tag those who can help further distribute your message? Do you reply to questions and comments from others?
Once you have these platforms established, uploading videos of yourself speaking on select topics is encouraged. They don’t always have to be polished as authentic and organic material can be very well received.
Marketing shouldn’t be your job
As a busy professional, you are not expected to also be a marketing whiz. Leave that to the experts and surround yourself with an experienced marketing team.
Hiring experts familiar with your field can help you assess where you are and where you want to be. Have a professional evaluate your online presence and offer examples of others presenting themselves successfully. Ask them to research and show how you compare to your competition. Work with them to create the vision for your business you would like the rest of the world to see.
Social media specialists can create presence and help maintain posts or can help train someone on your clinical staff to manage the task. A videographer can create formal and informal videos suitable for a variety of marketing purposes including your website, social media, online advertising, television commercials and more.
Branding yourself and your business may be an investment of time and money, but the dividends it pays go a long way in elevating you and your brand.
Isning Gamez is an award-winning producer, designer and videographer and can be reached at (760) 610.4106. For more information, visit isning.com.
Reference: 1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8701665/
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