Net Your Patients
by Michael Failla, D.C.
Nowadays it’s much easier to reach out to people than in previous times. We no longer have to rely on snail mail or advertisements in newspapers to alert potential customers of our services. The internet has opened up the door to millions of marketing opportunities that can help us better represent what our offices can provide to our patients. And with the abundance of websites that provide reviews, suggestions, and offers, an online presence is becoming vital to the survival of any business.
Social media sites and blogs have opened up a new approach to marketing. We can move our efforts from a one-sided sales pitch to a conversation with our current and potential patients. This helps ease hesitations, gets questions answered, and stands as an evolving and expanding history of our patient communication.
Social media sites and blogs have
opened up a new approach
to marketing.
Facebook and Twitter
Social media has taken the world by storm, and Facebook is currently riding at the front of this wave. No longer simply for friends and family, Facebook has become a hub for businesses with unique pages, touting internet-only offers and enticing large numbers of customers to follow the latest company news. Setting up a Facebook and Twitter account can help you to start a two-way conversation with your patients and lets them effortlessly keep up with your practice. Stay top-of-mind with fun and informative updates to your pages and keep your patients coming back for more.
Online Intake Forms
Allow your patient more flexibility with their care by placing your intake forms online where they can be reachable from anywhere your patients can access an internet connection. This modern approach speeds up the in-office process and allows you more time in your day to schedule more patients. Custom websites and the right software integrations can make this feature a seamless reality for your practice and take one more time-consuming process out of your office and onto the internet.
Patient Reminders
E-mail and text messages have become the primary means of communication in this day and age. So why are we still sending out reminder postcards and leaving voice messages to try and maintain visit attendance? With electronic patient reminders, you can plug the hole in that leaky bucket of returns for good. Imagine how much lost revenue could be recovered if all of your patients kept their appointments. Employing a software system that automatically sends your patients text and e-mail reminders can shear hours off of staff time and keep your patients on track and in attendance.
Custom Websites
Over recent years, having a website has evolved from a business luxury into a business necessity, and chances are better than ever that other chiropractors in your region are online as well. Look up local businesses and see what they are doing to help promote their business. Maintaining a custom website is an inexpensive marketing tool that provides a great return on your investment. With your own website you can provide potential clients with a feel for your practice by posting answers to frequently asked questions, testimonials from your current patients, and general office information that can be reached before ever stepping foot in your door. These days, with its ease of access and limitless customization, online marketing is some of the best marketing that your money can buy.
Taking any of these steps will increase your visibility in the virtual world and will help new and existing patients see your practice in a modern glow. Websites and social media conduits help your patients talk to you and between each other in a comfortable, no-pressure atmosphere. The internet encourages research and discussion about a business; and e-mail, text, and online forms can streamline your processes and open your schedule to a sea of potential new clients.
Dr. Michael Failla is the CEO and Co-owner of Integrated Practice Solutions, the makers of ChiroTouch. Dr. Failla graduated from Life University College of Chiropractic in Atlanta, GA and went on to run a highly successful chiropractic office in Seattle, WA, for 25 years. He sold his practice in 2007 and continues to promote health and wellness by helping chiropractors run streamlined and successful practices with more time for their patients and less time with their paperwork. Go to www.chirotouch.com for more information.