How to communicate with referral sources... This is a topic I have been noodling around in my head for a blog for some time.
There are traditional ways to make contact with doctors and therapists—direct mail, in-services, and personal visits—as well as more contemporary ways to get front and center, such as e-newsletters, special events, and Facebook. And then there are general marketing tactics to gain exposure, such as advertising and media relations. My message is—whatever you choose to do—BE CONSISTENT.
First things first. Make a list of your target referral sources.
Evaluate, who, in a year,
· sends you all or most of their patients
· sends you 50% of their patients
· sends you a few patients
Also make a list of referral sources who do not refer any clients to you.
Analyze Your Lists
Are you staying in touch with the referral sources who send you their patients? At the very least, are you sending them updates on their patients? Are you keeping them abreast of new products/techniques? If you have seen a drop from a particular referrer, why is that? Is your competitor marketing more than you? Have you been in touch? Are you missing opportunities with hospital staffs, private facilities, nursing homes, PT/OT departments, discharge nurses, insurance companies, and case managers?
Make Your Plan
To reach out and educate referral sources on your services, a plan and a budget can help keep you on track. Take your list of referrers and prioritize them. By evaluating the importance of your referrers and potential referrers, you can narrow down your list of marketing targets to one that is manageable for you. Even if you are marketing to a very large list, identify the top 25 or top 50 that will get a more personalized approach.
Pick a Mix of Tactics
Direct mail and newsletters: These provide direct communication to your target market. It can be a series of postcards promoting your specialized care and certified staff or a newsletter that can appear as a third-party communiqué. You can include profiles on patient success stories, features on new products, articles on new employees or certifications, photo essays of your offices, technology updates, and promotion of events. You can also mail an article from a P&O journal that you think the doctor may have an interest in.
Educational in-services and lunch-and-learns: Having a practice rooted in education can make a true impact on your growth. You become the firm that shares information on technology that will help your physicians’ patients. You are showing that you are keeping up-to-date, and therefore when their patients are referred to you, they know you will provide the best care. Lunch-and-learns are a great way to connect with referrals, promote new offerings, and find out what is important to them. Participating in ongoing education builds your credibility.
Personal visits: It is not always easy to make personal visits, but depending on your market, they can be very effective. Do you have a new brochure or a giveaway item that you can deliver? Dropping off your newsletter instead of mailing it can also be a good way to make the connection. Asking for a personal meeting to discuss patients and new technology as well as needs of referral sources is key.
Special events or sponsorship: Conduct an event for patients, perhaps a learn-to-golf clinic or sponsor a golf outing that one of your surgeons supports. Partner with a manufacturer to host a technology showcase. There may be an opportunity to get involved in local nonprofit organizations. Donate an item to a silent auction fundraiser or volunteer time.
Printed materials: You must have updated, quality brochures for your company. These should be uncluttered and concise and have quality photography. Smaller quantities can be printed more cost-effectively today. Include company information, staff certification, facility features, patient resources. Include information for referrers that they can use.
Web site and Facebook: The Web is often the first place an amputee or family member looks for help, so it’s important for you to have an online presence. Referral sources use the Web too, and it is open 24 hours a day. Your Web site can include more about your staff, your services, success stories and resources—information for all audiences. Facebook can be effective if you manage it with interesting information and have it as an open exchange of ideas. You do have to market your Facebook page. Putting all that effort into “connecting” with 10 people doesn’t make sense. My rule of thumb? A goal of a minimum of 100 fans on your page.
Media relations: By far one of the most impactful things to do is to get a feature about you or one of your patients covered in the media. Consider including the hospital, doctor, or PT you worked with. The team approach is a great pitch. You won’t get a story in the media every day, but it is good to have media relations as part of your mix.
Advertising: Incorporating some advertising in your plan to reach referral sources should be budgeted carefully so you can utilize your ad dollars over time, rather than blowing it all in one media. Consider a small ad in an orthopaedic or PT journal—at least quarterly to build some name recognition. Advertising supports other marketing you are doing.
These are brief descriptions of what can be done to give your practice more visibility and credibility while connecting with referral sources. It’s more effective if you use several methods to maximize your opportunities. Building your brand with consistency and a “marketing mix” will ensure results.
