Medical Practice Marketing Tips to Improve Your Brand’s Image

02 Dec Medical Practice Marketing Tips to Improve Your Brand’s Image

When it comes to medical practice marketing, your brand is the first thing people think about when they hear your practice’s name. What do you want people to remember — a clean, clear logo that represents the identity of your healthcare services, or nothing at all? In most areas, prospective patients have a great amount of choice when they’re looking for service providers to meet their healthcare needs. Your brand should capture the attention of these patients, and also convey how you want your practice to be perceived — organized, reputable, familiar, comfortable, etc.

If this seems easier said than done, don’t worry — we’ve compiled a list of effective medical practice marketing tips designed to improve your brand’s image, revitalize your presence in the community, and bring those prospective patients through your door.

First: Assess your current logo and aesthetic.

Take a good, hard look at your logo, practice name, and everywhere you print it (pamphlets, business cards, website headers). Does your logo really portray your practice as a whole? If not, what is it missing? The most effective logos do not rely on flashy fonts or garish colors; rather, the current aesthetic trend is leaning toward minimalism, incorporating just two or three basic colors into your logo and ensuring that your name is easily read. This is an important part of medical practice marketing because your logo is often the first thing that people will see and associate with your practice — so, you want it to be good.

Once you’ve settled on a design, check how it carries over. Does it print well? Is it legible on all of your material, and does it appear in the upper left-hand corner of every page on your website? This spot is the easiest to consistently view as people are browsing your website — so, use it to its fullest advantage by reinforcing your brand on every page.

Second: Bring your practice back into the community.

Does your medical practice marketing plan involve community events? One of the best ways to show people what services your business offers is by bringing them through your doors, in front of your staff, and showcasing the your services in a beneficial way. Depending on your practice, this can be accomplished in a few different ways — you can offer free blood pressure screenings on certain days, advertise public flu vaccinations, or give out appropriate free samples that carry your brand’s logo and contact information.

This achieves a few different things. It shows your community who you are and what services your practice offers, while also giving prospective patients a chance to associate smiling faces with your office’s name. Additionally, community events provide plenty of photo opportunities, which can be a positive addition to your Facebook pages or Twitter timelines; as prospective patients browse your office’s social media profiles, they can get a sense of your practice’s identity through its events and the types of photos that are presented. Conversely, makes sure you are capturing those photos with a high-quality camera, and don’t upload all of them — only upload the ones that you feel best represent your brand and meet the needs of your medical practice marketing plan.

Third: Double-check your resources.

One of the easiest ways to instantly lose a patient’s business is by having a slow, difficult website. When you click through your practice’s homepage, is your contact information clearly and easily displayed? Can patients find a phone number to call if needed? Additionally, do all of the pages on your website load easily and without extensive lag? If not, it might be time to speak with a medical practice marketing professional, who can assess your website and make user-friendly updates as needed.

For more information about medical practice marketing, contact the Healthcare Marketing Group today!