Maria Gallery, a former Director of Marketing, shares her expertise in boosting doctor referrals. She reveals strategies to engage front desk gatekeepers effectively and discusses the ideal first hire for a clinic's marketing team. Gallery recalls the worst event she hosted, providing a humorous twist. The conversation emphasizes building strong relationships and community networks, while also exploring the value of lunch and learn sessions for fostering trust among medical professionals. Insights on leveraging digital marketing for patient engagement are also featured.
Building strong community relationships, such as engaging with local sports teams, significantly enhances visibility and trust for clinics.
Consistent outreach to physicians, emphasizing rapport with gatekeepers, is vital for increasing doctor referrals and clinic growth.
Deep dives
Building Community Relationships
Establishing strong community relationships is essential for increasing referrals in physical therapy practices. One effective strategy is engaging with local high school sports teams, which can provide valuable connections with coaches and athletes. Additionally, collaborating with local organizations such as the YMCA allows clinics to host events, like E-Val clinics, to showcase their services and expertise. These community interactions not only enhance visibility but also build goodwill, making the clinic a trusted resource in the area.
Effective Referral Strategies
A systematic approach to attracting doctor referrals plays a crucial role in clinic growth. Consistency in outreach is vital, which includes scheduling regular calls or visits to targeted physicians who align with the practice's specialties. Building rapport with gatekeepers, such as front desk staff, is equally important, as they often control access to the physicians. Providing value through small gestures like thank-you gifts or sharing patient success stories can help foster these important relationships.
Leveraging Direct-to-Consumer Marketing
Direct-to-consumer marketing offers clinics an opportunity to grow their patient base independent of doctor referrals. By improving online visibility through SEO, targeted Google Ads, and maintaining a strong web presence, clinics can attract patients directly. This freedom not only enhances patient access but also allows clinics to develop reciprocal relationships with physicians, as they can refer patients back to these doctors in turn. The shift in patient empowerment requires practices to consistently market themselves to remain competitive.
Collaboration Between Marketing Roles
Successful marketing efforts in clinics often depend on effective collaboration between in-house marketing personnel and external agencies. While the agency handles digital marketing and online strategies, the in-house team focuses on community engagement and physician relationships. This complementary relationship ensures that each aspect of marketing is strategically managed and efficient. Having a dedicated marketing coordinator helps streamline operations and communication, maximizing the impact of both internal and external marketing efforts.
Want MORE doctor referrals? In this episode, former Director of Marketing Maria Gallery will give advice on...
How to get the front desk gatekeepers on your size
The first person you should hire on your clinic's marketing team
The WORST event she ever hosted for her clinic
Get ready to boost your doctor referrals with this episode!
About Maria Gallery
Maria is a Business Development Representative here at Practice Promotions. But before that, she was the Director of Marketing at Spectrum Physical Therapy, where she managed the marketing for seven outpatient clinics locations. While there, she contacted a minimum of 1,350 referral sources per year, increased Spectrum’s referral rate by 30%.
She’s also worked to help Practice Promotions customers grow their online presence and attract more new patients on Google.
Today, she’ll talk to us about increasing doctor referrals to your clinic.
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