7 Hacks to Help Your Practice Grow


Wouldn’t it be great to find some simple tricks that would help you leap ahead of your competitors and see your practice soar to new heights?

Well, I’ve got good news for you. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about growth hacks – little tricks you can use to fast-track your growth and increase your sales and profits. By definition, a hack is meant to be simple – something you can do right away. Sometimes hacks are clever and weird things but sometimes, they’re well-documented things that small healthcare business owners overlook.

Let’s focus on the latter because I’m willing to bet you’re not doing some of these things. 

Here are 7 growth hacks that I think you need to start using – today.

#1: Use Content Upgrades to Grow Your List  

You know what an upgrade is. It’s something that allows you to increase the value or utility of something you’ve already purchased. In the case of a content upgrade, it’s a free piece of content that you use to attract new subscribers and leads.

Let’s say you have just published a killer blog post, but you have some content that you didn’t include. Maybe it’s more detail about one of your points. Maybe it’s a list of tips and tricks. 

Whatever it is, try offering it as a freebie at the end of your post. You can make it your call to action or even a pop-up that appears when people try to close the window or hit the back button. Something simple like “Enter your email to get a free growth hack cheat sheet” can help you grab readers’ attention and get their emails before they leave.

#2: Use Exit Intent Popups 

Speaking of popups, you should be using them. I know, I know; they’re annoying and some people use popup blockers.  

So what? 

Research shows that pop-ups are effective and exit-intent popups are ideal because they grab visitors’ attention at a crucial moment. Maybe they’ve looked at your service but balked at the price. A strategic popup offering a coupon or discount code could be the only impetus they need to stay on your site and buy your service.

#3: Retarget Your Visitors

What happens when someone visits your site and doesn’t complete your opt-in form or buy a service? If the answer is, “Nothing” then you’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity to give those visitors the nudge they need to take the next step.

Retargeting uses a tiny piece of code called a pixel to identify people who leave your site without taking a specified action. You can then show those people a retargeting ad based on what you want them to do. Some examples include:

  • Completing your opt-in form
  • Paying for items in their shopping cart
  • Scheduling an appointment

I recommend Facebook and Google retargeting for the best results.

#4: Prioritize Social Proof – Use Social proof

Don’t underestimate the importance of social proof in the form of patient reviews, testimonials, and comments. According to Bright Local, 84% of patients trust online reviews and testimonials as much as they would a personal recommendation from a friend.

I’m amazed by how many local health care business owners don’t highlight social proof on their websites. Your reviews and testimonials should be front and center, not hidden on some interior page. It’s not reasonable to expect your site’s visitors to go hunting for what they need. Make it easy for them to find it and you’ll almost certainly see an increase in your conversions and sales.

#5: Use Calls to Action on Social Media  

You wouldn’t create a landing page or publish a blog post without a call to action – or at least I hope you wouldn’t! But I’m always seeing social media posts from local practices that don’t include a call to action. Don’t make the same mistake.

A call to action is needed because it tells the patients who see your post what you want them to do next. Believe it or not, they may not know! Whether you want them to redeem a coupon, enter a contest, sign up for your list, or leave a comment, you need to tell them if you want to get the result you expect. They’re not mind readers! 

#6: Solicit Patient Feedback 

Speaking of asking for things, when was the last time you asked your patients for their opinions? I’m willing to get it for a while, and it’s time to end the drought.

Patient feedback is one of the most valuable things you can get. People want to tell you what they think of  your practice. If you wait for them to tell you, it’s probable you’ll hear more negative feedback than positive because people are often more motivated to sound off about what they don’t like than they are about what they do.

So, whether you do it in a social media post, an email, or a survey, it’s time to start collecting information from your most valuable study group: your patients!

#7: Focus on Content Marketing

You’re probably tired of hearing me go on about content marketing. I’m mentioning it again here because while B2B companies are mostly on board with content marketing as a growth strategy, B2C companies are still slow to prioritize content marketing.

You don’t need to try all these things, but adding even one to your marketing mix can help you attract new patients and retain existing patients:

  • Social media posts
  • Blog posts
  • YouTube videos

You don’t need to be publishing new content every day for it to be effective. Doing one or two blog posts or Facebook posts per week is enough to get your started. If you’re not using social media at all, choose one site as your focus. I think you’ll be happy with the results.

These seven hacks aren’t rocket science. They’re things that you can start doing immediately to see an increase in your conversions and sales. Even choosing one can help you move in the right direction – so what are you waiting for? Go!

So… if you are a private practice healthcare business owner and you are looking to grow and scale your practice or generate more new patients for the practice – we are here for you!  Drop a comment below if you have questions or if you’d like to set up a call with us go here: https://bit.ly/PIE-FB-Triage-Call 


10 Actionable Local Marketing Ideas You Can Deploy Right Now for Measurable Results


You already know that local marketing is the name of the game if you want to grow your practice. The challenge is choosing practical local marketing tactics that can help you without breaking the bank.

I hear you. So, without further ado, here are 10 actionable and affordable local marketing ideas worth considering.

#1: Fine-Tune Your Yelp Categories

Yelp is the gold standard of crowd review sites for a reason. When your patients search for reviews in your area, Yelp pages are likely to appear at or near the top of Google’s SERP (Search Engine Results Pages)

The best way to make sure your practice makes an appearance is to check out your Yelp categories and make sure they’re an accurate reflection of your practice. 

For example, if you own a massage therapy clinic, then you should have the category of massage to your Yelp page. You can find a full list of Yelp categories here.

 

#2: Reach Out to Patients Who Are Active on Yelp for Reviews

Don’t rush into this one – seriously. Keep reading. If you don’t handle asking for reviews the right way, Yelp could filter them out and put them into the “Not Recommended” category.

Here’s what to do to reach out to your patients on Yelp:

  • Use the “Find Friends” option on Yelp ONLY to identify patients who use Yelp. Do not use it to request reviews.
  • Don’t send out an email blast asking for reviews. Do only a few at a time.
  • Reach out on email or Facebook to ask for reviews.
  • Don’t send a direct link to your Yelp page. Instead, ask them to Google “Your Practice + Yelp” and click the Google link to get to your page.
  • Don’t ask patients to review you from your place of practice. They should do it after they leave.

Doing any of the things I’ve warned against here may result in your reviews getting filtered by Yelp. So, take your time and be patient. A few reviews at a time will help you improve your overall rating.

#3: Remarket to Existing Patients to Generate Reviews

Yelp isn’t the only place for your patients to leave reviews. You can always email patients to ask for reviews, but a more hand-off approach is to use remarketing to remind them that they haven’t reviewed your practice yet.

The easiest way to accomplish this task is to get a remarketing code for the URL you think should trigger reviews. Or Google can even create a remarketing ad for you.

If you decide to try this option, keep the text of your ad simple. Something like, “Love us? Leave a review on Facebook, Google or Yelp!”

#4: Promote Your Testimonials on Social Media

Speaking of reviews, you want your positive feedback to be something that potential patients see. That’s why you should be highlighting your testimonials on Facebook.

I recommend asking your patients for video testimonials. They take only a few minutes to record and video content gets much higher engagement on Facebook than written content. You don’t need to spend much, either – you should only be promoting to people in your service area.

#5: Target Your Local Audience on Facebook

Facebook’s algorithms prioritize personal connections over practice content. That means if you want your most important content to be seen by your target audience, you’ll need to promote your content.

My suggestion is to choose one of two Ad Objectives:

  • Brand awareness
  • Clicks

Promote your most compelling and relevant content. Make sure to target people who live near your practice for the best results.

#6: Build Separate Landing Pages for Each Marketing Campaign

Every marketing campaign you run should have its own landing page. The pages don’t need to be complicated, but each should include:

  • A hero image
  • Relevant content that answers your patients’ most common questions
  • A clear call to action
  • A clickable contact number

The bottom line is that you shouldn’t be sending people to a generic page when you can create a specific one in just a few minutes.

#7: Use Facebook for Local Brand Awareness

If people in your area don’t know about you, they’re not going to think of your practice when they have a need for your services. It’s that simple.

To run a brand awareness campaign, choose “Brand Awareness” from Facebook’s list of ad objectives. Then, target a local audience. You don’t need to spend much – just a few dollars a day may be enough to build awareness.

#8: Create Guides for Local Activities

A lot of people make it a priority to patronize local practices. One way to emphasize that your practice is local is to create guides for local events and activities. 

Of course, the guides you create should also be relevant to your practice. For example, if you own a sporting goods store, you could highlight local hiking trails or beaches for swimming. Once you’ve created the guide,  you can promote it on Facebook. 

#9: Use Call-Only Ads 

If your practice relies heavily on phone calls to get leads, then one of the best tools in your arsenal is the call-only ads. These ads highlight your phone number, making it easy for people to get in touch.

You should know that call-only ads generally apply only to mobile advertising. You’ll need compelling ad copy. Your phone number will be clickable, so that people who see your ad can dial you with the touch of a finger.

#10: Create Local Service Area Hubs

Do you have more than one service area or practice location? One of the easiest ways to improve your local SEO and get more patients is to create local service area hubs on your website.

An easy way to do it is to use your site’s architecture. Set up a general location page. Then, create content about each location. If you’ve got multiple locations in some areas, you can set it up like this:

  • State
  • City
  • Neighborhood

Each location should have its own page that uses local keywords and images. That way, people will know where they can find you.

Local marketing doesn’t need to be expensive. The 10 ideas we’ve listed here will help you make the most of your local marketing budget and grow your practice.

So… if you are a private practice healthcare business owner and you are looking to grow and scale your practice or generate more new patients for the practice – we are here for you!  Drop a comment below if you have questions or if you’d like to set up a call with us go here: https://bit.ly/PIE-FB-Triage-Call 


What Will Digital Marketing Look Like in 2021?


2021 and beyond is unpredictable and over the next couple months there are still a lot of questions that we can’t answer.

When will the pandemic end?

When will we return to practice as usual?

Because there are so many unanswered questions, the marketing trends for 2021 have a slightly different focus than might be the case in a typical  year. Here’s what’s on the horizon.

Focus on Patient Retention

I’ve talked a lot before about how much less it costs to retain patients than to win new patients. In 2021, it’s going to make a lot of sense to put your marketing budget into patient retention. Holding steady in a global crisis qualifies as a win.

Social media and email are the best tools you have available to drive patient retention. By encouraging existing patients to follow you on Facebook or subscribe to your list, you’re gaining the ability to stay in touch with them. You can offer special deals, keep them informed, and remind them of why they chose your service in the first place.

Service and Service Availability as a Priority

We’ve all experienced issues with service availability as well as with delayed deliveries due to the pandemic. The key to patient retention is ensuring that your patients have access to your services. And, if they don’t, letting them know why.

If you have the financial wherewithal, then it may make sense to increase your inventory and beef up your fulfillment to make sure that you can ship services out quickly. For companies providing services, you may need to think about alternative or extended hours, curbside pickup, and other adaptations to meet your patients existing needs. At the same time, you’ll need to communicate clearly about delays and shortages to minimize the risk that patients will abandon you for a competitor.

Marketing Automation

Marketing automation has been a trend in digital marketing for years now and that’s not going to change. 51% of companies were already using marketing automation as of the end of 2019 with a slight edge to B2C companies. However, 58% of all B2B companies said they planned to add automation.

Automation can include everything from simple fixes such as email autoresponders to complex solutions such as chatbots and digital assistants. Chatbot technology is within reach thanks to free chatbot builder tools like Manychat,  Chatfuel and MobileMonkey. You don’t need to pay a programmer to build an effective bot.

Interactive Content

There’s no doubt that there’s still room for static content, meaning content that your followers read, watch, or listen to on their own. That said, one of the biggest content trends for 2021 is the rise of interactive content as a way of engaging patients and providing value at the same time.

Interactive content can take many formats, including:

  1. Calculators
  2. Quizzes
  3. Questionnaires
  4. Games
  5. Polls
  • Interactive Videos

The reason for the rise is two-fold. First, interactive content is fun for your followers and can make them feel more engaged with your company and brand. Second, the data you collect – whether it’s in the form of quiz responses or information entered in a calculator – will help you learn about your audience. You can use the information you collect to fine-tune your marketing and increase new patient acquisition and patient retention.

List Segmentation

Another key element of patient retention is list segmentation. With marketing budgets shrinking, it is far more cost effective to segment your list than it is to send the same emails to everyone expecting to get a high conversion rate.

Segmentation can be done using any factors you choose, including:

  • Previous purchases
  • Service preferences
  • Location
  • Industry

You have the option of segmenting your list based on the data you’ve collected from your subscribers or asking them to self-segment by sending out a survey or email where they can opt into and out of your content. Either way, the result is better targeting and a higher return on your investment.

Automated Bidding for Google Ads

In-house automation isn’t the only way to streamline your marketing in 2021. While automated bidding for Google Ads isn’t new – it was first introduced four years ago – it has been greatly improved in the past year.

The benefits of automated bidding are clear. By taking advantage of automation and letting it handle bidding adjustments, you can dedicate your valuable time to improving your PPC ads and increasing your marketing ROI.

Optimizing for Voice Search

Voice search optimization isn’t an option anymore – it’s a must. 40% of all internet users in the United States have used voice search and those numbers are only going up. If you’re ignoring voice search in your optimization efforts, you’re making a mistake.

You can optimize for voice search by making the content on your website conversational and accessible. Keep in mind that conversational still needs to apply to your audience. If you own a B2B tech company, your audience’s conversation may include jargon.

Instead of focusing on short keywords, try building your content around common questions and responses. Using questions in your blog headings and other content – and having a robust FAQ on your website – will make it easy for potential patients to find you using voice search.

Non-Linear Buying Journeys

The rise of digital has undoubtedly shaken up traditional marketing. When you consider the many ways that a potential patient can learn about a company or service, it’s hardly surprising that you can’t count on a linear buying journey to be the result.

How to respond? The trend is toward an omni-channel marketing strategy that includes:

  • Website content
  • Social media
  • Advertising
  • Mobile apps
  • Chatbots

Your goal should be to provide any patient or potential patient with a seamless experience across channels. Patients should get the same tone and information on Facebook that they do from a chatbot on your website, your mobile app, or your landing page.

Overall, agility is going to be the name of the game in digital marketing in 2021. We can’t know yet what the new year will hold, but practices that remain flexible and adaptable have the best chance of continued growth and success.

So… if you are a private practice healthcare business owner and you are looking to grow and scale your practice or generate more new patients for the practice – we are here for you!  Drop a comment below if you have questions or if you’d like to set up a call with us go here: https://bit.ly/PIE-FB-Triage-Call 


How to Increase Patient Retention with Email


New patients are great. There’s something undeniably exciting about attracting someone to your practice who might not have found it otherwise. That’s the reason that new patient marketing gets all the attention. It’s the glitziest way to grow a practice.

But guess what? It’s not a very cost effective way to grow a practice, which is why it never ceases to amaze me that more local practices ignore patient retention as a growth strategy.

If you’re wondering the best way to increase your patient retention, look no further. Email is the answer.

Onboard New Patients and Subscribers

Your plan to retain patients should kick off at the beginning of your relationship. A lot of practices make the mistake of ignoring customer retention until people are at the point of leaving. We’ll talk about that later, but for now, let’s talk about what you can do after someone buys from you for the first time or subscribes to your list.

The first email you send should be a welcome email, but it can be more. After you’ve welcomed a new patient you should consider getting them to engage with your brand in another way. Here are some examples.

  • Offering them a discount code or coupon to get them to make a follow-up purchase.
  • Ask them to respond to questions, so you can segment your list and send emails that feel personalized.
  • Ask them to write a review

If a subscriber doesn’t open or engage with your welcome email, you can consider nudging them with a follow-up email. Sometimes it can work to offer them a discount or coupon but be wary of doing that with clients who haven’t bought from you before. You don’t want them to think of yours as a discount brand.

Send Emails Based on Patients’ Behavior

The question of when to email patients is one that looms large for healthcare business owners. I think one of the best methods is to use a patient’s behavior as a trigger for an email.

For example, say a patient has just bought one of your services. You may want to consider sending a confirmation email that suggests up-sell or cross-sell services to them. If you choose your service recommendations wisely, you might end up with a bigger sale – and a patient who’s more committed to your brand than they were before you emailed them.

Here are some other examples of behaviorally triggered emails:

  • When a patient reaches a given point in their journey with you, send them a survey to ask for their opinion so far.
  • Ask them to review your product or service.
  • Send an email reminding them that they have items in their shopping cart.
  • Send an email suggesting products based on their previous purchases.

Emails like these can benefit your practice in several ways. First, they offer an affordable way to acknowledge a patient’s activity and let them know that you care about their practice. Second, they can help you gather valuable information about what kinds of emails your patients want to get. And finally, each time you “touch” a patient via email, you’re solidifying their opinion of your brand and – hopefully – increasing their loyalty to you.

Segment Your Emails to Increase Their Appeal

If you send out a survey or behaviorally-triggered emails, you can use the information you collect to segment your list. Then, when you reach out to subscribers, you can do it in a way that’s designed to appeal to their individual needs and wants.

Let’s look at an example. Say you own a sporting goods store. If you collect information about which sports and equipment patients are interested in, you can use that data to send emails that will appeal to your patients’ personal interests. A patient who is interested in winter sports might get emails when you have a sale on ski gear or introduce skate sharpening to your store.

You may even market one product in three different ways focusing on different benefits and uses for it. The specifics are up to you, but the main point is that segmentation can help you provide relevant email content to your subscribers.

Send Re-Engagement Emails

What happens when a patient is at risk of abandoning your brand? You can get depressed about it or you can look at it the way I do – as an opportunity.

Patients don’t always abandon brands because they’re dissatisfied. They might be cutting back on their spending or they might think they’ve seen everything you have to offer.

Here are some suggestions for bringing them back into the fold.

  1. Offer them an upgrade or a freebie. Sometimes, injecting a little bit of excitement into the relationships is the way to go. A patient who’s using a basic product may appreciate the added features of an upgrade and re engage with your brand.
  2. Solicit feedback. A dissatisfied patient may need to know that you care about their practice, and the feedback you collect can help you improve your products and services.
  3. Offer value. Sometimes, a long-term patient might need a reminder of why they bought from you in the first place. Let them know about updated features and products or give them some tips for using the products they’ve bought.

If you can take a patient on the verge of leaving and re-engage them, you can give your sales a boost and improve your retention rate at the same time.

Send Exit Emails

What happens when you know that a patient is leaving? There’s nothing you can do to stop them but that doesn’t mean you should do nothing.

What I suggest is sending an exit email. It may be useful to:

  • Collect information about why the patient is leaving
  • Keep the door open for a future relationship
  • Leave things on a positive note

The last thing you want to do is make patients happy they’ve left. Be gracious and express gratitude for their practice and let them know that you’ll be there if they decide they want to re engage with you.

I hope you see the benefit of using email to increase patient retention. Retention may be less glamorous than new patient acquisition, but it’s also less expensive – and it’s also the best growth strategy I know.

So… if you are a private practice healthcare business owner and you are looking to grow and scale your practice or generate more new patients for the practice – we are here for you!  Drop a comment below if you have questions or if you’d like to set up a call with us go here: https://bit.ly/PIE-FB-Triage-Call 


Getting Back to Basics: Facebook Marketing 101


You’re probably already marketing your practice on Facebook. If you’re not, you should be – but it’s not just a question of having a Facebook page and using it. You’ve got to use it wisely if you want to get great results.

It’s not uncommon for practitioners to dive into Facebook marketing without really knowing what they’re doing at first.  I mean come on, at some point you just have to dive in, right?  You may even have some decent results but I’m willing to bet they’re not as good as they could be.

So… let’s get back to basics. What do you need to know to earn a big return on your Facebook investment? Let me break it down for you.

Create Your Page.

If you don’t already have a Facebook page for your practice, the first step is creating one. To do it, click the plus sign at the top right-hand side of your page once you’re logged in. (Note: this used to be on the Pages sidebar, which has been removed with the latest Facebook update.)

You’ll be prompted to enter information about your practice including what type of service it is (eCommerce, local, B2B, healthcare).

Use Consistent Branding

When you create your Facebook page, make sure to keep your branding consistent. That means using the same photo across all social media sites. I suggest using your company logo as your profile picture.

You should also keep your language consistent with your brand’s tone and personality. It’s a must to create a seamless cross-channel experience for customers when they interact with your company on social media or your website.

Optimize Your Listing

When you add your profile picture, you should also be optimizing your listing. You’ll need to include:

  • A link to your website
  • Your practice hours
  • Your physical address if you have one
  • Your contact information

You may also want to add a call to action button that will appear on your page. Some of the options include:

  • Learn More
  • Sign Up
  • Shop Now
  • Send Message

Decide what action you want visitors to your page to take and use that as your call to action to get the best results.

Use Facebook Groups

One thing that a lot of practitioners forget on social media is that the social part is just as important as anything else. People follow their favorite brands on Facebook because they want a give and take.

You can start by joining Facebook groups and starting a Facebook group of your own. Research shows that approximately 1.4 billion people use Facebook groups. More importantly, consumers welcome brands’ participation in groups provided they offer real value and aren’t just trying to make sales.

Interact with Your Patients

The name of the game in Facebook marketing is engagement. If your followers aren’t liking and sharing your posts, commenting on them, or asking questions, your marketing strategy isn’t working.

In other words, if someone comments, write back! If they ask a question, answer it. If they share a post featuring your product or brand, reshare it with their permission. The more you do to let your followers know that you see and hear them, the more loyal they will be.

Integrate Customer Service with Facebook

Speaking of interacting with your patients, you should also be integrating your customer service with Facebook. It doesn’t matter if you prefer to field patients’ questions or complaints on your website or by phone. Patients expect the brands they follow to be responsive to their requests across all channels.

Your best bet? Assign an employee to monitor your Facebook messages and respond to service requests as they arise. In addition to expecting to get service wherever they request it, Facebook users also expect speedy responses.

Run Facebook Ads

Facebook advertising is quite affordable and if you do it right, it can be a great way to attract more followers, build your list, or increase your sales.

Let’s talk about what doing it right means. You’ll need to:

  • Identify the best target audience for your ads
  • Create a compelling ad with a hero image or a video
  • Decide on a goal for your ad
  • Test alternatives for headlines, calls to action, etc.
  • Monitor your results and tweak your ad content accordingly

While you’re testing content, you may want to start with a small budget until you’ve optimized your ad. Then, you can increase your spending to get the results you want.

Post Useful Content

The key to engaging your followers on Facebook is posting useful content. Here are some suggestions:

  • Provide answers to common questions and concerns.
  • Give options on how to use and/or make the most of your product or service.
  • Use Facebook Live to do a Q & A, introduce your staff, or offer a behind-the-scenes tour of your practice.
  • Run Facebook contests and giveaways.

Keep in mind that you should share a mix of original and curated content. With curated content, make sure to offer your own take on it – and only share content that is relevant to your brand and patients.

Use Messenger/Chatbot Marketing –

It can take up your valuable time if you need to monitor Facebook messages around the clock. The best way to take the stress out of the situation is to use a chatbot to send automated responses to patients who message you.

Building a chatbot for Facebook Messenger is easy and affordable. If all you’re looking for is a series of automated responses, you can use a tool such as ManyChat or Chatfuel or MobileMonkey to quickly create a chatbot that meets your needs and provides patients with the immediate responses they expect.

Take Advantage of Retargeting

It would be great if every potential patient who visited your website filled out your lead form the first time they interacted with your brand. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works!

The solution is to use Facebook’s retargeting option to reconnect with people who stopped short of completing your opt-in form, downloading your lead magnet, or making a purchase. Retargeting can help you to reconnect with those patients, educate them about your brand, and get them to take the next step. All you need to do is install a Facebook pixel on your site. You can read more about it here.

The bottom line is that Facebook marketing is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to meet your marketing and growth goals. Use the information here to optimize your page, engage with your target audience, and take your practice to the next level.

 

In this digital age, we really need to take advantage of all social media platforms. It’s free, it’s user-friendly and if we use it effectively and wisely, your marketing strategy will lead you to better success for your practice.

So… if you are a private practice healthcare business owner and you are looking to grow and scale your practice or generate more new patients for the practice – we are here for you!  Drop a comment below if you have questions or if you’d like to set up a call with us go here: https://bit.ly/PIE-FB-Triage-Call