Marketing

Calculate Cost of Taking Patient from Knowing You…to Referring You

By Michael Karlsrud

There areseven steps intakinga prospective patient from awareness of your practice to becoming a loyal patient who refers you to friends and family. Each stephas a distinct cost–and calculatingthatcostenables youto budget yourmarketing plan andfine tune as you go.

Creating long-term, loyal patients doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process with stages, or levels of attachment to the practice, whichI have identified as Know, Like, Trust, Try, Buy, Repeat and Refer. Each of those sevenstages has defining characteristics and a range of likely necessary marketing spend. Here are each of those stages defined along with the dollars most practices will need to spend to get a patient to each stage.The estimated annualbudget for this plan is$12,000.

KNOW

A prospective patient who simply “knows” of your practice is only familiar with you through your web site or maybe through a Google search or from seeing your Facebook page mentioned on a friend’s Facebook page. To get a member of your community to just “know” who you are you need a web presence, including web site and pages on sites like Facebook, Yelp and maybe a couple other social networks. You may also choose to search engine optimize your web site, which requires having the expertise–or hiring the expertise–to put the kind of wording on your homepage that will kick your practice to the top of the search listings. Getting community members to this level also could include creating white papers on topics that tie to your practice’s specialties and making those white papers available for download from your web site and Facebook page.
(Cost): Up to $3,000 initially to hire a third-party to help create your web site and search engine optimize it. Most doctors do not have the expertise to effectively create a web site and then search engine optimize it, so third-party help will probably be required to do it right. Additional $1,000 annually to keep your web site updated and in top shape. Your time or that of your staffer also must be considered, as your web site and each of your pages on social networks will need to be updated at least weekly, if not more often, like every few days or even daily.

LIKE
A person at this stage not only knows about your practice but has formed a positive opinion about it. They have positive feelings but are not necessarily ready yet to give your practice a try. A call to action at this point is necessary such as coupons for a special event like a trunk show or a free gift for coming in for the first time. That small gift could be as small as a free lens cleaner. That call to action, publicized on your web site and social network pages just has to be a small gesture with an invitation to give your practice a try.
(Cost): A trunk show or other special event that includes refreshments and entertainment will be more expensive–potentially over $1,000, but it costs less than $1,000 annually to offer $10 coupons to first-time patients.

TRUST
This is the stage where what you have spent has paid off because the patient has now decided that she trusts your practice image and invitation enough to give you a try.
(Cost): The only expense at this stage would be your time or that of your staff to ensure your practice information and the invitation for first-time patients is kept up to date on your web site and other social networks.

TRY
A person at this stage has become a patient and is at your practice. The make or break factor at this point in the marketing process is the patient experience. For that reason, the treatment of your patient by staff–all the way from the receptionist to the doctor to the optician–is paramount. The patient will judge how easy the experience was and whether they had their needs addressed. How well your staff is trained and how well they perform their jobs is the key element.

(Cost): At least $3,000 annually to train staff to deliver a patient experience that leaves patients with a positive enough feeling to tell friends and family about it. The spend will come from bringing in trainers or sending staff to specialized academies operated by optical vendors, such as Essilor University.

BUY
This is the moment the patient reaches into her pocket to spend money with your practice to buy products or services beyond the initial comprehensive examination. You are sealing the deal with patients at this point. To persuade them to take the next step and purchase products like frames or contact lenses from your practice make a gesture like offering a 100 percent guarantee or warranty on your eyewear, or maybe even a discount for first-time patients who had a comprehensive examination.
(Cost): A warranty may not cost the practice much, if anything, depending on your arrangement with your optical laboratory. Any discounts should be calculated to offer the practice a profit on the product purchased while still giving the patient a reason to buy their first product from your office.

REPEAT
This is the stage in which you try to stay relevant for the other 364 days of the year that the patient is not in your office. To do this you need marketing messages on a consistent basis that go beyond just keeping your web site and social network pages up to date. For example, consider taking the 8,000 to 10,000 patients doctors typically have in their database and sending out an e-newsletter once a month with eye health tips or practice improvements, such as the purchase of new instrumentation that will allow you to enhance patient treatment or the availability of new merchandise in the optical. If your patient base is composed primarily of seniors, consider sending a print newsletter.
(Cost): Creating and sending an e-newsletter is as inexpensive as $30 monthly using an e-newsletter service like Constant Contact. A print newsletter will run you at least $2 per newsletter in printing and mailing expenses. You should be able to send a monthly e- or print- newsletter for no more than $3,000 annually.

REFER
Consider putting a placard in your dispensary that urges patients to “Follow Us on Twitter and Like Us on Facebook.” Also think about offering a discount or gift certificate for submitting a positive testimonial on a review site like Yelp about your practice, or solicit patient success stories for your web site.
(Cost): The only cost at this stage are any incentive gifts or discounts offered to encourage patient testimonials or given as a reward for referring friends and family. That cost could be kept under $1,000 annually.

Total Marketing Spend: At least $12,000 annually.

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Michael Karlsrudis the founder of Karlsrud Company, which delivers sales management, training and development to the optical industry. Michael Karlsrud also recently received COPE-approval to teach the course “Recall: The Silent Killer of Growth.” To contact him:mike@karlsrudcompany.com.

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