How Medical Practices Can Keep Patients Engaged During the Busy Season
November 7, 2024
Marketing
There are thousands of blogs and YouTube videos teaching about marketing, but sometimes, you just need a good ole' fashion read. We've rounded up the most essential marketing books for the healthcare industry for doctors and healthcare marketing professionals. From how to cultivate your brand message to creating an exceptional patient experience, you'll be leveling up your practice in no time.
Let's dive right in.
At the end of the day, you're selling to people, and your patients are also your customers. And...what do people like more than anything? People like to be entertained.
They want a succulent story to draw them in.
Since the beginning of time, humans have relied on storytelling to keep traditions alive. Something magical happens when we hear a story. Our whole body is infused, and we're more likely to recall what has happened.
For this reason, Building a Brand Story by Donald Miller is just what the doctor ordered to foster your own unique story so patients become intrigued with your practice.
This New York Times bestseller teaches you:
With so many doctors competing against each other, you'll stand out and be remembered by incorporating your brand story in your marketing strategy.
Coming in at number two on our Amazon book list for healthcare marketing is another New York Times bestseller. Not only is this book written by an American Psychologist himself, but Dr. Cialdini also teaches Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.
If you're a Psychologist (or in a related field) you know more than anyone the influence knowing this information has on the digital world and buying decisions. Inside this book, you'll learn the six universal rules of persuasion including:
You may know these components from a scientific standpoint, but understanding and applying them to your marketing plan will help you make better patient-focused decisions.
Tell us if this sounds like something you've experienced...
Your patient walks in for their annual visit and comes to you with raised eyebrows and a puzzled look. After careful analysis you come to find (let's call your patient Amanda) Amanda scared herself half to death scrolling through her symptoms on the internet, concluding that she has a rare autoimmune disease.
Turns out, she just has a rash.
With misinformation spreading like wildfire, it has become more prevalent that doctors must step into the social game and properly educate patients.
This book provides healthcare organizations with the tools needed to engage on social media, best practices to follow (regarding client confidentiality), content creation, and how to find your niche as a healthcare provider.
Another profound reason this book is high on our list is for its thorough information on why healthcare providers should build a personal brand.
Piggybacking off the last book, this one speaks on how to create the authentic content that'll build relationships. Often creating content can feel like a chore that you push off because maybe you think "you're not good at it" or maybe you just don't have the time.
This book discusses how you should focus on taking a journalistic approach to content creation so that you aren't feeling pressed to post or come up with content. For instance, maybe you spontaneously go live and do a 'day in the life' stream before your next patient comes in.
By seeking out opportunities to collaborate with other people in your niche, you can make content creation fun, tap into a larger network, and create more intentionally.
Although this isn't specifically for doctors, this digital marketing book provides a valuable approach to how you can deepen relationships with patients by crafting authentic content.
Let's be honest, most of your patients are probably on Facebook. With that said, if you aren't utilizing the intelligent ad capabilities on this platform for your marketing campaigns, you're missing out on a whole lot of potential. However, if you don't know how to properly set up, craft, and maintain your Facebook ads then you'll simply be throwing money out the window.
This thorough guide by Perry Marshall is perfect for doctors because it takes you through every step of the process from setting up your Facebook pixel to including the right type of copy in your ad. There are thousands of blogs and Youtube videos out there about Facebook ads, but this one offers a simplified version (with lots of examples) all in one space.
From awareness to conversions, this book will help you get more quality eyeballs on your health services.
Have you heard the saying, 'content is king'? From blogs to Tiktok videos, content is everywhere and it's the main way to nurture relationships between you and your patients. Elevate your healthcare branding with a well-thought-out content marketing plan.
In this complete guide, you'll learn how to craft top-of-mind content marketing so that more patients refer you to others. Here's how:
Russell Brunson, also the co-owner of ClickFunnels (a funnel software) has popularized funnels in the digital world. As a New York Times bestseller, he has successfully trained thousands of entrepreneurs to craft a million-dollar message, cultivate a tribe of enthusiastic followers, and use a funnels system to convert those followers into paying customers (or in your industry, patients).
You might have a functional website, social media marketing plan, and a subscriber list, but if you don't have an effective funnels system set up to guide prospective patients, they'll likely lose interest.
This book is made for other entrepreneurs who're looking to learn from a funnel industry leader that has been scaling companies for over 10 years now.
Because you don't have a lot of spare time laying around as a doctor, this book is perfect because it provides scripts to use, step-by-step guides, and is simple to implement into your marketing plan.
This book offers a different perspective to your marketing efforts because it urges you to 'think like your competitors. Micah Zenko discusses many real-world organizations that have benefited from using this tactic and how you can think like your competitor to discover flaws in your own marketing research.
Say, for instance, another local doctor that has the same specialty as you offers a discount for first-time patients that book online. Once you make yourself aware of this, you can think about how you could integrate a better (or different) offer to make your practice more appealing for new patients.
By applying these marketing principles you'll learn how to stay objective so you can reflect and strive forward. Essentially, it could become easy to get lost in all the tasks one must uphold for their digital marketing, but it's always necessary to stop, think, and adjust to stay relevant.
Long are the days patients physically come in or pick up a phone to book an appointment. All they need to do is whip out their smartphone and click, 'book now!' to see you. As the digital landscape has changed how patients interact with doctors, we must adjust the way we market.
With that said this book goes into depth about how you can:
Navigate the new realm of health system digital marketing with ease!
Coming in at number ten is an Amazon read specifically made for doctors looking to understand why they should have a digital presence and how to cultivate an out-of-this-world patient experience.
You'll learn an easy-to-follow way to 'wow' your patience from the moment they book an appointment with you to the time they leave your office. Added bonuses include how you can optimize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to get seen on Google and how to utilize directories to get in front of more eyeballs.
Ultimately, patient experience and reviews have come to dictate how successful (or unsuccessful) doctors are, so when it comes to prioritizing where your time should go... it certainly should be on making your patients happy.
These books give you a plethora of knowledge from building your brand story to building a funnel and optimizing your Facebook ads, however, the saying 'knowledge is power is a lie. Without application, you won't move forward. So, if you're feeling stuck and need some extra guidance, DearDoc would love to help you take a giant step forward: