Keep those patients coming back!
Many Practitioners are reticent about keeping in touch with their most valuable asset which is their list of patients. Some think it’s too salesy and I know that many Osteopaths naturally shy away from that.
However, this needn’t be the case. Once again I hark back to my plea that you don’t need to ‘sell’. But you do need to be continuously educating and informing your patient list.
Maintaining your list of patients
And it’s a mistake to assume, for instance, that all your patients know about all the services you offer. If a patient hasn’t visited you for several months, they may not know about your new sports massage therapist who would greatly benefit them. If only they knew.
Additionally, don’t forget that these days many of your patients will have your contact number in their own phone. They probably won’t go anywhere near your website so they still won’t know about any changes or improvements you have made to your service.
It is widely accepted that getting new patients costs around five times as much as keeping existing ones. So it makes sense to keep their attention.
Interacting with your patient list on a regular basis is key to maintaining their awareness of the benefits of your services. This will translate to additional bookings too. E-newsletters are the best and most cost effective way of doing this. Always add a PS too asking them to forward your e-newsletter to someone who would benefit from some pain relieving treatment. It will get them thinking!
Contact must be at regular intervals
It is also important to keep your contact with your patient list very regular. Sporadic emails will confuse them and they may think you’ve gone down the pan if they haven’t heard from you for five months!
If monthly emails seem too much to you, then make them bi-monthly. Schedule it in your diary with a reminder a week before it’s due to go out. Brainstorm some topics that would interest your perfect patients. Then note the key points you would want to make. Keep your items relevant to your key patient types eg sportsmen or desk-bound commuters. Also take note of the time of year and tie in a festival or event.
Now you can further build your business
With a regular email in place, you can begin to further build your list of patients. Encourage visitors to your Facebook page to sign up to your newsletter and have a sign up box on your website. If space allows, tell them that they’ll be receiving information about looking after their bodies. For example, your audience might be interested in tips for effective stretching after a workout in the gym.
With a proper e-newsletter program you can even segment your list and write specifically to one group. Because of course, your tone and information would be differ dramatically from your arthritis sufferer to your worried young mum dealing with their baby’s reflux.
The more you resonate with your target audience, the more bookings from past patients you are likely to get.
And what extra value could you add in to keep their attention? Would they be interested in a check list for sitting correctly at a desk? Or would they be interested in a recipe for a nutritious winter breakfast before dashing off to catch the train?
Keep building your list of patients, maintain it and add value to make sure you stay top of mind.
