I know it sounds a little crazy! But the buzz is that ‘September is the new January’! Here in the northern hemisphere, we’ve just had August with family and school holidays. Not a great deal gets done in business as things generally tick over while we kick back a little.
Then the kids go back to school and start a new academic year and suddenly we have our eye on the end of the whole year. We might take a look at our figures and income so far and decide that we’d better step it up a bit if we’re going to hit or exceed our targets. Suddenly we’re back on the race track of the final quarter and raring to go!
September certainly is a great time to take stock and make a concerted effort after our (hopefully) restful summer. Indeed giving our marketing a push now will increase awareness amongst new and potential patients and even if they don’t book in immediately, they may well begin to take notice and book appointments in the coming months. Marketing is all about building relationships and trust and that’s why I bang on about it so much! Those things help people to more readily decide to take action and try something new to them.
Building a business in the modern era is so much more than sticking a listing in the local phone directory and hoping for the best. There are myriad ways to market ourselves now that the internet has come of age. We are all so much better connected than before and we can instantly search online for solutions to our problems. People who may never before have heard of Osteopathy or who didn’t know if it could help them are now discovering it for the first time.
This is why building an online presence, developing relationships via social media and ensuring that we encourage referrals is crucial to the growth of our business. I say this often but I have worked very hard and very consistently to build relationships with thousands of worldwide Osteopaths. The point is that even some who didn’t appear to need my help when we first connected have some two years later joined forces with me to launch a new Practice or rapidly grow a current one. Every time they have done that because they had got to know me through my blogs, newsletters and/or my social media interactions, comments and posts.
This works in exactly the same way for you. It may be that someone sees an interesting Facebook post of yours and reads it. They may not ‘like’ it or comment and so you will be completely unaware but nevertheless the seed is sown. Another day they may be skipping through their news feeds and spot an arresting image you’ve posted with a ‘Did you know…?’ question which teaches them something. And gradually they may begin to realise that you can indeed help them. Because they feel that they can trust you, they are happy to book to see you for treatment.
I’ve worked extra hard this year. I’ve set myself high targets to work with more Osteopaths than ever. I’ve invested a great deal with my own business mentor and in studying online courses to help me bring you the latest thinking in business building. Indeed on my recent holiday I read two fantastic books on social media marketing and I’ll be sharing more of what I’ve learned in the weeks ahead. I’m on track for my most successful year ever and that is exactly what I want for you too. I want you to treat more patients and help more people back to health.
I’m ready to start September off like a determined medal winning business athlete! Are you?
Osteobiz Success Formula is a one year fully supported online course teaching you everything you need to grow your patient list. Find out more here. (Doors only open in March and September)
