Ask yourself this question: If all things were equal, would a prospective patient choose you based solely on your skills and experience?
It is a great question to ask yourself in a defining moment. If all things were equal, would patients pick you? If the answer is yes (and it should be if you are confident in your skills and services), then that should help focus you. That’s because things are not equal.
Packaging and salesmanship make things unequal and the 24/7/365 activity of the Internet allows these two factors to trump the “if all things were equal” scenario. The fact is that your superior skills, experience, service and even results, can easily be out-maneuvered on the web. This is done by your competitors who are packaging themselves more effectively and using better salesmanship online.
Here is how you can bring things back to equal and even tilt the advantage back into your favor. In terms of online packaging, there is no substitute for a great web site design. However, if you already have that, it is still possible to be behind the curve. We find that the addition of video of the doctor(s) speaking directly to web site visitors is the most dramatic way to add impact to each web visit. After all, nobody sells you quite like you. Meeting the doctor in a consultation makes the most impact on a patient. You can build a sense of trust with a personal connection. Video of you speaking to prospective patients on your web site begins the same effect. I like to say it moves the doctor from the end of the equation to the front of the equation. It takes the most valuable influence on new business, the person with the least availability... this being the doctor... and makes that person available to every site visitor. This is only packaging but it effectively establishes contact and the beginnings of the trust relationship. Using video this way, tilts the packaging battle in your direction.
In terms of salesmanship, aggressive placement keeps the playing field uneven. Think of the old days when Yellow Pages ads were really the only advertising that medical and dental practices would do. Aggressive placement in this case would be the doctor who bought the large full page ad or the big color ad. In Internet terms, these competitors are doing what they can to stand out the same way. The fastest way to do this is with pay per click campaigns. They are accountable and effective. They make you available for certain on certain keyword searches. And, since they are measurable, they yield information needed to learn more about the behavior of your local searchers. So, to even the playing field, what are you doing for aggressive placement.
We can help you with both the packaging and salesmanship that can address this issue. Nothing can truly even the playing field but you be aggressive in ways that you know give you the advantage. A solid SEO and Pay Per Click Strategy and Video of you addressing the site visitor are great ways to start because there is no doubt about the impact these strategies make.
If you want more information on these strategies, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.
