3 Types of Patients and How to Attact Them

One of the biggest challenges any medical practice faces, is how to consistently bring new patients into the practice.

With a steady stream of new patients, your practice flourishes, and you have the resources needed to try new marketing techniques, or improve the services you offer. Both of which will grow your practice even further.

However, it can be very difficult to reach “critical mass” in a medical practice. Meaning, you have a steady flow of new patients due to referrals and marketing.

Before you reach this level, you may be treading water, and experience difficulties keeping your practice afloat.

Don’t fret, there is a solution to this early hurdle. And that is, if you know your patients, and know your practice, you can use marketing techniques to attract your ideal patients? even in the early stages of your practice.

In general, there are three types of patients.

Patient #1: “I Have a Problem”

This group consists of patients who have immediate problems that require your attention.

When a medical emergency or issue arises, it can be extremely worrisome for an individual. At that moment, what they need is expert advice, and reassurance.

Unfortunately, many medical practices make it difficult for patients to get the advice and reassurance they need, by making it difficult for patients to schedule an appointment, or making the patient wait too long within the practice.

To best bring these types of patients into your practice, you should have processes set in place within your practice, to make it as easy as possible for potential patients to get the help they need, as quickly as they can.

If you’re out of the office, or it’s outside of business hours, leave a helpful voice message for people who call in. And, when the patient does pay you a visit, make sure they’re treated as a priority.

Health is a very intimate subject. By showing these types of patients that you truly care about them, and want to get them the help they need ASAP, you dramatically increase the likelihood of them coming back, or referring others to you.

Additionally, when you put in processes specifically to help “I have a problem” patients, you can use your marketing to get that message across, to the people who want to see it the most.

When people know your practice as the place to go when an emergency arises, they’ll remember it – and your practice will be the first place they call.

Patient #2: Check-Ups and Routine Visits

The second type of patient consists of patients who require a check-up, or routine visit.

It’s widely known that regular checkups and visits to a qualified doctor is vital for good health. With regular check-ups, dangerous problems can be identified before they reach a potentially terminal point.

Although regular check-ups are so important, many patients fail to come in as often as they need to.

By acknowledging this problem, and putting in processes to consistently remind patients they need check-ups (through phone, email and direct mail marketing), you can dramatically increase the number of times patients come back for check-ups, and grow your practice as a result.

Patient #3: Patients Looking to Switch Practices

All patients are looking for a doctor they can trust and know is proficient.

Unfortunately, not all doctors are the right fit for the patients they serve. As a result, there are many individuals that are in the process of looking for a doctor, or wish they had a good option to switch to.

Although deeply discussing the reasons why patients switch practices is outside the scope of this article, by marketing specifically to these individuals looking to switch, you can create a new stream of patients.

The best way to get new patients is to provide a “no-brainer” offer. This consists of giving prospects a deal that is so sweet, they’d be crazy not to take it.

Once you get them in the door with such an offer, you can keep them coming back by providing a top-quality service, and satisfying their medical needs.

Marketing That Targets All Three Target Markets

If you’d like a custom marketing plan built for your medical practice, that targets each of these three patient types, and keeps them coming back for more, contact Vividus Marketing today.

Our speciality is growing medical practices. Not just in volume, but in profit as well.