How to Keep Table Talk Going
The new staff member said she could help with marketing by posting photos on Instagram and Facebook. The doctor said great!
I noticed a photo of a patient or the doctor with a short comment for a few weeks.
I usually had to search for the image. It often had a few likes or hearts. Maybe 5 at most. Then it stopped. The staff member had taken on other duties.
I had been asking the doctor to send regular email newsletters to his patients. He didn't seem that interested, but we said we would help him put them together which would cost less than $100 per month.
He got us the content, and we put the newsletter together and sent it out. On the 1st day, over 500 people opened and looked at his newsletter. These weren't strangers. These were patients who knew him, liked him, and trusted him. Most of them just hadn't been in to see him for a while.
Linda, our manager and service coordinator, just conducted a quick survey with some of our clients. She found that the offices that consistently send out personal email newsletters have all had a positive impact on their practices. They have improved patient referrals, reactivations, and patient engagement.
Some of the responses included: "Increases volume." "Patients refer." "They love the recipes." "[Patients] come into the office and comment that they saw a particular condition talked about in the newsletter that the office was not aware the doctor could help them with." "Great response when promoting [a new service]."
Social media platforms are entertaining. They have to be because they are in the advertising business.
But unless you pay them for ads, your posts are shown at the whim of the platform. You have no control. Your readers are entertainment seekers and, even if they see your post, are often distracted by other posts and ads.
I have seen ad agencies use social media effectively to generate leads that become new patients. It can be pricey but worth it if done correctly. Done now and then, expert advertising on social media for a special offer for a limited time can work.
But if you do not regularly send personal newsletters to your patient base, you are wasting some of the goodwill you have generated over the years.
A CHIROPRACTIC AND HEALTHCARE PRACTICE IS A NETWORK OF RELATIONSHIPS
A practice is grown and sustained through communication and service to your network. The quality and quantity of your network, and how engaged it is with you, is your practice goodwill.
We are now in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Communications are manufactured. In other words, more and more communication is just plain fake.
But you are not fake, and neither is the easy dialogue you have with your patients. More than ever, people want authentic communication and relationships. Social media posts and ads just can't compete with your short personal newsletters.
Here’s some tips on how to get your personal newsletter done fast:
SETUP
Email Coordinator. Assign a team member to help you with the newsletter. Give them 1 hour per week to do so.
Email service. Use an email service like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, or others. They will assist with the setup. Have the assistant complete the setup and update it monthly.
CONTENT
Table talk. Think of a patient that you often see in your office. Imagine talking to them about a subject that you are currently thinking about. It could be headaches, low back pain, nutrition, posture, or really anything you're feeling passionate about. Now, write about 2-3 paragraphs as if you were writing a letter to them about your thoughts. (Link below.)
Recipe. People love these. Always introduce a recipe and personalize it. "This was my grandmother's favorite rabbit stew."
Success story. Introduce it: "Mildred did great."
Promotion. Every few months include a special promotion.
You can certainly add other elements. But the most essential component is your original message. It is YOUR VOICE that keeps the conversation going.
Effective newsletters will improve patient retention and patient referrals and reactivate inactive patients.
Nurture and sustain the relationships in your practice.
And seize your future!
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Sample message from the doctor for the newsletter
"You know, when I was driving to work this morning I saw this fellow bent over with a walker walking down the sidewalk. I bet if I had seen him 10 to 20 years ago, he wouldn't be in that condition.
It's the whole idea of a hinge. If it isn't used much, it will rust and get stuck. Your vertebrae are like hinges. You gotta keep them moving otherwise they will get stuck.
Exercise helps. So does stretching.
But now and then your hinges (vertebrae) can get stuck, and that's when you wanna come on and see us.
Keep moving and stay unstuck, and have a great June.
Dr. Bob Marley"
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