Medical Practice Tips

Content may be King, but it’s hard to develop. There are many methods of obtaining content – at MJD we have cosmetic and medical content that’s preferred by several medical societies, because it helps their members increase consults and procedures. Another source of valuable content is patient testimonials. These will powerfully provide credible information and a sense of security to prospective patients considering you for a procedure.

Collecting testimonials from your patients to use in your marketing is the most challenging aspect of using testimonials in your marketing efforts. Sometimes it requires that you make the first move in requesting a testimonial from a patient you know is excited about their results and your service. Reach out to them and ask them what they would say to a friend about their experience with your practice. Ask if you could quote them in an upcoming ad, pod cast or your blog. For most people this makes them feel even more valued as a patient. Before you make that request, develop a list of questions. Your questions should lead the patient to speak highly of your services without sounding overly promotional and self-serving. After you have obtained a verbal OK, it’s advisable to follow up by requesting permission in writing from your patients to use their name and the exact quote in your marketing materials.

Collect a few testimonials and you are armed with a gold mine to use in your website and even your blog. You might even get a recording or video interview to use in your website. Use them to reinforce your entire email campaign. When it comes to using them in your website, don’t just post a bunch of quotes on one page. Pepper them throughout your site where visitors can see them alongside related content.

Your patients and prospective patients love testimonials from a third-party about a procedure or service they can relate to. As an added benefit, the patients you interview will be flattered that you asked and respected their feedback.

Mike Grehan with Acronym Media says that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firms may be headed for extinction. Because of this, he recommends you bring in a team to do the “heavy lifting” of getting web pages indexed, building links and putting in the meta data; but he notes that once taught, SEO strategies can be done in-house. This means that you or your staff can perform SEO for your website without the added expense of having an outside firm on your payroll.

MJD Websites have a built-in SEO Editor so that your site is automatically optimized to meet the requirements of the latest search engines. You may also use our SEO Editor yourself to further optimize your site at your own convenience, with no extra expense. Contact us to learn more, or visit our responsive medical websites page.

Everyone knows that satisfied, happy patients refer you to their friends and family. While some of your patients love to receive emails from your practice, others may not. Be sure to make it easy for these patients to unsubscribe to your E-Newsletter – doing that will not only help you with the anti-spam laws, but will also maintain and build your credibility with your patients.

First, make it clear and easy for patients to unsubscribe. The acceptable method for unsubscribing is to offer a link to a web page with text that says: “Click Here to Unsubscribe.” Anything else puts too much of a burden on your patient and may inadvertently drive them to hit the “report spam” button in his or her email account. Also, patients should not need to log in, recall an account number, or type in a password in order to unsubscribe. We recommend you reduce your patient’s burden by including his or her email address in the unsubscribe link, allowing the unsubscribe form to automatically accept the request with one click.

Second, process the unsubscribe request immediately. The CAN-SPAM Act may allow you to fulfill unsubscribe requests within 10 days, but your patients will expect it faster. Plus, your patients likely don’t know about this 10 day allotment period. Maintain your relationship by processing the request immediately.

Third, offer your patients options to unsubscribe. Include both the email-based unsubscribe option (for example, “Reply to this message with ‘Unsubscribe’ in the subject line”) as well as the web-based unsubscribe option (for example: “Click here to unsubscribe”). Patients using mobile devices may only be able to reply to your email, while patients that have email forwarded from another account may only be able to click a link to a web page.

Lastly, include your practice phone number to call to unsubscribe if all other methods are failing for your patient. A physical address is required by CAN-SPAM, so make sure you’re checking your mail for unsubscribe requests, too.

1. Use photographs that relate to your copy. Once your patients see a before and after photograph or an eye-catching model, their eyes slow down long enough to read to your related article. Also, your headline is the most important message and should contain the key benefit offered by your product or service.

2. Prioritize your newsletter topics. Because you know the benefits of your procedures inside and out, this may be difficult to do. But, studies show that most patients will only remember one or maybe two things after reading your newsletter. Prioritize which procedures you would like to promote, and then put your key message in your headline and refer to it often throughout your article.

3. Allow there to be empty white space. Avoid the mistake of putting everything you know into your articles. If there are large amounts of copy with nowhere for your patient’s eyes to rest, your important message will be lost.

4. Include two to three “Calls to Action.” Place a “Call to Action” or a savings coupon early in your newsletter and on the back page. Clearly state how patients should contact you and provide your website address if you have one.

5. Explain the benefits and not just the features. Patients want results and are less concerned about the features of your laser. Patients want to know how their lives will improve based on your procedures – will they be happier, healthier, or look younger? These are the reasons patients choose to have cosmetic procedures.

Every day it seems that a new technology is being presented with outstanding promises: no wrinkles, no pimples, no freckles, no pain, look young again, etc. You know the drill. Be careful. Tell your patients the truth. Don’t be afraid to tell your patients if a procedure may not work for them.

Patients need to know what to expect. Set realistic expectations and let them decide to have the procedure on that basis. An educated patient will always be happy with the results if they get what they expected.

If you do what you say you will, your patients will be happy. They will be back for additional procedures and they will bring their friends. Remember, your reputation and the trust of your patients took you years to develop. They are two of your biggest assets and both will help you expand your practice provided they are treated with honesty and respect.

1. Design your E-Newsletter as a companion to your website. Include the content on your website in your E-Newsletter and vise versa.

2. Include a hyperlink to your website in your E-Newsletter so patients can learn more.

3. Make the subject line of your E-Newsletter clear. This helps readers make an informed decision if they want to read this particular issue.

4. Put your name or practice name at the beginning of the subject line of your E-Newsletter so patients know it’s from a trusted source.

5. Keep the subject line of your E-Newsletter to 70 characters or fewer so patients are able to read it in full without cutting off the text.

6. Make the headlines within yourE-Newsletter clear. This helps also with your search rankings when you post your E-Newsletter on your website by making your text relevant.

When you think about it, your website isn’t “about” your practice, it is really an extension of your practice. If your site looks unprofessional, cluttered, or is hard to work with, then you and your practice will appear unprofessional, cluttered and/or hard to work with.

MJD Websites are complete with Patient-Friendly™, easy-to-understand cosmetic procedure information. Our smart, well-designed websites enable you to customize and manage your content from anywhere at any time. Patients can find out about you in the way you prefer – and you can continue to be recognized as the smart, savvy practice you’ve worked so hard to be.

There’s nothing more powerful than a first impression. And for many prospective patients online, your website is their first introduction to you. Be sure patients perceive you as you want them to. Choose a web design and style that reflects the quality of your practice. Visit our MJD Websites page to learn more.

One of the most important things your procedure brochure should provide… is information about you. A personalized procedure brochure should include your credentials, a list of your procedures, your photo, society logos, location, and website. This “mini practice” brochure promotes more than just one procedure - it promotes your entire practice! Your patient may not be interested in all the procedures listed, but friends and relatives often are and your credentials set you apart from your competition.

Maximize every patient contact; understand your patient’s desired goals; and never miss an opportunity to educate patients about your practice.

In a challenging economy, you must find new ways to market your practice more effectively and get the most out of your marketing products. If you haven’t begun to actively market your practice to patients, now is the time to make changes.

How can your practice be one of those success stories that market and grow during challenging economic times? The following strategies, derived from Guy Maser of GlobalSpec, an information services company, will help carry your practice through the economic downturn and beyond.

1. Get Targeted
Invest in those specific, targeted media where you know your patients and prospective patients will be exposed to your message. The Internet is vast, and the patients you are looking for may be using specific websites where the content is directly related to their information needs. MJD’s TopDocs.com is a website where patients learn about all the latest advances in cosmetic surgery, with before and after photographs. Once they learn about a procedure, they then search for a doctor that performs that procedure using our Doctor Search engine.

2. Measure Performance
Consider scaling back any marketing plans whose results you can’t measure. Instead, reallocate your funds to measurable programs. Measurable programs include online programs -- which are built around delivering visibility, impressions, clicks, leads and customers – these are easy to measure.

3. Think Integration
Integrated marketing means your marketing strategy takes advantage of multiple media, resources and patient touch points to create a whole that’s greater and more effective than the sum of its parts.

The more integrated your marketing efforts, the greater impact you can achieve. MJD offers many integrated products including websites that you manage and control, customized procedure brochures, waiting room looping DVDs, and Messages-On-Hold.

4. Maintain Frequency and Consistency
A consistent online presence where your patients and prospective patients are looking for information -- including websites, directories, search engines and e-newsletters -- will help your practice stay visible as well as generate consults. Be sure to view MJD’s sample websites, learn about our waiting room looping DVDs and Messages-On-Hold and visit TopDocs.com.

5. Push and Pull Your Way to Success
Most marketing can be classified as either push or pull: practices push their message out through direct mail, ads and e-newsletters; and they also establish a presence in online directories, websites and search engines to pull prospective patients when they are searching for information, products and services like those your practice offers.

Rather than allocating resources to push or pull marketing, seek out a company that has your target audience captive and can offer both push and pull programs under an integrated program. MJD has integrated resources that include websites and TopDocs.com and well as customizable brochures, waiting room looping DVDs and Messages-On-Hold.

6. Focus on Quality Over Quantity
If your marketing focuses on quantity over quality, fewer consults will be generated. Commit to programs where quality is a key attribute. MJD has long been known as the leader in patient education, with Patient-Friendly products that effectively educate patients and generate consults.

7. Seek Assistance From Media Partners
The economy is likely forcing you to make harder and smarter decisions about allocating budgets. While you may be facing challenges, don’t face them alone. Ask MJD to demonstrate how our marketing solutions help you achieve the strategies mentioned above. Let MJD help you to deliver the right message at the right time to the right audience with our integrated marketing efforts.

Ask us:

• Can MJD help me keep my target audience’s attention?
• Can MJD help my practice be visible to prospects and patients at all times?
• Does MJD offer a variety of integrated marketing solutions that can be aligned with my goals?

According to an interview in the November/December 2007 issue of MedEsthetics Magazine, Ava Shamban, MD, says that shows like Extreme Makeover (in which she actually appeared as a consultant) increase public interest and acceptance of noninvasive procedures.

Dr. Shamban’s publicity tours brought her face-to-face with many viewers, and she says that many of them asked her detailed questions about the procedures from the show. In her interview, Shamban states that, “Patients need education to understand the huge variety of treatments available.”

At MJD, one of our most important objectives is to inform the public about the many procedures you have available, and how you can help them reach their cosmetic goals. With our expertise and experience, you can get the word out about your latest advances in cosmetic procedures.

Before you launch your new website, take note of this important concept from Michael Gray of Atlas Web Service, an Internet consulting firm. He says that while you should have Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind from the start, you want to be sure to look for a way to differentiate yourself first, before you use SEO to promote your site. (And not the other way around.)

Grays says that without quality content (including text, images and possibly an intro video) all the time spent on keyword density, meta data and link accumulation could actually jeopardize your ranking with the search engines. This is because when they visit your site, if you don’t have content that makes the grade or that distinguishes your practice, you won’t get a prized ranking. In the worst case scenario your site could get banned.

MJD’s Websites offer you quality content that distinguishes your practice by name, specialty, procedure, city and region. With our manageable content and search engine optimized sites, you will reach patients as well as comply and rank accordingly with search engines.

Two procedures are really better than one. Don’t forget to explain to your patients the benefits of “compatible procedures.”

Too frequently patients are not pleased with their results because they have unrealistic expectations. They often believe that there is one single procedure that will cure all their signs of aging. By suggesting complementary procedures you can, in fact, provide the results that your patients are seeking and at the same time increase your bottom line. When a patient is interested in Botox®, consider the benefits of a brochure that includes both Botox and a filler to correct the problem. MJD offers a Botox® and Restylane® and a Botox® and Juvéderm® brochure to conveniently inform your patients about these combined procedures. Or, you may want to display our Lunchtime Facial Rejuvenation™ or Lunchtime Makeover brochure, which includes a variety of compatible procedures.

To view these brochures online, visit the Cosmetic Brochures page of our website.

The main function of incoming links is to drive traffic to your website. However, another important function is that the more incoming links you have, the better chances your website will rank higher in search engine listings. Yet, even with multiple links, you want to be sure they are quality.

The major components of a quality link are:

1. Relevance: The links are relevant to your market, industry, or community. The links also use relevant text to refer to your website.

2. Context: The links come from sites that have keyword-focused pages – in other words, these pages rank well in organic search listings and are search engine optimized (SEO).

3. Credibility: The link comes from a credible source.

If you incoming links meet these criteria, you are sure to have optimal links to help rank your site higher with the search engines.

1. Use an Email Service Provider (ESP). Because the creation, deployment and delivery of E-Newsletters can be a complex process, if it can’t be competently done by you or your staff, it’s best to leave it to an expert.

2. Create a Patient-Friendly™ user experience. Be sure to thank patients for their patronage and also ask for their feedback on the E-Newsletter and your website. You may also seek their input on their office visit and/or their procedure.

3. Build your email list with your E-Newsletter. Promote the benefits of subscribing to your E-Newsletters to your patients so they can tell their friends and family.

4. Remember frequency. Limit your emails to about once a month; but also send emails when you have a good reason, such as special promotions.

5. Include links to your website in the email. Patients may not be interested in the particular procedures or promotions in your E-Newsletter, but they may be in the procedures and services you have in your website.

6. Measure your progress. Once you’ve defined your goals for your E-Newsletters, you can measure the impact of your emails with a coupon that encourages patients to redeem it at their next office visit. Most email programs also offer statistics including how many patients opened it and how many clicked through to your website.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Even before your phone has been answered, the caller is forming impressions of you and your practice.

First impressions are lasting impressions. That’s why the first few moments your staff spends on the telephone with a patient are crucial. These are a few important points to remember:

1. Are your calls answered promptly enough without being too quick? Promptly is usually within 30 seconds. That gives you about 8 rings before your caller becomes anxious. Answering too quickly will also make your callers uneasy. A good rule of thumb is never answer before the second ring. This gives the caller time to collect their thoughts before speaking.

When you are ending one call and the other phone begins to ring, it is best to finish the first call before taking the second call; even if it means the second call rings a few extra times.

2. What’s the first thing you say? “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” are pleasant ways to start your conversations. But be sure to follow with your name and title or department. By providing those facts to your caller they will know how your responsibilities relate to their call.

3. Does your staff speak clearly and naturally over the phone? Be sure they speak into the phone. That might seem obvious, but most of us never get to hear ourselves over the phone. Many people who speak in normal tones face-to-face speak softly over the phone. Ask a co-worker to listen to your voice on an inter-office call. Test your voice periodically.

4. Do you always ask for the caller’s name early in the conversation? Even if the name isn’t needed to make a query, asking shows you are interested in the caller as a person. If you only ask for the caller’s record or chart number they will begin to feel as though you think of them as numbers, not as human beings.

5. Are your callers treated as though they are the most important part of your business? This positive approach applies even to callers who are part of your practice. Others will never be part of your practice if they aren’t treated well from their very first call.

6. What do your patients hear after they are placed on-hold? What they hear on-hold will make a lasting impression. Used wisely, your telephones’ hold circuit can be the most cost-effective patient education tool that is in your office. Your first contact with a new patient is usually on the phone. While patients are “on-hold” you can politely inform them of the procedures you perform and the services offered by your practice. MJD’s Messages-On-Hold are written to generate consults by professional scriptwriters who know about the latest advances in cosmetic procedures.

What they do “on hold”:

“I thought about the last time I called this office. I was put on hold for a long time then, too. So I asked myself, ‘Why do I keep doing business with these people?’” - Wendy S., calling a dentist.

“I counted the songs I heard playing on the phone line. There were three.” - Sally S., calling a pediatricians’ office.

“I listened to the news. You know, it’s really depressing.” – Kevin B., waiting for his test results.

“I visualized the receptionist who answered the phone. Was she asleep? Did she forget I was on hold?” - Jennifer S., calling her gynecologist.

“I read a few more pages in my novel. I seem to do most of my reading while I am on hold.” - Mrs. D., calling her dermatologist.

“I didn’t think about anything. After about 10 seconds I hung up and called another office. My time is as valuable as theirs is. I called the next name in the yellow pages.” - Andy G., calling a lawyer’s office.

How do you sound?

Successful phone skills are more than just the spoken word. This quiz can help you evaluate how well your staff communicates to patients through those subtle, less perceptible skills.

Yes/No

1. Do you try to put a smile in your voice? ____ ____

2. Do you make a point never to sound impatient? ____ ____

3. Do you speak slowly and distinctly? ____ ____

4. Do you always identify yourself in the call? ____ ____

5. Do you keep your voice calm, even
when dealing with angry callers? ____ ____

6. Do you maintain a friendly yet
professional voice? ____ ____

7. Do you convey the feeling that the ____ ____
customer is always right?

8. Do you end conversations in a positive, ____ ____
upbeat way?

One of the most important things your procedure brochure should provide… is information about you. A personalized procedure brochure should include your credentials, a list of your procedures, your photo, society logos, location, and website. This “mini practice” brochure promotes more than just one procedure - it promotes your entire practice! Your patient may not be interested in all the procedures listed, but friends and relatives often are and your credentials set you apart from your competition.

Maximize every patient contact; understand your patient’s desired goals; and never miss an opportunity to educate patients about your practice.

1. Targeting the wrong keywords
This is a mistake many doctors make and what’s worse – even experienced SEO experts make it. Doctors choose keywords that in their mind are descriptive of their website but the average patient just may not search them. You might discover that “liposuction” does not work for you, while “body sculpting” works like a charm. Choosing the right keywords can make or break your SEO campaign. Even if you are very resourceful, you can’t think on your own of all the great keywords but a good keyword suggestion tool, for instance, the Website Keyword Suggestion tool will help you find keywords that are good for your site.

2. Ignoring the Title tag
Leaving the Title tag empty is also very common. This is one of the most important places to have a keyword, because not only does it help you in optimization but the text in your tag shows in the search results as your page title.

3. Flash websites without an html alternative
Flash might be attractive, but not to search engines and users. If you really insist that your site is Flash-based and you want search engines to love it, provide an html version. Here are some more tips for optimizing Flash sites. Search engines don’t like Flash sites for a reason – a spider can’t read Flash content and therefore can’t index it.

4. JavaScript menus
Using JavaScript for navigation is not bad as long as you understand that search engines do not read JavaScript. Build your web pages accordingly - if you have JavaScript menus you can’t do without, you should consider building a sitemap (or putting the links in a noscript tag) so that all your links will be crawlable.

5. Lack of consistency and maintenance
You may believe that once you optimize a site, it is done forever. If you want to be successful, you need to permanently optimize your site, keep an eye on the competition and watch for changes in the ranking algorithms of search engines.

6. Concentrating too much on Meta tags
A lot of doctors seem to think SEO is about getting your Meta keywords and description correct. In fact, Meta tags are becoming (if not already) a thing of the past. You can create your Meta keywords and descriptions but don’t expect to rank well only because of this.

7. Using only images for headings
Many doctors think that an image looks better than text for headings and menus. Yes, an image can make your site look more distinctive but using images for headings and menus are a big mistake because h1, h4, etc. tags and menu links are more important SEO items.

8. Ignoring URLs
Many doctors underestimate how important a good URL is. Dynamic page names are still very frequent and URLs without keywords is more a rule than an exception. Yes, it is possible to rank high even without keywords in the URL but all being equal, if you have keywords in the URL (the domain itself, or file names, which are part of the URL), this gives you additional advantage over your competitors. Keywords in URLs are more important for MSN and Yahoo! but even with Google their relative weight is high, so there is no excuse for having keywordless URLs.

9. Backlink spamming
It is a common delusion that more backlinks are ALWAYS better and because of this web masters resort to link farms, forum/newsgroup spam etc., which ultimately could lead to getting your site banned. In fact, what you need are quality backlinks. Here is some more information on The Importance of Backlinks.

10. Lack of keywords in the content
Once you focus on your keywords, modify your content and put the keywords wherever it makes sense. It is even better to make them bold or highlight them.

Look around your office. Is there any indication of the procedures available in your practice? There should be. Procedure brochures displayed throughout your reception area and in exam rooms are sure to stimulate interest.

Choose brochures wisely. When you select brochures that are specifically designed to generate consults and procedures, you get consults & procedures! Value should not be measured in cost, but in effectiveness. Take advantage of every opportunity to let people know what you do. Use only brochures that enhance your practice and image.

A brochure hidden in the closet will not enhance your practice. MJD recommends you display your procedure brochures throughout your reception area and exam rooms.

Let your procedure brochures become practice builders. A personalized brochure and letter sent to a patient in response to a phone call or visit will keep them actively thinking about you.

According to Tim Judson of Merkle, a marketing agency, the following are the best ways to grow your E-Mail list:

1. Keep the sign-up as simple as possible. While it can be useful to collect other information for E-Mail campaign targeting, it’s better to collect this information later.

2. Set expectations for the patient. Clearly communicate the content that will be included in your E-Mails. Tell them how often you will send out your E-Mails.

3. Use a very clear opt-in policy. Tell your patients how you will protect their information, and be sure to explain it in an easy-to-understand way.

4. Email collection should be performed throughout your practice. All patient touch points should be reviewed to see if there is an opportunity to collect E-Mail addresses.

Your opportunities to collect E-Mail addresses include: 1.) registration in your website; 2.) direct mail pieces like custom postcards or newsletters; 3.) statement stuffers when you send invoices; 4.) ads; 5.) lectures and seminars; and 6.) your customer service provided by staff members.

Today, it takes more than just having a website to make the Internet work for your practice. The website business is highly competitive and proper site design and marketing has become an area of concern to doctors that want to use the Internet to the fullest. Below are 10 common mistakes doctors make with their websites.

1. Inappropriate domain name. Pick a domain name that is memorable and relates to your practice. Since people are likely to forget very long names, shorter domain names are typically better, but not always.

2. Poor design and functionality. Good design is largely based on consistency. Menus should appear in the same place on every page, links should all be the same color/typeface, and a logo of some sort should be clearly visible at all times.

3. Too complicated or too slow. Although flash animation may look amazing, it may be too complex for casual Internet users. Though aesthetics certainly matter, it must be in balance with functionality and ease of use for the typical user. In addition, a more complex design takes longer to load on many computers.

4. Stagnant site. Not only is content time-sensitive, but so is format and design. There will always be new tools available to make websites better looking and better performing. It is not cost-effective to create a website and let it sit. Use a website that lets you update content regularly and take advantage of (appropriate) new technologies to make the site look better.

5. Broken links and 404 error messages. Survey your website regularly. Make sure every link on your site works. You’ll lose users quickly if they see a “404 file not found” error message, or find broken or incorrectly labeled links.

6. No contact info. Users need to be able to contact you with questions, complaints, and suggestions. A “contact us” page, like an Internet business card, should be available from every page in your site. Also, be sure to actually answer these messages either personally or through an auto-reply.

7. Ignoring statistics. Detailed reports of visitor traffic are available for your website. Review them on a regular basis. By monitoring your statistics (like visitors turned customers, users on broadband, and so on) you can tailor your marketing and design toward those who visit most, or find weak spots based on who you are not attracting.

8. Free or cheap hosting. As attractive as some of these services are, realize that the reliability of your business depends on the reliability of your hosting. A good host service should have minimal downtime, offer services like shopping cart systems, and have good customer support. Be sure to read reviews and apply for free trials (if possible) before you commit to anything.

9. Not Spiders-Friendly. Spiders are what search engines use to find your page.You want to make sure your pages are designed so that you show up high on search engine rankings. This process is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). There are, however, ethics and strategies to SEO. Some practices (like hidden text, redirects, and so on) will result in your being banned from search engines. Find a provider like MJD Patient Communications that lets you manage your own content, keywords and other important search engine information.

10. Not hiring a professional. Search engine optimization is complex. To move up in the listings on Google and other search engines, you may want to hire a professional, especially if your business relies heavily on generating business from the Web.

Building a successful cosmetic practice takes thought, effort and dedication from your entire staff. If you are thinking about expanding your cosmetic practice, here are several tips that can help you be more effective.

Start small
Decide what procedures to promote and who will perform them - you or a staff member. Start by targeting procedures that are most requested by your patients. Botox, Soft Tissue Augmentation, Microdermabrasion and Light Chemical Peels are the more popular procedures to promote.

Spruce up your image
Patients came to your office to find out how you can help them. If you have newspapers and magazines in your waiting room, get rid of them. Patients can read them at home. Space is valuable. The average waiting room can tastefully display between 6 and 10 brochures. They should be for the procedures that will generate the most revenue. Display MJD’s Patient-Friendly brochures in single-pocket brochure stands, situated throughout your waiting room and exam rooms. Stands are available at Staples, Office Depot, Siegel Display, or other office supply stores.

Reach out
Most of your referrals will come from existing, satisfied patients. Try mailing a personal letter or postcard announcing the new procedures available in your practice to all of your existing patients. After you have grown, you may wish to expand your mailings to a newsletter.

Manage expectations
Present good but realistic before and after photographs. Fully explain what the typical and not so typical recovery from the procedure will be.

Follow-up
Be sure to see the patient yourself for follow-up visits. Remember a dissatisfied patient will tell ten friends and relatives, while a satisfied patient may only tell one. Make sure they are satisfied at all costs.

The bottom line
Choose a few procedures that you enjoy performing. Tell patients that you do them. Do them well. The referrals will follow.

Yes, and it works best when you mail to your patient base. Your patients prefer you. Imagine how many businesses and medical practices attempt to gain the attention of your patients. You have the advantage, your patients know and trust you. Use it. Patients prefer to receive information from their own doctor rather than from a stranger.

Magazines and TV shows with stories about the latest implant, skin peel or aesthetic surgical procedure appeal to many viewers. Many of these shows and articles generate further questions. Use your direct mail piece to keep your patients informed about what you offer so they will call you for the answers.