Medical Marketing Challenges – Finding a Voice

Medical Marketing Challenges – Finding a Voice

Marketing, as a rule of thumb, is not an easy task. If everybody could do it, then there would be no competitive market as we know it. It also requires an entirely different skill set compared to people who work in other professions. Because up until very recently, people didn’t exactly exercise their right to choose providers. In fact, the common viewpoint of doctors and medical specialists in other parts of the world is that they are a necessity. An essential.

But America has a healthcare marketplace. The second half of that word is enough to thrust a lot of doctors and hospitals into a world they aren’t used to navigating. It makes sense that most medical health care professionals, or healthcare services, are not used to pitching their own business. They never had to before. But they have to now.

So, how do we translate the concept of selling yourself or making your practice look appealing to prospective clients?  By defining the importance of each element that will make the difference between people noticing your business and people not paying attention at all.

The Expectation of Selling Yourself

The aim of most, if not all business owners is to make as many potential clients aware of their business as much as possible. This way, the owners can make money and fulfill an intrinsic purpose that benefits society. At least one way or another.  However, the idea of just “selling yourself” sounds much easier as an idea than actually executing it.  Much like writing a speech for a presentation, or offering an idea to someone you want to impress, selling yourself is scary. It carries the weight of expectation, as well as the hopes and dreams of the person presenting the pitch.

But who or what are you, really?  Could you really describe the identity of your practice? Do you know what kind of values or principles that drive you and your staff to get out of bed every morning and do your jobs?

Find Your Identity through Your Message

If you don’t have an immediate answer to that question, there is no need for alarm. After all, most, if not all of us, tend to get lost in the everyday humdrum. Often, we get so busy that we forget why we do what we do in the first place.

This is because most businesses aren’t aware that they technically have an identity. Whenever a person or a group of people are acting on the behalf of their workplace, or are spending time in it, they are unwittingly shaping the identity of their business.  Whether you treat your patients with kindness, apathy, or malcontent, you are making a statement on behalf of your business.

An example, for instance, could be a mission statement of patient comfort. Or maybe your practice values using the latest technology for the most accurate information for your patient. Perhaps your practice wants to provide affordable care for patients who live paycheck to paycheck.

So, if you don’t know what that is, take the time to explore the identity of your practice. Figure out the values of the people you and your co-workers are trying to uphold. Better yet, figure out how those values translate into the goals of your practice.  Once you get those figured out, you have a solid chance of coming up with a pitch or a mission statement for your practice.

Use that Identity to Spread Your Message to Other Patients

People are much more likely to leave reviews or outright address the positive attributes of a business if the service they receive is outright above and beyond expectations. And the good news is that your practice can do that in the smallest of ways.

When most people think of effort, it sounds like extra exhausting work. While some effort feels that way, most of the time all the effort that is required doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. Truth be told, a lot of the best results come from people who just make any effort at all.

I mentioned in the beginning that doctors didn’t necessarily have to compete for business until recently. Well, that lack of competition usually means that most specialists and doctors have become complacent. Because why put in the effort if they are going to come to you anyway?

So, any kind of transparency, a kind gesture, or even just asking for a review after a positive interaction is enough to get a favorable response.  

If you are looking for medical marketing advice in Huntsville, AL, or want to read more posts like this one,  feel free to contact us at

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