Why Doctors Need Marketing Now More Than Ever

Let’s forget about COVID-19 for a second (what a treat!) and just think about the last decade. Let’s talk about why doctors need marketing now more than ever.

---

It’s no secret that healthcare is changing. The Affordable Care Act has increased accessibility for many, the provider side has seen less benefit. It seems the trend these days is for physicians to get less time with patients, doing what they spent time and money being trained to do, and more time filing insurance & filling in paperwork. 

All for less payout on the back end. 

And while medicine is a calling, I’m willing to bet physicians like a real paycheck just like the rest of us. 

But let’s not pretend that all of medicine’s problems started with the Affordable Care Act. 

Because of rigorous and extensive schooling, physicians carry a student loan average of over $200,000. That’s a heavy debt to start a career with, to say the least. 

Adding insult to injury, the for-profit healthcare system seems to be turning a profit not for medical workers, but for the business majors who end up in leadership positions. 

As someone who has worked in the large-scale medical industry, I’ve felt this frustration first-hand. While you have the clinical knowledge and skills to save lives, the ones who make the big decisions (and the big money) probably couldn’t interpret a blood pressure. 

Now let’s talk about COVID-19. While the healthcare system loves to tout the word “heroes”, providers are treated like anything but. 

In large-scale medical systems, doctors are being expected to work more hours, and many have had to forego time with family for fear of secondary COVID exposure. 

In the clinic side, doctors have been able to see less patients due to distancing restrictions. They’re caught between wanting to see people who need them, and fear of exposing themselves and their staff. 

And going back to insurance, job losses are leading more people to file with the Affordable Care Act, causing once higher-paying clients to become the opposite. 

Have I painted a picture of your frustrations? I hope so. I’m frustrated too. I think people who work hard for others (that’s you!) should get to reap the benefits of their hard work. 

That means financial security. 

That means time with family. 

That means confidence in your growing practice. 

But how can you get there? 

Maybe you’ve seen competitors or peers advance their practices, and maybe they seem to be living the life you want, but you’re not sure what they’re doing that you’re not. 

Maybe you’ve thought the forbidden question: “Are they just better than me?” 

And I’m here to tell you: “Absolutely not!”

The hard truth is, medicine is business. 

In the old days, docs relied on word-of-mouth to sell their practice. Referrals made up the bulk of their clientele. Practices didn’t need to reach out to clients, because clients were reaching out to them. 

Those days are over. And the practices that know that are doing far better than the ones that don’t. 

So what are physicians and their practices doing to meet the new healthcare system head on?

They’re treating their practice like a business. 

That means investing in themselves, and that means investing in marketing. 

Marketing that builds relationships with prospective clients, before they even walk through the door. 

Data-driven content that informs them, keeps them returning, and moves you to the forefront of your field. 

Medical Copy that shows who you are, how you can improve lives, and why to choose you over the competition. 

But are physicians adding marketing strategy to their long list of duties? Are they finishing out 10-hour days by spending hours writing content? Are they taking away more time from their families to advance their practice? 

I hope not. Because they could be paying me to do all of that, while getting better results. 

So tell me, are you ready to have the practice you’ve been dreaming of?