Practical Dermatology Workbook for PDF

19 Pages·2015·2.9 MB·English

by  Paul Winnington

2016

  Int   ernet  Marketing  
for  Increased  
Practice  Growth  

An  Interactive  Workshop  for  Dermatologists

This Workshop Sponsored By:

By:  Naren  Arulrajah,  Founder  and  CEO  
Ekwa  Marketing
Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

Content    

Introduction    

Understanding  today    
• Your  city  
• Procedures/breakdown  
• Your  staff  
• Your  brand  

Revenues  and  New  Patient  Flow    
• New  patients,  good/bad  month  
• Where  do  they  come  from?  
• What  are  you  currently  spending  on  marketing?  
• What  is  working?    
• Are  you  happy  with  the  ROI  on  each  marketing  expense?    

Start  with  the  end  in  mind    
• What  do  you  want  to  grow?  
• Set  a  three  year  vision  

Online  Marketing  101  
• Facts  and  figures  on  online  consumer  behavior  and  search  
• Be  seen  (SEO)  
• Make  it  easy  to  say  yes  (conversion)  
• Online  reputation  (stars  and  reviews)  
• Homework  

Building  your  Pyramid    
• Example  of  an  Ekwa  client’s  marketing  pyramid  

My  Practice  and  Online  Marketing  Goals,  a  Summary  
• What  should  Marketing  do  for  you?  
• Concerns  
• Opportunities  

Next  Steps,  Closing  Comments  from  Naren    
• Schedule  a  free  Marketing  Review  and  Strategy  Session  

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Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

Introduction  
I  am  a  happy  man.    I  wake  up  every  day  feeling  blessed  and  privileged  because  I  
get  to  do  two  things  that  I  am  passionate  and  driven  about:    
• Work  in  Internet  marketing  and  technology.  
• Talk  to  and  help  doctors  from  around  the  world  plan  their  marketing  
strategy,  reach  their  practice  goals  and  ultimately  realize  their  dreams.    
This  in  essence  is  the  story  behind  Ekwa  Marketing.      

I  believe  that  at  the  core  of  every  private  practice,  there  is  an  entrepreneurial  
spirit  similar  to  mine…and  the  key  to  success  for  any  entrepreneur  is  telling  a  
compelling  and  consistent  story.      

The  purpose  of  this  workshop  is  to  help  each  dermatologist,  who  is  willing  to  
invest  a  bit  of  time,  sit  down,  think  things  through,  identify  their  story  and  
plan  a  strategy  for  success!    

The  vision  of  Ekwa  Marketing  and  our  primary  tag  line  is  this:    Helping  doctors  
who  know  where  they  want  to  go,  get  there!  

Do  you  know  where  you  want  to  go?  
Do  you  even  know  where  you  are?    

You’d  be  surprised  how  many  dermatologists  I  talk  with  who  really  do  not  have  
answers  to  these  simple  questions.    One  question  I  ask  every  doctor  I  help  is  
“Where  do  your  new  patients  come  from?”    Many  do  not  know.      

Just  as  you  cannot  grow  a  beautiful  garden  without  the  right  seeds,  you  cannot  
grow  a  thriving  dermatology  practice  without  the  right  information!        

Just  as  I  do  each  day,  in  Marketing  Review  and  Strategy  Sessions  with  doctors  
just  like  you,  I  will  use  this  workshop  to  lead  you  through  the  process  of  
identifying  your  current  practice  standing,  your  future  goals  and  the  steps  you  
need  to  take  to  meet  those  goals.    So  let’s  get  started!      

Gather  up  every  bit  of  information  you  have,  tracking  data,  marketing  results,  
revenue  and  new  patient  reports  and  then,  turn  the  page.    You’ll  be  surprised  at  
what  you  learn!  

Naren  Arulrajah,  Founder  and  CEO  
www.ekwa.com  

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Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

Understanding  today  

Our  first  exercise  is  to  take  stock  of  the  basics  of  your  practice.    Where  you  are  
located,  the  services  you  offer,  staffing  and  brand  are  all  part  of  your  overall  
story.      

Many  doctors  brand  their  practice  in  a  way  that  appeals  to  their  local  
demographic.    Example:  mountain  view  dermatology.    Some  brands  are  
established  on  the  goals  and/or  perceptions  of  a  patient  base.    Example:  skin  
perfect  or  ageless  beauty.    

These  basic  branding  decisions  may  seem  small,  but  they  are  the  beginning  of  the  
overall  story  you  tell  online.    They  should  carryover  visually  into  each  piece  of  
your  marketing  from  website  design  to  social  media  to  the  overall  feel  of  your  
practice  environment.      

So,  let’s  begin  by  documenting  the  basics  of  your  current  practice  and  note  any  
areas  that  may  need  improvement  or  were  overlooked.      

Your  City  
How  big  is  your  city,  both  in  terms  of  population  and  patient  opportunity?    How  
far  will  a  patient  in  your  area  travel  to  see  you  and  acquire  your  services?  
✎

Procedures  
Now  we  are  going  to  assess  your  primary  services/procedures.      
We  will  break  it  down  into  three  areas  and  create  lists  below.  

Services  I  perform  most  (cash  cows)  
✎

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Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

Services  I  most  enjoy  (and  would  like  to  do  more  of)  
✎

Services  with  the  highest  revenue  (working  smarter,  not  harder)  
✎

Next,  let’s  talk  about  your  staff.    List  all  of  your  primary  staff  including  yourself.    
How  many  physicians?    Front  desk  staff?    Aestheticians?    Others?  
✎

Are  you  willing  to  hire  more  staff  or  even  take  on  additional  doctors  in  order  to  
grow  your  business?    Yes  or  No.    Then  give  additional  details  below  if  needed.      
✎

Your  Brand  
What  is  the  primary  focus  of  your  brand?    Your  name?  A  specific  service  or  
condition?    A  feeling?    Identify  your  focus  and  explain  it  below.      
✎

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Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

What  are  your  long-­‐‑range  plans  for  your  brand?      Examples  would  be  passing  it  
on  to  your  son  or  daughter,  selling  the  practice  and  retiring,  expanding  to  other  
locations.      
✎

If  I  were  a  reporter  on  the  street  interviewing  one  of  your  patients,  what  would  
you  want  them  to  say  about  you  and  your  practice  experience?    Write  your  
“dream  answer”  below.  
✎

Now  here  is  the  6  million  dollar  question…  Does  your  practice,  staff,  marketing,  
website  and  online  reputation  reflect  your  dream  answer  above?    If  not,  where  
do  you  think  you  need  improvement?      
✎

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Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

Congratulations!    After  working  through  the  questions  above  you  should  have  a  
good  feel  for  your  practice  as  it  stands  today.    You  have  a  better  understanding  
of  your  brand  and  areas  of  strength  and  weakness  when  it  comes  to  expressing  
that  brand.    You  should  also  have  gained  insight  into  the  services  you  offer  
patients  and  how  those  services  shape  your  practice.      

I’ll  leave  you  with  a  rhetorical  and  thought  provoking  question.  

A  longstanding  TV  show,  Royal  Pains,  is  about  a  concierge  medical  practice  and  
doctor  (named  Hank)  with  a  unique  brand.    Each  time  someone  in  the  company  
answers  the  phone,  they  say  “HankMed.    How  can  we  help  you  feel  better  
today?”      

Is  your  practice  brand  being  expressed  so  clearly,  right  down  to  the  way  staff  
answers  the  phone?      
Revenues  and  New  Patient  Flow  

Now  we  need  to  get  into  real  numbers.    As  I  mentioned  early  on…  you  can’t  
grow  a  dermatology  practice  without  having  the  right  information.      Sadly,  this  is  
where  many  doctors  get  lost.      

While  it  is  true  that  doctors  need  to  be  free  to  do  what  they  do  best,  care  for  
patients.    It’s  also  important  that  they  know  the  true  health  of  their  business.    
Remember,  we  are  also  entrepreneurs!      

So,  let’s  channel  our  inner  accountant  for  a  bit  and  think  about  our  income  and  
expenses.      

How  many  new  patients  do  you  get  each  month?  
Good  month                  
Bad  month                

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Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

Where  do  these  new  patients  come  from?  Be  specific.    Example:  35%  of  my  new  
patients  come  from  patient  referrals.    Try  to  account  for  100%  of  your  new  
patient  flow!  
✎

Now  here  comes  a  tough  question…  
How  much  money  are  you  currently  spending  on  marketing,  all  marketing  and  
where  are  you  spending  it?    Be  specific.    Yellow  pages,  PPC  advertising,  
billboards,  local  paper,  call  tracking.    Anything  that  costs  you  money  and  you  
expect  to  increase  new  patient  flow  should  be  listed.  
Item  one:✎  

Item  two:✎  

Item  three:✎  

Item  four:✎  

Item  five:✎  

Item  six:  ✎  

Item  seven:✎  

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Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

Total  Marketing  expenses  and/or  further  notes:    
✎

Now,  go  back  and  detail  new  patients  received  from  each  of  your  marketing  
expenses.    What’s  working?    Do  any  match  up?    Could  you  even  come  up  with  
an  answer?      
Ideally,  what  you  spend  the  most  on,  should  be  netting  you  the  most  new  
patients.    I  still  talk  to  doctors  who  are  spending  a  huge  amount  of  money  on  
yellow  page  ads.    It’s  comfortable.    They  have  “always  done  it.”    But  the  truth  is  
that  the  yellow  pages  are  no  longer  relevant  with  today’s  consumer.    Think  about  
it.    Even  dictionaries  are  becoming  a  thing  of  the  past…  if  you  want  information  
you  go  to  one  place.    Google!  

Use  the  space  below  to  document  your  thoughts  concerning  your  marketing  
expenses  vs  your  new  patient  numbers.    Are  you  spending  money  in  the  right  
places?    Are  you  getting  value  for  your  investment?    Are  you  happy  with  your  
ROI  on  each  marketing  expense?      
✎

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Ekwa Marketing: Helping doctors who know where they want to go, get there!

Start  with  the  end  in  mind  

Now  that  you  have  determined  your  current  position  as  far  as  revenues  and  new  
patients  go,  the  next  decisions  you  must  make  concern  were  you  want  to  go.      

As  I’ve  stated  before,  the  primary  goal  of  Ekwa  is  to  help  doctors  get  where  they  
want  to  go.    To  do  this,  we  have  to  start  with  the  end  in  mind.    If  you  are  going  to  
build  a  house,  you  need  to  have  blueprints  for  a  beautiful  home,  not  a  barn!    The  
same  goes  for  building  a  growing  practice  and  online  presence.      

So  how  do  you  get  the  right  blueprint?    You  take  all  the  data  you  collected  in  the  
last  section,  and  multiply  it  by  your  three-­‐‑year  dream  practice  vision.      

To  begin  with,  go  back  to  the  services  list  you  made.    Those  you  do  the  most  of,  
that  have  the  highest  revenue  or  that  give  you  the  most  joy.    Now  let’s  answer  a  
few  questions  based  on  that  list.      

What  areas  on  your  list  do  you  most  what  to  grow  and  why?    There  is  no  limit  to  
this  list,  and  the  reasons  will  vary  from  procedure  to  procedure.    Some  may  even  
have  more  than  one  reason.    That  is  ok.    The  main  point  is  to  establish  a  list  of  
“where  you  want  to  grow.”      
✎

Now,  let’s  dream  a  bit.  
In  three  years,  if  you  look  at  your  practice,  what  should  it  look  like  for  you  to  be  
happy?      

Overall  Revenue?    
✎

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