MGMA Insights: Stewart Gandolf on the keys to successfully market your medical practice

In this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams welcomes guest Stewart Gandolf, CEO at Healthcare Success. Gandolf shares his extensive experience in healthcare marketing, dating back to the 1990s when he started teaching private practice doctors about effective marketing strategies. During the conversation, Gandolf provides an overview of the six basic levers of marketing strategies for medical practices, including traditional advertising, branding, digital marketing, patient experience, doctor referral building and public relations.

Healthcare Consumerism
In the face of healthcare consumerism and increased competition, it's crucial for medical practices to adapt their marketing approach to protect and grow their patient base. According to Gandolf, this adaptation should consider the following strategies:

1. Focus on the patient experience: Prioritize providing an exceptional patient experience, from the initial contact to post-visit follow-up. This can help build loyalty and encourage word-of-mouth referrals.
2. Leverage digital marketing: Invest in a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that includes search engine optimization, paid advertising, social media and reputation management. This can help you reach and engage with potential patients online.
3. Differentiate your practice: Identify what makes your practice unique and highlight those differentiators in your marketing. This can help you stand out from the competition and attract the right patients.
4. Protect your existing patient base: Implement strategies to retain current patients, such as email marketing, loyalty programs, and personalized outreach. This can help you maintain and grow your market share.
5. Continuously adapt and innovate: Monitor industry trends and your competitors' activities, and be willing to adjust your marketing approach as needed. Staying agile and responsive can help you stay ahead of the curve.

Overcoming Marketing Challenges on a Budget
Not all marketing strategies are created equal and not all force practices to dig deep into their budget. Gandolf provided some practical tips for overcoming marketing challenges like underfunding and internal turmoil through low-cost or no-cost strategies:

1. Leverage free online resources: Take advantage of the free educational content and resources available on websites like Healthcare Success. This can help you learn about effective marketing strategies without a large cash outlay.
2. Focus on organic social media: Building an active presence on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram can be done at little to no cost. Share informative content, engage with your audience, and build relationships.
3. Optimize your website for SEO: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, has relevant and high-quality content, and is optimized for search engines. This can help improve your online visibility without paid advertising.
4. Encourage patient referrals: Implement a simple program to ask satisfied patients to refer their friends and family. This can be as simple as providing referral cards or including a referral request in your post-visit communications.
5. Improve internal communication and alignment: Address any internal turmoil by improving communication and alignment among your team. This can help ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same marketing goals.

As Gandolf concludes in the podcast, "I want to make sure practices take this seriously. ... You don't have to say yes to marketing. Instead, what I'd recommend is that a practice you say yes to is doing the due diligence to decide if you should do marketing. And that doesn't mean you're going to go off and spend a lot. But maybe you invest a little to at least understand what the lay of the land is like."

Resources Mentioned

• Healthcare Success

MGMA Resources:

• MGMA Stat
• Ask an Advisor
• MGMA Membership
• MGMA Consulting

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