It’s no surprise to experienced marketers that medical practices need to market and define their brand differentiation strategy just like any other business does. But what might be surprising are some of the most effective methods you can take to do this.
We’ve led our LASIK eye clinic clients over the years to maximize their marketing and grow their revenue by setting themselves apart from the competition, and we want to share some of our best tips with you. Read on to find out what to include in your differentiation strategy.
Go Beyond Price
Many laser eye surgery practices mistakenly assume that price is the number one concern for most of their patients and prospective patients. But this is actually not true. We’ve found that patients care first and foremost about quality when it comes to something as important as their vision. So instead of trying to compete in a race to the bottom with pricing, focus on showcasing what makes you the best choice for quality eye care.
For example, put together a series of blog posts that highlight your eye doctors’ experience, education and warm personalities. This can help patients feel more comfortable, and trust that their vision will be in good hands. You can further set yourself apart from your peers by providing informative, educational content to those who walk in your doors or visit your website. Most people have a lot of questions about LASIK, and you can demonstrate your expertise by confidently sharing important information.
Also, listen to what your patients are asking for. One of our clients, Horizon Eye Specialists, saw an opportunity with their prospective patients who were looking for convenience, so they created a same day LASIK offering. This type of listening - and adapting - can get you far with differentiating your eye clinic from the rest. And another idea is to get involved in your local community. The more your name ends up in the community, especially in connection with local causes, the more likely prospective patients will think of you for their eye health needs - and have a positive sentiment when they do.
Personalization is Priceless
When a prospective patient starts to look into possible eye clinics for their LASIK needs, they need to feel like their eyes and eyesight matter to you - and that they do as well. Personalization is a great way to convey your caring, but this means a lot more than sending emails with the person’s first name in the opening line. If we get caught up in thinking that personalization means adding more merge fields to our emails, we’re not going to do our patients any good or nurture them through their journey with us.
Instead, consider ways in which you can personalize each person’s experience with you. Creating buyer (patient) personas is a great way to start, and then do a deep dive into what types of fears or concerns characterize each persona. You might have Persona A, who is terrified of getting LASIK, Persona B might be eager to get the procedure but skeptical of everything from the doctors to the technology used and Persona C might be ready to roll, but worried about pricing.
Cater to Customers
So, once you figure out the needs and wants of each group, you can better personalize your communications with them. For example, you’ll want to send (and convey) a lot of reassurance and trust to Persona A; detailed and authoritative content to Persona B; and plenty of information about all your financing options to Persona C. Targeting what you send and say to each of these unique groups will go a long way in helping you move these individuals through their journey with you in a personalized way.
And finally, use what you know about each patient to match them with the best doctor for them. Of course you’ll want them to be with the provider who specializes in their particular vision needs and has the right qualifications. But beyond that, try to connect patients with the providers who will give them the best overall experience. Again, going back to our example personas, Persona A would do well with a gentle, compassionate doctor, while Persona B would probably connect better with a no-nonsense, professional doctor. Personalities matter, and personalizing how you match up doctors with patients is important.
You can differentiate your LASIK eye clinic from the others out there by emphasizing your quality and expertise, and working to personalize your communications throughout the patient journey. And when all is said and done, the key is to listen to your customers and give them what they truly want and need.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help you set your LASIK practice apart and get you more patients.
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Jay, the CEO of StringCan, oversees strategy and vision, building culture that makes going into work something he looks forward to, recruiting additional awesome team members to help exceed clients goals, leading the team and allocating where StringCan invests time and money.
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