Running a successful medical or dental practice in a highly-competitive environment has made it imperative for medical practitioner’s to be equally adept with marketing strategies as they are with their clinical skills. Potential patients and clients are not looking for the “next best option.” They want the best and the most capable doctor available.

The demand for highly skilled medical practitioners is not going to let up anytime soon. And the fact that new treatment options, improved and stronger drugs, and access to better medical services and customized insurance solutions, are no longer deal clinchers, has only served to galvanize competition among medical health care providers. The only way to get your practice noticed and listed among the top 10 percentage is by adopting sophisticated marketing strategies that focus on setting you apart as an expert in your field and a leading medical practitioner.  One of the best ways of achieving this is by projecting yourself as a “Thought Leader.”

What is a Thought Leader?

Evaluating the capabilities of a doctor is a next to impossible task for most patients. However, the internet has made it easy for potential patients to assess if the doctor they have in mind is the best out there and an expert in his area of practice. If you can market yourself as a thought leader in your area of specialization, then this can help you consolidate your existing patient base and secure a healthy line up of potential patients.

The term “thought leader” can be explained through a variety of definitions. However, a generic explanation would include the most successful people or firms in their area of expertise.

The Thought Leadership Marketing Model

The thought leadership marketing model has helped a number of medical and dental practices consolidate their position as leading experts in their area of medical expertise. How have they done this? By creating educational and interactive websites, developing content rich and impactful newsletters and books and effective webinars and seminars, these medical practices have been highly successful in setting a benchmark in the standard of medical health care and services.

Developing a Thought Leadership Marketing Strategy

While creating a thought leadership marketing strategy consider the following –

•    Create a robust content marketing strategy which can set you apart as a subject matter expert (SME) and will highlight your area of specialization

•    Develop a highly interactive and patient-friendly website featuring a comprehensive resource of medical information

•    This is the age of digital media and you need to ensure that potential patients will be able to access your content through a variety of different content formats such as blogs, whitepapers, eBooks, videos, podcast, slide shows, press releases, radio interviews, as well as patient testimonials and reviews

•    Social media is another area which you cannot afford to ignore. In our highly connected environment, social media is the glue which can keep you connected with your patients at all times. You need to ensure your profile pages on popular social media outlets, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is accurate and updated always

•    Networking is a 24/7 job and you need to be seen to be remembered by potential patients. The best way to do this is by attending community events, organizing health camps, and through presentations on healthcare issues in schools and colleges

This does sound like and honestly is a lot of work for any medical practitioner. This is where the Ekwa team can step in and work with you to create and implement a marketing strategy which will propel your practice on the road to success. Contact us to discuss your needs and find out how we can improve the health of your practice.