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A marketing funnel maps out the processes that patients go through when searching for a doctor or a practice that will fulfill their medical needs. The marketing funnel theory states that patients go through several stages or phases before making the final call to the office to become a patient in the practice. By mapping out these stages and by stepping into your patient's shoes, you can see your practice from the patient's point of view. This article explains a more widely applicable version of the marketing funnel and its application to a medical practice.
KEY WORDS: Marketing; marketing funnel; patient satisfaction; online reputation management; online reviews; search engine optimization.
MARKETING FUNNEL
The marketing funnel (Figure 1) can be used to understand the process of attracting patients to your practice. There are several distinct phases of the patient journey where this funnel is applicable to your medical practices. The funnel is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom because every stage represents the amount of potential patients entering the funnel. Because you are likely to lose some potential patients along the way, the funnel gets narrower toward the bottom. This article reviews each state of the marketing funnel.
AWARENESS
The marketing funnel starts off with the awareness stage, often called the attention-seeking stage. The goal of this stage is to gain presence and to introduce your practice to potential patients-they need to know that you exist. You can either actively reach potential patients through newsletters, marketing campaigns, or word of mouth, or help them discover you more easily with their own (online) search. In order for patients to more easily find you online, search engine optimization (SEO), both organic and nonorganic (i.e., pay per click) is the best method.
INTEREST
Now that you have the patients' attention, you want to create some interest. The goal of this stage is to show who you are and what your areas of interest or expertise are. You are trying to build a relationship with your potential patients and gain trust. Give patients and potential patients valuable information, but don't focus on selling your...