There are times when you have to create a letter, a flyer or some other promotional piece quickly and without professional help. Whatever you generate will be much more effective if you manage to avoid these five most common writing mistakes in your healthcare marketing:
1. “YOU” is always better than “ME” – Instead of placing too much emphasis on your practice or yourself (ME, ME, ME), focus your message on your patient or referrer (YOU, YOU, YOU). Instead of starting your message with a phrase such as, “Here at XYZ Healthcare, we…”, focus on the recipient of your message with a phrase such as, “When you need faster pain relief, you’ll find it at…”. Readers need to know that you care more about them than yourself.
2. What’s in it for the reader? – The American consumer only cares about “What’s in it for me?” Your words, therefore, should include all the benefits to the reader. Benefits such as fewer appointments, less waiting, faster pain relief, friendlier service, greater convenience and more compassion are more important than features.
3. Clinical language vs. plain language – Clinicians tend to write most healthcare materials (including instructions to patients!) at a 12th grade level. Unfortunately, most American consumers read at a 5th-6th-grade level. Avoid medical terminology and clinical language in favor of plain English to ensure that your message is received and understood. Medical terminology, jargon and statistics may be perfectly suitable – and desirable – when communicating with other health professionals. But, when communicating with patients, plain conversational language always works best.
4. Write for your target audience (Hint: That’s not you!) – Think about the patients you want in your practice. How old are they? Are they primarily white-collar professionals or blue-collar laborers? What do they want and need from your practice? Are they well-educated or not so much? It might help to jot down a list of their characteristics before crafting your marketing message. (Also, see #3 above.)
5. Always include a call to action – Perhaps the most common mistake in marketing writing, this is one area where you can be prescriptive. Tell your potential new patient what to do next. Visit your website. Call for a complimentary consultation. Ask about your free offer.
For more advice about communicating effectively with your patients, talk to one of the marketing communications experts at Practice Builders (855-898-2710). Better still, ask us to help you with your message, even if it’s on short notice.