One of the best ways to stay in touch with your patient base is the newsletter. But not one of those canned “off the shelf” medical, dental or physical therapy newsletters you simply just place your logo on.
We’re talking about a real custom newsletter freshly written from the patient’s point of view 4-6 times each year. We’re talking about real news, too. And articles that are more about your patients than about your specialty.
The kind of newsletter we’re talking about is experiencing a resurgence of popularity in some markets. Smart medical, dental practitioners and other healthcare practitioners have learned to speak the language of their most influential patients – women, wives and mothers.
Women are generally the healthcare decision-makers and drivers in their households. Women are the ones who make sure their loved ones get the care they need. And women are the ones who are more likely to read articles about the social aspects of your practice than the clinical aspects (too bad most canned newsletters focus mainly on the clinical).
Has someone on your staff won an award, gotten married or given birth? Has one of your patients done something outstanding for the community or graduated from college or earned a big promotion at work? Is one of your patients famous? Do you know what your patients like to do in their spare time? Or what their hobbies and interests are?
Those are the things your newsletter should be about. Of course, every issue should have one article with something interesting about your specialty. But the rest… lighten up and have some fun with it!
Newsletters that are emailed to your patient base (or eNewsletters) are a very cost effective way to stay in touch with your patient base and do internal marketing for your practice. You can also send the newsletter to other prospect patients in the community to engage them and build awareness toward your practice.