Consumer Marketing Tips – Diversify Your Marketing Efforts

By Jeff Flaten, Consumer Marketing Manager

Marketing doesn’t have to be a gamble. If you really want to beat the odds when it comes to marketing your practice, you need a well-thought-out strategy and diversified tactics.

Identify your marketing strategy

• Let It Ride – Doing the same activity with the same results
• Double Down – Repeating the same activity until it stops working
• Black Jack – You react based on cards that are dealt
• Slot Machine – Doing whatever comes up
• Card Counter – Takes the knowledge of cards played and tracks mentally making the best estimated decision
• Cracking the Nut – Making enough money on a gambling venture to cover all expenses plus a reasonable net profit

Understand the cost to play

If you’re going to implement a certain tactic, make sure you track results and understand your average cost per patient acquisition.  This shows you how effective and valuable the tactic is from a business objective standpoint.

Refine your tactics

Based on the results you’ve seen in the past from certain tactics, you can further refine your marketing program to focus on the tactics that perform the best for you. For example, some tactics that have performed very well for our customers:

1. Formalized Patient Referral Program – A Family and Friends Program can be effective in generating new patients from existing patients.
2. Database Upgrade Mailing – Hearing aid upgrade messaging to current users can result in new sales to existing customers.  We have seen a 4.1% response rate from this tactic with 56% of hearing aids being sold to current users.
3. Consumer Seminars – Patients want to be educated about the options available to them.  Using professional trainers increases the results.  In our experience, sending out a formal invitation for a consumer seminar results in an average of 30 calls.
4. In-Office Events – Remember the following statistics: 3% are buying now; 7% are open to it; 30% are not thinking about it; 30% don’t think they’re interested and 30% know they’re not interested.  In our experience, sending out formal invitations to an in-office event results in an average of 37 calls.

In Summary

• Understand your marketing strategy
• Utilize your relationships to increase business
• Communicate with patients
• Offer to educate new patients
• Plan and executive event marketing

Wondering where to start?  The ReSound Consumer Marketing Team is here to help you:

• Schedule an event date
• Manage and train staff in marketing
• Design the marketing piece
• Develop a message
• Select a marketing campaign
• Target new or existing patients
• Learn new technology and products
• Purchase a list
• And more

Contact us at ConsumerMarketing@gnresound.com