Have you ever wondered “How to charge high prices for your services or products and services and have patients or clients actually thank you for it.?”
If you run a medical clinic and want to elevate your marketing to charge what your services are truly worth by building a strong marketing infrastructure, this video is for you.
Hi and welcome to another episode of Online Marketing For Doctors TV and Podcast show. I’m Huyen Truong, founder of Online Marketing for Doctors. My team and I have been in this medical marketing for over a decade, helping clinics all around the world grow.
Recently, I read a book called The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib – a serial entrepreneur, rebellious marketer, technology expert, and author of the international bestseller, The 1-Page Marketing Plan. He has started, grown and successfully exited multiple businesses in various industries. The 1-Page Marketing Plan book has over 9,700 reviews on Amazon. I found several compelling insights that reinforced what we’ve been successfully implementing at OMD Marketing and in our client campaigns. I’d like to share some of these valuable lessons with you.
In Allan Dib’s insightful book The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand Out From The Crowd, he introduces a powerful marketing concept rooted in the age-old archetypes of farmers and hunters. These two approaches symbolise distinct strategies businesses use to attract and retain customers. Understanding which one you align with — or how to blend both — can transform your marketing success.
The Farmer Mindset
Farmers cultivate relationships patiently. They plant seeds, nurture them over time, and eventually harvest the fruits of their labour. In medical marketing, this approach involves building trust and educating potential patients through consistent content and patient-focused campaigns.
Key Characteristics of a Medical Marketing Farmer:
- Relationship-Focused: Building lasting patient trust.
- Long-Term Strategy: Consistency and patience are essential.
- Examples: Educational blogs, patient newsletters, social media engagement, patient-focused website and search engine optimisation (SEO).
Example in Action: A plastic surgery clinic creates a blog about various procedures, shares patient testimonials on social media, and sends personalised follow-up emails after consultations. These efforts build credibility and encourage repeat consultations over time.
Why Be a Farmer?
- Sustainable patient growth.
- Increased patient loyalty and referrals.
- Reliable and recurring patient enquiries.
Potential Challenges:
- Requires time and consistent effort.
- Slower to see immediate results.
The Hunter Mindset
Hunters are action-oriented and focused on immediate results. They pursue potential patients actively through direct advertising and promotional campaigns.
Key Characteristics of a Medical Marketing Hunter:
Example in Action: A hair transplant clinic runs Google Ads targeting “best hair transplant near me” to attract potential clients actively searching for treatment. This strategy generates immediate enquiries.
Why Be a Hunter?
- Immediate patient bookings.
- Fast practice growth.
- Competitive advantage in dynamic markets.
Potential Challenges:
- Requires continuous ad spend.
- High patient acquisition costs.
- Less emphasis on long-term relationships.
Building a Strong Marketing Infrastructure
Allan Dib emphasises the importance of a robust marketing infrastructure to support both farming and hunting strategies. This includes having systems and processes in place to manage and track marketing efforts effectively.
Key Elements of a Medical Marketing Infrastructure:
1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Use a CRM system to track patient interactions, manage enquiries, and follow up on leads. For example, a plastic surgery clinic can use CRM software to schedule consultations, send reminders, and track post-treatment follow-ups.
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and is a piece of software to help connect all different parts of your business. You might already be using something similar to manage your patients in your clinic. This type of tool is very powerful for managing the leads and prospects you’re getting from your SEO and online ad campaigns, especially through the automation features that they offer.
Here’s why:
- It helps you store important details about patients beyond their medical records. You can track how they found your clinic, what treatments they’re interested in, and even their birthdays for a personalised touch.
- They can automate your outreach, like sending appointment reminders, follow-up emails after visits, or even targeted promotions for specific services. This frees up your staff to focus on patient care.
- They can help you measure what matters, like understanding which marketing efforts are bringing in new patients and which ones need adjusting. This helps you make smarter decisions about where to spend your marketing budget.
The other great thing about CRMs for medical practices is that they unlock the opportunity for automation.
Picture this: A new patient visits your website from your SEO, and downloads an e-book from your website about a specific procedure you offer, like a hair transplant. Your CRM automatically:
- Creates a new prospect profile with their information
- Tags them as interested in hair transplants, and from a lead from SEO
- Sends a welcome email with helpful resources and a link to your online scheduling software
- Adds them to an slow drip email marketing campaign to provide information about your clinic’s services and expertise over a few weeks
Then:
- If they book an appointment, it automatically updates in your clinics calendars
- If they don’t respond, it can trigger a task for your staff to follow up with a phone call to answer any questions
While automation can seem complicated, once these processes are implemented they can really streamline your workflow. This frees up your teams’ time from sending reminder emails, and lets them focus on other valuable tasks.
If you wonder what CRM you should be using, we usually recommend Go High Level as the go to CRM because of its robust nature and its affordability. If you want to have your team set this up for you, please reach out to us.
2. A Modern, Conversion-Optimised Website
First up, let’s talk about a modern, conversion-optimised website. Now, websites have been the backbone of digital marketing for decades, and they’re still a critical piece of your strategy. Think of it as your online real estate – it’s where your prospects come to learn about you and engage with your practice.
At the most basic level, a modern website needs to work just as well on mobile as it does on a big screen. It should load fast and be packed with great content. But let’s break down what else it needs:
- Your homepage should be conversion-optimised. This means making it as easy as possible for viewers to leave their details or download additional resources. Remember, every click should bring them closer to booking an appointment.
- Include rich videos that introduce yourself, your clinic, and showcase your expertise. This helps build trust and connection with potential patients.
- Don’t forget to include educational details about your procedures. This makes it easier for prospects to understand what you offer and choose your practice.
- And of course, include before and after case studies, along with plenty of patient testimonials. These are powerful social proof that can significantly influence a potential patient’s decision. They form an important part of our Patient Generation Blueprint methodology, so check out our video about reviews and how you can get more of them.
3. Bespoke SEO and Content Strategy
Moving on to our third focus – a bespoke SEO and content strategy. Now, Google search is still critical, but SEO is evolving. One big change we’re seeing is the growing importance of TikTok and short-form videos. More people are starting their research on these platforms than ever before. They’re discovering clinics, learning from creators, and choosing the right partner for their procedure.
So, while you’re optimising for Google, don’t forget about creating short-form content for these newer platforms. By focusing your efforts across these channels, you’ll be able to capture traffic from all the main places people are searching. This will make sure your clinic is visible where your potential patients are.
In podcast number 109, we delved more into the benefits of SEO for medical practices via the topic 5 Must Know Benefits Of SEO For Getting More Patients Consistently
If you want to check it out, I leave the link in the shownote.
- Marketing Automation: Implement automated email campaigns for nurturing leads. A hair transplant clinic can set up automated emails educating potential patients about procedures, expected results, and aftercare.
- Landing Pages and Websites: Ensure your website is optimised for both paid and organic traffic. Create targeted landing pages tailored to specific campaigns, like offering seasonal promotions for certain procedures.
- Analytics and Reporting: Track key metrics like patient acquisition cost, return on marketing spend for each marketing channel, and conversion rates. Use these insights to refine marketing strategies. If you need a template in the marketing budget and return on investment tracking sheet, please reach out to our team at [email protected].
- Content Library: Develop a repository of patient-focused content, including blogs, videos, and testimonials. This builds trust and credibility while supporting SEO efforts.
Finding the Balance in Medical Marketing
Success in medical marketing often comes from blending both approaches. Farmers build trust through educational content and patient relationships, while hunters drive immediate bookings through targeted ads.
How to Balance the Two:
- Lead Generation (Hunter): Use paid search and social media ads to attract new patient inquiries.
- Lead Nurturing (Farmer): Use email campaigns and social media to provide health tips and updates.
- Patient Retention (Farmer): Develop loyalty programs and personalised care follow-ups.
- Sales Activations (Hunter): Offer limited-time promotions for specific treatments or seasonal health check-ups.
Example in Action: A plastic surgery clinic runs a limited-time promotion for facial rejuvenation treatments (Hunter) while maintaining an educational YouTube channel featuring before-and-after transformations and recovery tips (Farmer). This strategy drives both immediate bookings and long-term patient loyalty.
Conclusion
Understanding the farmer vs hunter marketing mindset can help medical practices craft well-rounded strategies that generate both immediate patient bookings and long-term growth. Evaluate your current marketing efforts: Are you planting seeds for future patient relationships or chasing the next big enquiry? The most successful practices master both approaches, adapting their strategies to evolving market conditions and practice goals.
So, are you a farmer, a hunter — or a bit of both?
If you want to find out more about how Online Marketing For Doctors can help you implement these strategies, please reach out to us and book a free 15-minute discovery call. We’d love to show you how we can tailor these approaches to your specific practice.
Thank you for joining us for this week’s episode. Remember, staying ahead in digital marketing is all about adapting to new trends while keeping sight of the fundamentals. We’ll see you next time!
No Comments
Add Comment