A rich source of new patients.
A large or dominant employer in your community – or the business across the street – is an excellent target of opportunity for new patients and cases, especially if you’re already serving some of those employees. Here are ways to get better acquainted, demonstrate value to those employees, and attract new patients from nearby companies.
Begin by putting your mental list of local businesses on paper. Some business names will be top of mind, and the General Manager of XYZ Business might be a member of your Rotary Club. Take the time to check with the local chamber or business development group to identify the bigger and/or better businesses in your practice area. (You might be surprised.)
And don’t fail to talk this through with your staff—chances are they have good ideas and grass roots connections through friends, family, neighbours or social acquaintances to help grow the list. Consider the following tactics, and keep in mind that one or more idea might be appropriate to more than one target group:
Talk with existing patients from the business (or businesses) to point you to the right decision-makers within the business. Maybe it’s the business’s general manager, but it could be the personnel or human resources chief. Always remember to discuss the benefits you provide to BOTH the employer and employees. This is key.- Make an appointment to meet with that person and discuss opportunities to present talks, participate in health fairs or appropriate employee activities such as a “lunch-and-learn” presentations.
- Offer to write informative articles for the corporate newsletter. This type of publication is usually starving for interesting editorial material, especially when you can offer value to the employees. Newsletters typically don’t accept paid advertising, but good articles will be more effective—provided they are interesting and specifically about the benefits you can deliver.
- Create a special page on your website just for employees of XYZ Business. Include text and pictures that relate to this group, and include a special offer expressly for them. Ask patients from that business for referrals and forward a link to the special page to them.
- If the business is large or dominate in the community, direct some of your general media advertising to target these employees specifically.
- Make brochures available as a “take one” in business common areas. Or—if you have a really good relationship-insert them into pay envelopes or mailboxes. Be sure to include the special offer “for employees of XYZ Business.”
- Provide posters for business bulletin boards which present educational, healthcare information, promote specific events such as the “lunch-and-learn,” or feature the special website page for XYZ Business.
- Is there an opportunity for your staff to meet with key business people? Arrange an exchange of tours to get better acquainted and bring people of influence at XYZ Business into your office (and for your people to see what’s inside XYZ.)
- Bounce ideas off business reps that visit your office. They may be a valuable resource for special offers or provide sample products for health fairs or presentations.
- Depending on your specialty, consider conducting ergonomic evaluations, women’s health classes, fitness programs, wellness programs, expectant mother programs, etc. You get the idea.
If XYZ Business is a source of new patients that you want to attract, target them specifically with the message that you and your practice consider them to worth special attention. Keep the message—in talks, flyers, or web page—focused on how THEY can benefit. It’s not about generic “good health,” nor is it about “what you do,” – the message is the value for them.
Through any of these approaches, the message for these employees is exactly how and why your practice or healthcare organization is uniquely capable of understanding and serving the specific needs of XYZ Business employees.
