Top 3 Questions to Ask Before Hiring Medical Marketer

So, you’ve decided to hire a medical marketing firm to promote your practice. You’ve made a wise decision. Long gone are the days when word of mouth ruled. Now, almost everything is digital, which can seem overwhelming when trying to promote your brand. And further complicating matters, medical marketing requires a very different advertising approach altogether. So, what should you look for when searching for a medical marketing firm? Today, we will discuss the three most important questions you should ask a potential medical marketer before you consider working with them.

1. How is medical marketing different from marketing another type of company?

A well-rounded medical marketer will understand that there are nuances to promoting medical practices that simply do not exist within traditional marketing. Medical practices are set apart from other types of businesses in that a strong marketing plan will encompass not only external marketing tactics but also internal marketing tactics. What we mean by this is that there is an element of marketing that must exist within your practice for your marketing strategy to succeed. Some of these elements include:

• Friendly and professional staff
• Actively listening to your patients
• Providing a comfortable, clean and safe environment for your patients
• Understanding, respecting and following HIPAA compliancy (patient privacy laws)
• Encouraging patient retention
• Generating new patients through existing patients

Medical marketers understand how important these elements can be and will have resources and plans available to assist medical practices in implementing internal marketing strategies for overall success.

Do you have a strong understanding of HIPAA Compliance?

As mentioned above, HIPAA refers to patient privacy and HIPAA, an acronym you’re probably overly familiar with, is something a medical marketing firm should know inside and out. When it comes to HIPAA compliance, medical marketers must be very deliberate in the information they convey to the public. The requirement to protect confidential patient information extends to marketing, and certain instances can prove to be challenging. One such instance is patient reviews – specifically negative reviews. It can be a gut instinct to defend yourself and your practice when a patient leaves you a negative review online. However, doing so could potentially cause a HIPAA violation. Medical marketers who truly understand HIPAA compliance will know the correct way to address negative patient reviews and will promote your business in a way that maintains your patients’ privacy.

Does your staff members have experience working within a medical practice?

The best medical marketing practices can combine marketing experience with medical experience. What we mean by this is that a medical marketing firm that employ and have a mix of individuals who have experience working in the front and back offices of a medical practice as well as those with traditional marketing experience is a huge plus and an important difference between conventional and medical marketing firms. Medical marketers understand the dynamics of operating a medical practice, and this knowledge is instrumental in producing solid internal and external marketing plans.

Hiring a medical marketing firm to represent your practice is an important first step in successful advertising. A top-quality medical marketer will employ a talented staff with various marketing and medical knowledge. If you would like to learn more about medical marketing and its benefits for your practice, contact McCauley Marketing Services today. For additional tips and updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.