Six Strategies to Increase Patient Loyalty
GUEST POST by Joel Cordle
Acquiring new patients is a continuing challenge for doctors and healthcare providers, but perhaps the greater challenge—with longer-term rewards—is the ongoing effort to build trust and loyalty with existing patients.
Here are several strategies to engage healthcare consumers and increase patient loyalty.
Build your brand
Branding is not just about the logo. It is all about what you and your practice is known for, and what it does better than others. For example, demonstrating a special concern for patient needs (and providing a solution) is an expression of your brand message that the practice cares deeply for people. Patients increasingly expect and select providers that deliver on their brand promise.
Understand the purpose of marketing
Marketing, in any type of business, helps develop trust and strong relationships between the provider and consumers. Effective marketing also communicates reasons to trust, choose you, and recommend you to others.
Customer feedback
Customer feedback is an important resource that identifies things that your patients love, and don’t love, about your company. Patients appreciate that you are doing everything you can to make improvements and that inspires greater trust and loyalty. If you want a solid customer feedback forum, you can check out customer feedback software.
Patient questionnaires
Questionnaires or surveys are a channel for patient feedback that reveals additional avenues for improvement.
Social media and monitoring
A social media presence is an effective way to connect with and attract new patients. Join them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Let consumers know what you are doing for them
Patients look to doctors to provide help with their individual health issues. But beyond that, some healthcare and service benefits aren't always obvious. It’s useful to explain (beyond serving the immediate concern) how the practice can help meet future needs.
Loyalty is earned through performance and satisfaction. It’s not automatic and it can’t be taken for granted. Routinely meeting and exceeding service expectations can inspire continuing allegiance to the practice and future referrals.
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GUEST POST submitted by Joel Cordle, medical marketer and CEO of Review Leap. He is active in the social media market and keeps informed about effective strategies for enhanced online presence. He also enjoys reading and writing about marketing, healthcare reputation management, consumer feedback and customer loyalty.
