Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with a wide variety of physician clients, from new up-and-comers to established, veteran, high-volume physicians.
The need and opportunity relative to online marketing and building a personal brand becomes pretty evident to most younger physicians. Truthfully, it quickly becomes apparent to many of the established physicians I meet with as well.
However, the most common point of reluctance I hear at times from high-volume physicians is, ”I’m already on top. Why do I need to do this?”
It’s a fair and natural question, but it can lead to a dangerous mindset. In fact, it’s that very same mindset that led to many businesses like Blockbuster, Sears, and Toys ‘R’ Us to failure when they refused to adapt to the online movement.
There are many reasons high-volume physicians need to consider investing in online marketing and building a personal brand. Below I’ll cover three of them.
1). Don’t Allow Your Competition an Opportunity to Take Marketshare
I remember early on in my career when I was beginning to experience a lot of success, one of my mentors wisely issued a challenge to me:
”Now that you’re on top, what would you do if you were someone who had to beat you? — Go do that.”
With almost 80% of patients today doing online research before booking an appointment, SEO is the most significant marketing opportunity (or risk) today. This is a key focus area that high-volume physicians cannot afford to overlook.
2). If You’re Not Growing, You’re Dying
The main issue I see among some high-volume physicians is simply a reluctance to personally invest the time or financial resources into building a personal brand. But the truth is, marketing is an investment, not an expense.
Tony Robbins once said, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” And he was absolutely right. As I mentioned above, 80% of patients are searching online before scheduling an appointment. If they can’t find you, it’s going to be difficult to continue growing your practice.
3). Don’t Be at the Mercy of Others for Your Marketing
To put it bluntly, a hospital or large group practice isn’t going to have the same focus or opportunity to market you than what you will. Time and time again, doctors will share with me how they feel underrepresented, and this comes even from high-volume physicians who are employed by a major healthcare system.
The truth is that the best way to succeed online is by creating a personal brand. Plus, having that brand and marketing engine in place provides a tremendous sense of freedom should you ever have the desire to make a change.
Bonus: Do More of What You Do Best, More Profitably Each Day
This is one of my favorites. I love working with physicians who are able to see more of the types of patients they desire as a result of successful online marketing.
Question: What are you putting at risk by not investing in online marketing?