The Ultimate
Ophthalmic Marketing
Guide
Peter J Polack MD FACS & Becky Smith
Foreword
From the desk of John Pinto, J. Pinto & Associates:
In my 40 years of ophthalmology management consulting work, I have found that there are three kinds of physicians:
Dr. Peter Polack, one of ophthalmology’s rare polymaths, falls decidedly into the last category. I’ve known Peter for nearly half of my career, and from my first encounters with him, have seen his interest in marketing grow. This has not only resulted in the text you are about to read, but also in Peter and his colleagues building a flourishing practice in the hyper-competitive Central Florida market. Lots of authors write how-to books; the most effective and practically valuable authors write based not just on theory, but on years of direct personal experience, wins and instructive failures.
If you and your practice staff can successfully apply just a small fraction of what you are about to read, your enterprise will grow at higher than accustomed rates, and better, you will feel a new sense of control over your destiny as a business owner.
One warning: This book is not for those with delicate sensibilities about the interdigitation of business and medicine. Peter minces no words about the contemporary twin obligation to treat your patients with the highest standards of clinical care, while simultaneously treating your practice like the efficient commercial engine it must become to survive in the present environment.
John Pinto, President
J. Pinto & Associates, Inc.
1021 Scott Street Suite 356
San Diego, CA 92016
Welcome to The
Ultimate Ophthalmic Marketing Guide "Blook" Version
"Blook," as in Blog + Book...
...because this "Blook" is based on on our popular Ultimate Ophthalmic Marketing Guide book, available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle formats, and we now present it in a blog format so we can keep it continually updated on the latest information and technology.
We recommend starting with the Introduction below and then digesting the content in order, but feel free to skip ahead to other sections if you so choose.
Why We Wrote This Guide (and why it's important than ever)
In our Better Ophthalmic Marketing blog, as well as articles I have written in several publications, an over-arching idea is one of making your practice resilient, to such things as pandemics, recessions (or depressions!), and other disasters which could potentially impact your practice and your livelihood.
In this guide, we cover the 7R Marketing Strategy, a strategy which utilizes a scientific marketing approach to cash-pay, premium-services marketing as a hedge against downward forces on your core insurance-based services such as inflation and cuts in reimbursement (neither of which you have control over).
Introduction
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Leverage Your Time and Marketing Investment by Implementing the 7R Marketing Strategy
Prologue
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Applying a scientific methodology to your practice marketing that is measurable, repeatable, scalable, and automated will transform it from a necessary expense to a justifiable investment
Chapter 1: Reputation
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
If you don't purposely build, manage, and market your reputation, external forces will define it for you
Chapter 2: Review
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Implement a system to encourage happy patients to post reviews and to ethically address unhappy patients' concerns before they do so
Chapter 3: Retain
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Maintaining an ongoing relationship with patients is the best way to ensure a successful patient retention strategy
Chapter 4: Resell
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Most practices are leaving a lot of money on the table by not having a resell strategy in place
Chapter 5: Reactivate
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Next to Retention, Reactivation is the next most cost-effective strategy for your practice marketing
Chapter 6: Recruit
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
While new patient acquisition is important for any specialty that performs surgery, it is also the most expensive, so care should be taken not to overemphasize it at the expense of all other strategies
Chapter 7: Refer
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
When done correctly, referral marketing should be inexpensive and nearly effortless
Chapter 8: Social Media
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Your social media marketing needs to adhere to the same scientific marketing principles as the rest of your marketing program
Chapter 9: Marketing Technology
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Marketing technology can leverage your effort and investment but it is important not to get bogged down in the minutiae
Chapter 10: Physician Marketing -
Legal & Compliance
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Check with your legal counsel to ensure your marketing and social media programs are in compliance at both the state and federal levels
Chapter 11: Putting It All Together
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
As much as possible, all of your marketing efforts should follow the 7R Marketing Strategy, but the most important thing is to take the first step
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