I know, you’re a doctor not a marketer but…
That still doesn’t give you the right to ignore your list.
And just to remind you, your list should consist of the following:
- New Patients – Those just starting care.
- Current Patients – Those still under care.
- Past Patients – Those who are no longer under care.
- All local friends and family – Assuming they still like you. 🙂
- All prospects and leads – Those folks you’ve met face-to-face and those who have responded to any on or offline marketing. (Facebook ads, Facebook videos, Facebook Custom Audiences/Retargeting, etc.. BTW, Facebook is rapidly becoming more and more difficult to work with and less effective. As a marketing tool, I’m personally shying away from it all together. But I am a huge fan of direct mail —the Blog postcard and The Monthly Pain Relief Update mailing— and the daily emails that we shoot out on behalf of your office.)
New patients go through a specific series of emails that ChiroTrust emails for you. (Don’t worry, your name is still the sender. We just manage all the “tech” for you.) Once they go thru these emails, they will get the “Daily Health Update” and “Monthly Pain Relief Update” emails like everyone else on your list (current/past patients/local friends and family/prospects and leads).
Everyone should also get the offline communication (see the Vault), unless they are leads, prospects, or old patients whom you haven’t been getting multiple communications per month to date. In their case, only snail mail the leads from the past year and any past patients whose last visit was during the last 12 months. (However, you can and should add all your past patients and leads to your email list.)
Ignoring your list also includes not communicating to your list often enough.
Once a year holiday cards, birthday cards, “We miss you postcards” (do D.C.s still send those pathetic things out? 🙂 ), outbound phone calls… not only aren’t nearly enough, they position you as a desperate and struggling D.C..
What works best is to provide value to everyone on your list regardless if they have never been a patient, are currently under care, or have just been released from care.
It’s how I built and continue to grow ChiroTrust.
71 new members just last month and we expect even more starting in December.
How can I attract so many D.C.s from all over the country without ads in trade journals, booths at trade shows, or shaking hands and kissing babies?….
I nurture my list.
And so should you.
Ignoring your list is the worst thing you could ever do.
See, Chiropractors—including you—don’t have a new patient problem.
You have a retention, referrals, and reactivation problem. Scratch that, it’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity.
So STOP getting all excited when a new patient comes through the door from a spinal screening, an online ad, or as a random “walk in”…
Your focus should always be on what you do ONCE you get them… and not how to replace them.
Replacing them is a sign of an ignored list.
Replacing them is a sign of a product that most of your patients don’t want (priced wrong, positioned wrong, provided wrong)
Replacing them is a sign of a bigger problem….
And a bigger opportunity worthy of your thought, focus, and discussion with me and other members of ChiroTrust.
So in January, when you get an invitation to attend one or more of the 4 live ChiroTrust events (Free for ChiroTrust members), respond. Commit to attending.
You’ll be provided an accountability partner to talk to on the phone every week or two.
You will meet ChiroTrust members who’ve been where you’re at and who will give you the certainty that your future is brighter than your past.
You will hear me talk about how to think about people and your practice… in totally different way.
AND…just by picking a date or dates to attend, you will be given instant access to “The Committee” private Facebook Group page where you can communicate to me and the others… 24-7.
