QHow do you drive patients into your practice?

Word of mouth is traditionally how practices have grown. Therefore, it is so important to treat every patient you see like they are about to write a review online about you. Your patients will naturally refer patients to your practice. Remember the words of Maya Angelou “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. 

In this current world of advanced technology, we can advertise ourselves at no cost via social media. Social media is a great way for potential patients to get to know you and want to take the jump to make an appointment. Social media can be overwhelming at first, so I always recommend you start with one outlet, and you make a separate professional account from your personal account. Determine your audience and focus on what they would want to see. Make sure you are giving an equal mix of education, personality aspects and advertisement. 

If you have recently started practicing, then emerging yourself into the community is a great way to build your brand. Participate in health fairs, offer free skin cancer screenings one evening at a local cancer support house, do giveaways with local businesses, give prizes for charity auctions so everyone involved in the auction sees your name. Anything that gets your name out will drive patients into your practice.  

Remember we have the best job in the world and your career is a marathon, not a sprint, enjoy the process and phases of your career in dermatology because at some point you will be asking “How do I cut back my patient load?”.