“If you think hiring professionals is expensive, try hiring amateurs”

Marketing-like running a private medical practice is part science and part art. Because marketing attempts to influence and trigger behavior, it is possible to do everything "right" and still get an unexpected outcome. Like medicine successful marketing builds a solid base of evidence-statistics, studies, research, analysis and industry best practices. To be proficient and stand out with excellence marketing strategy must also be met with competent execution in order to yield possitive and sustainable results.

With so many contrasts to medicine, why is it so common for private practicioners to fall into a pattern of self treatment, poor execution and rash judgements about their marketing? Everyone seems to have a theory about how marketing works and everyone has a story about something that happened to a collegue. You wouldn't make a medical diagnosis based on that kind of information, and you shouldn't make marketing decisions based on it either.

Like making a health recommendation, everything starts with with good information and research. It is difficult to separate fact from fiction when it comes to marketing but typically our best results come from asking our clients and prospects "WHY" and how those answers translate to benefits for their patients.

Like in private practice you have to know whether your recommendations or treatment plan has improved a situation so to that you must have a baseline. If your goal is to increase your professional visibility, keep a record for three months to see how often your practice is retweeted or mentioned in social media or how frequently your name or your practice's name shows up in the top fold of Internet search rankings. If you want to increase your customer's awareness about a specific service or product, start with a survey to find out what the customer knows (or doesn't know) before you begin marketing. A baseline gives you a point of comparison to see how you are performing.

Also like medicine it is important to set realistic expectations. You wouldn't want a patient to expect one night of brushing and flossing to cure their periodontal issues. One trip to the chiropractor isn't going to allign your body after being rearended, nor will one day's diet result in reaching goal weight. It is surprising to find how often even highly educated health professionals expect one advertisement, a handfull of press releases or one burst of marketing to "cure" the effects of years of marketing silence.

Marketing is more like medicine in this respect than most suppose. While rapid and amazing results do sometimes occur, they are in truth very rare and not something you can replicate with predictability. In medicine, good outcomes result from adherence to a treatment plan, and creating healthier habits pays off in better health. So it is with marketing. Successful and healthy marketing is the result of sticking with a course of planned action even when initial results are not immediately apparent. You must hold yourself accountable or be prepared to hire a professional firm who will help you become more accountable and self sufficient but ultimately, your marketing results are determined by your commitment to marketing yourself consistently.

Finally, like medicine credentials, experience and resources absolutely matter. Every medical professional has known the frustration of "armchair physicians" who-without benefit of a degree or license-proceed to diagnose themselves, their children, friends and relatives while questioning your every recommendation. Unqualified advice is very dangerous-even deadly in medicine.

While the stakes are not life-threatening in marketing, significant amounts of money and irreplaceable blocks of time can be wasted by following unqualified advice. Marketing is a profession and you have a right to expect and should demand your marketing advisor to be properly credentialed. This can include: holding a graduate or undergraduate degree such as an M.B.A. in Marketing or Communications along with experience working with health service industries. Unless you, your next-door neighbor, golfing buddy or best friend is qualified to give marketing advice, view their helpful tips with the same skepticism with which you would consider their opinion of prescription medications or diagnostic techniques.

Resist the urge to skimp or to rely on volunteers, students or freelancers as sustainable marketing support. Reinforce expert advice and strategy with established professionals who can execute in writting, design and produce the type of materials that convey the professionalism and credible appearance your practice deserves. It is important to remember good marketing isn't free or cheap. The recommended ideal marketing budget is five to ten percent of revenues, but it is possible to maintain a lower percentage and be prosperous once you've addressed your biggest challenges. (Just like treating a health related trauma)

This method works. When you combine solid information with benchmarking, realistic expectations, expert assistance and a workable budget your practice will produce predictable and positive results. Good luck and good health to you all!