Posted on June 16, 2021 in General

Healthcare marketing presents a unique challenge: people don’t seek healthcare services until they need to. Unlike before, where this wasn’t a problem for practices, the competition nowadays is cutthroat. Chances are, you and your competitors are targeting the same qualified prospects.

You can’t afford to take a “one and done” approach to your follow-up process. Medical practice leads require an average of 6 to 9 touchpoints before converting to patients. If you let your leads slip through the cracks, you’ll likely lose them to your competitors.

Why Didn’t You Convert That Lead the First Time?

There are a myriad of reasons why prospective patients who could benefit from your services did not convert the first time. At least not without more convincing, including:

  • Cost concerns
  • Lack of time
  • More urgent matters
  • Too much on their mind
  • Not following up on your end

All of these, among other reasons, aren’t supposed to tell you to move to the next lead. Rather, they shed light on why you can’t grow your practice with a “one and done” approach. At the same time, they emphasize the importance of follow-ups.

Beyond that, research reveals that only about 20 percent of leads are convinced at the first point of contact. In other words, 80 percent of prospective opportunities are lost simply because of a lack of follow-up. It then goes without saying that practices that don’t follow up have very few conversions.

Your leads need to be certain you’re the right healthcare provider for their needs before they become your patients. Follow-ups make sure most of your leads know why you’re the best choice.

Persistence Converts

Lead follow-ups are the difference between a thriving and a struggling practice. They are the real game-changers in conversions. Basically, follow-ups are sound strategies aimed at converting more prospects into patients.

Let’s take a look at what happens in many practices:

After putting so much effort into lead generation, you finally start getting highly qualified leads. This is a great milestone due to the fact that it’s not easy to generate targeted leads.

Then, you go ahead and pitch well, and the potential patient becomes interested. However, upon follow-up, you’re unable to take it beyond that stage.

At this point, almost 44 percent of those in charge of marketing give up. But if you go the extra mile and follow up at least five more times, you can turn the almost lost prospect into a patient.

Although you may feel follow-ups can put off your potential patients, the reverse is actually true. Consistent follow-ups should be geared at something more meaningful to drive conversions, for instance:

  • Building Stronger Relationships

Patients appreciate having a relationship with their healthcare provider. They want to trust you and understand how your services will improve their health and overall well-being. They also want to know why they should choose your practice over another.

There are many ways to build stronger relationships. For example, in your follow-up emails or texts to prospects, you can share links to satisfaction scores, testimonials, and rave reviews. This humanizes your practice and tells prospects who you really are.

Additionally, using social proof enables you to connect with potential patients, and it works wonders. It gives genuine insights into how you deliver care and might be the push needed to get prospects into your practice.

  • More Information

Using your prospects’ most preferred communication channel, continually educate them. This will attract their attention to your practice, eventually strengthening your position in your specialty.

For instance, think of emails sent containing information on the benefits of scheduling annual eye exams. Such information is eye-opening and can motivate prospects to come for that check-up they’ve been holding off for so long.

Remember, whatever information you send out has to be personalized while addressing the pain point of the lead to be highly effective.

Your Consistent Lead Generation and Management Partner

Practicing medicine, in addition to consistently managing your lead process, can be a lot to handle. Besides, you may forget to follow up with too much on your plate. The good news is, you don’t have to take on all the roles all by yourself. MDprospects’ robust lead management software can help your practice acquire new patients while you focus on what you do best—delivering exceptional care. To learn more about how MDprospects can help your practice implement a sound lead follow-up process and grow, schedule a demo today.