Is your allied health clinic going well? Perhaps you have so many clients now, you need to expand? Or is your appointment book looking a bit barer than you’d like? Growing your allied health clinic need not be complicated. There are many strategies to help you grow your practice and make it a pillar of the community. Here are five tips for growing your allied health clinic and optimize it for growth.
Invest in digital marketing
We have previously mentioned that technology integration is the key to growing a healthcare practice. One of the ways to leverage technology is through investing in digital marketing.
When is the last time you saw a flyer or a brochure and actually sat down to read it? Digital marketing is everywhere – and allied health practices need to harness the power of the internet to get the word out. You will want to make sure that your medical practise can be located online given that practically everyone in the globe is almost always looking at a screen of some form. It is possible to increase the visibility of your clinic to additional target audiences such as millennials, by having a website that has been properly developed and by developing social media accounts for the clinic. You also have to look at search engine optimisation to climb search engine rankings or pay per click advertising to raise your profile.
Digital marketing can also extend to follow-ups or reminders via email or SMS, getting feedback using online forms, running surveys, and regular electronic newsletters. Going digital can also mean providing prescriptions digitally, using online scheduling software, and other online tools. It can make a big difference in productivity and customer satisfaction.
Become a community hub
Allied health professionals are leaders in preventative medicine – offering free seminars or Q&A evenings where you explain therapies, health strategies, and have interpreters for recent migrants or the CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) community to access health services where they may not have otherwise can make your clinic the “place to go” for assistance. This can deepen your connection with the broader community – everyone needs an allied health professional and being on their side instead of being something that they “need” to see can yield dividends – you may end up being the professional that sees multiple generations in one family!
Getting funding for expansion
Adding a “zero” to the end of your bottom line is easier said than done. However, you can get funding for your expansion, whether it’s bigger premises, a second clinic, a pivot into ancillary services (more on that later) or hiring or training staff. Although turning to your bank should not be your first and only choice when looking for a small business loan, there are many different types of loans that are accessible to allied health practitioners. Using a trusted broker, you should compare business loans for allied health to see what will suit your cash flow projections and your needs for taking your business to the next level.
Ask for referrals
Word of mouth is social proof – and social proof is as powerful as ever. People will trust the referrals from people they trust in kind. Because of this, clinics have traditionally depended on word-of-mouth marketing to expand their client base. Expanding on it by creating a network from your current clientele, you may go further. You don’t just have to sit back to wait for news to spread by way of your patients. You can occasionally approach them more directly and request recommendations. You might also collaborate with other service providers, like medical professionals or surgeons, to encourage them to send any of their patients who require physical therapy to your clinic, and vice versa.
Provide additional services
Many allied health providers can provide ancillary or additional services alongside their core offering to stand out from competitors. For example, a physiotherapist could include a personal training area and referrals to local gyms that can help facilitate rehabilitation. Psychologists could offer massage or float rooms to aid mental health or recovery.
Maintaining your web presence, becoming a community hub, investing in your business, asking for recommendations, and distinguishing yourself by providing additional services all reinforce one another and help you on your way to real growth.
