By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Four Money-Wasting Marketing Mistakes Doctors Make
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Four Money-Wasting Marketing Mistakes Doctors Make
Social Media

Four Money-Wasting Marketing Mistakes Doctors Make

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Share
5 Min Read
save dollars
SHARE

save dollarsHas there been a dramatic up-tick in the number of marketing mistakes lately? Perhaps there’s some sort of business-blooper epidemic; a bug of sorts, making the rounds.

I raise this mostly rhetorical question because there seems to be a bumper crop of published articles that offer much the same advice. Roughly translated they admonish readers:

save dollarsHas there been a dramatic up-tick in the number of marketing mistakes lately? Perhaps there’s some sort of business-blooper epidemic; a bug of sorts, making the rounds.

I raise this mostly rhetorical question because there seems to be a bumper crop of published articles that offer much the same advice. Roughly translated they admonish readers:

More Read

eHealth social media
MyHealthTeams CEO Eric Peacock on Social Media in Healthcare [Part II]
Marketing Your Medical Device to Millennials? Here’s Why Mobile Matters Most
Is Patient Privacy Endangered by Online Search?
Digital Analytics 101 for Healthcare Marketers: Local Search Optimization
Reputation Management: Physician Friend or Foe? Dr. Kevin Pho Weighs In [PODCAST]

Making mistakes in healthcare marketing is sort of a good thing because you have to make mistakes to learn something. Mistakes produce experience. And, if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing anything.

It’s reasonably good advice…for as far as it goes. There are bound to be mistakes in business, and learning from them has great value. Unfortunately, there’s a price tag that comes with this benefit. Learning-by making-mistakes costs something; perhaps money spent without a return, lost opportunity, or maybe both.

What would you add to this list?

So, with that in mind, here are four common money-wasting marketing mistakes and how to avoid them. (There are dozens more.) We’ve seen doctors and medical practices make these often, so consider them “pre-paid.” Embrace the good advice, and chalk it up to experience (with no extra cost.)

Understand the difference between direct response and brand awareness advertising. There’s a throwback idea that says—in brand awareness—a physician “just needs to get his name out there” and new patients will flock to the front door. While there is value in branding, name recognition and reputation management, it is a long-term process.

Direct response advertising, on the other hand, is intended to inspire immediate action on the part of the consumer or target audience; to make an appointment, for example. Direct response advertising is more cost-effective in that the investment produces more immediate and measurable results.

Tracking results—in specific and quantifiable terms—is absolutely vital to marketing success. If you don’t have a reliable means to track response in near-real time, you have no way to know what’s working, what’s not working, and how to measure your Return-on-Investment. Without a tracking system, you’re driving blind…and likely over a cliff.

An effective marketing plan will integrate multiple tactics. Healthcare is entirely too competitive to put all your marketing eggs in one, do-everything basket. It is especially important to realize that the online and the off-line components of your plan must work together.

Train your staff—especially the front desk—to handle prospective new patient phone calls. One of the most wasteful situations is where a marketing and advertising investment causes the phone to ring, and the person in your office doesn’t know how to handle convert the call to an appointment. (Hint: Their only objective is to have the caller make and keep an appointment.)

“Experience,” to quote Oscar Wilde, “is simply the name we give our mistakes.” We’re all in favor of learning and gaining experience. And it’s all the better to gain experience without paying a big price for the mistake.

What can you add to this list? Please take a minute and share with others how to avoid a mistake, or even something you “learned the hard way.”

Stewart Gandolf, MBA

Author information

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Healthcare Success Strategies
Stewart Gandolf, MBA, is CEO of Healthcare Success, a medical marketing and health care advertising agency. He is also a frequent writer and speaker. Most importantly, he is happily married and a “rock-n-roll daddy” to two wonderful girls.
TwitterGoogle+LinkedIn

The post Four Money-Wasting Marketing Mistakes Doctors Make appeared first on Healthcare Success.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

Jack Dorsey on Innovation and Life

March 3, 2013

Social Media Optimization for Mobile Devices: What Healthcare Marketers Need to Know

August 21, 2014
Digital Marketing, Physician Marketing, Medical Practice Marketing, Healthcare Marketing
BusinesseHealthSocial Media

How Physicians Can Leverage Online Tools to Improve Marketing Strategies

July 28, 2014

The 5 Biggest Challenges Healthcare Leaders are Facing in 2015

August 5, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?