Marketing is all well in good in theory. However, when it comes down to it, we likely don't have time for it. It's time consuming, confusing and hard.
If we don't understand where we're going or how to get there then we need to build a road. To do this, we need to set aside some time for planning.
What do you want your marketing to achieve?
If you don't know what you want your outcome to be, you'll spend hundreds to thousands of hours and money on marketing. If you are spending time on GP visits (check our free GP Manual here), how many referrals are you hoping to get? Do you have a list of referral sources that currently send you referrals so you don't have to cold call? Are you doing a branding exercise or are you seeking a return on your investment (ROI)?
Suggestion: Quantify how to many engagements you'd like on your social media platform. How many referrals do you want from a specific clinic?
How much marketing will you do?
Will you market every day, once a week, a fortnight, once a month? Quantify how often you'll do it. The more quality you commit to it, the better the return on your time and money. One thing is for sure though, you must do it regularly. You get to decide what regular looks like, but by planning it out you can create space for actually doing it.
Suggestion: Only commit to what you feasibly have time for. If you're wanting better referrals then specifically spend your time on marketing to the places that can give you those referrals. Don't waste time on social media.
Make it easy
You don't have to overdo it. If you only want to do GP visits, then only do 1 GP visit a month. If you only want to network with like minded professionals, then research when you can meet up with said individuals and book out the time in your diary to do so. If you want to write a weekly blog article, then plan out ahead of time the 52 topics you wish to talk about. Knowing where you're going is 1/2 the battle.
Suggestion: Pick one thing to do and stick to it for a year. Don't try and cast too many lines as you won't be able to manage all of them.
For more marketing and planning resources, check out our membership site. It's loaded with content, templates and suggestions for practitioners in private practice.