Key Concepts for Direct Marketing to Patients

At the 18th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers Conference in Chicago on Oct. 28, Jimmy St. Louis III, MBA, CEO of Advanced Healthcare Partners, discussed key concepts in direct marketing to patients to increase volume.

Mr. St. Louis began by explaining that while the marketing practices he'll share can be used by any center, consumer desires are trending toward comprehensive centers that provide a number of services, such as outpatient visits, procedures and imaging, in one location.

According to Mr. St. Louis, the following three steps provide a foundation for direct-to-patient marketing plan development.

1. Differentiate the practice/facility. Think about what makes your facility unique compared to competitors. "Everybody has something unique about what you have to offer," he said.

2. Be disruptive. "To continue to maintain the momentum at facilities, do disruptive [things], but in a very positive way," said Mr. St. Louis. This could mean offering cutting-edge procedure or technology.

3. Ensure your facility is consumer-centered. For example, focus on outstanding customer service.

Once a center has set a foundation for marketing, lead-generation efforts can commence. Mr. St. Louis recommend facilities use a four-channel lead generation platform that utilizes internet and offline marketing, patient seminars and outside sales to physicians. He then discussed in detail each of the strategies. For example, website development should focus first on messaging. "It's more than just building a website," he said. He also explained the importance of metrics to assess the return on investment of direct-to-consumer marketing efforts.

However, he cautioned attendees that no matter how great initial marketing efforts are, "direct-to-consumer marketing is only as good as the leads you manage," he said.

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