This is the second of a four part series titled “SPONTANEOUS EFFORTS DON’T PRODUCE CONSISTENT RESULTS”.
This second part covers “Know who you are and where you want to take your practice” and provides you with an excellent worksheet to go through to help strengthen your marketing.
Last time, I talked about the importance of having a well-thought out, strategic marketing plan for your plastic surgery practice — NOT giving in to fear with knee-jerk reactions when it comes to your marketing efforts.
“Begin with the end in mind,” says Franklin Covey. Where do you want your practice to be in three years, five years, ten years or more? What makes your practice unique? What’s a qualified lead for your practice?
I suggest setting aside one hour to go through the following creative brief worksheet. A creative brief is a document created from simple questions whose answers form a roadmap for creating your marketing plan. Your answers will help you spend your time, energy and marketing budget attracting the patients you want to serve.
CREATIVE BRIEF WORKSHEET
TARGET AUDIENCE
⁃ What is the age range of the patients you want to serve?
⁃ What is your most popular procedure? Followed by…
⁃ What are your most popular procedures by month or season?
⁃ What is your most profitable procedure?
⁃ What percentage of patients is male, what percentage is female?
⁃ What types of jobs, education, income, and entertainment do your patients enjoy?
⁃ What cities do people drive from to come see you? How far away are they?
UNIQUE SELLING POINT, STAFF, AND FACILITY
⁃ How are you different from other plastic surgeons?
⁃ What is your FULL list of services, including any lasers or skin care?
⁃ How do your patients benefit by using you as opposed to another physician?
⁃ List evidence supporting these benefits. This information should consist of facts i.e., testimonials, awards, reports, articles, etc., not opinions.
⁃ Do you have an onsite surgical facility?
⁃ What overall impression do you want your patients to leave with?
⁃ What are the future goals for your practice? Where do you see your practice in five years and more?
⁃ If you could choose only one thing you would like the patient to remember, what would it be?
⁃ If a patient were to describe your practice in five words or less, what would they say?
CREATIVE CONSIDERATIONS
⁃ Do you have an existing corporate color palette? If not, what colors do you like/dislike?
⁃ What type of font do you like/dislike? Script/non-script, capital/lowercase…?
⁃ What is the tone you would like to convey? Subtle elegance, professional, approachable…?
Now that you have identified your target audience, your core message and your design preferences, you can begin to develop a plan to market that message.
In my next entry, I’ll outline a simple Seven-Step Marketing Plan you can implement for your practice.
Till then!
Candace Crowe, President, Creative Director
Candace Crowe Design
Educating Patients. Marketing You.
© 2009 Candace Crowe Design
