You have decided to add an infusion center to your practice and have the clinical parts worked out. Now what? It’s time to market it to potential referring physicians and patients.
Brand
First, you have to figure out who you are so that you can tell your story. If you plan to draw referrals from practices outside your own, you’ll likely want separate branding. You’ll need a logo, color scheme that compliments your existing one, business cards, and brand guidelines. You may also want some kind of leave-behind to take to physician offices like a brochure.
This is also a good time to figure out what is unique about your center. Why should people pick you? What makes you better than the competition? Check out your competition to see what they do well and what you can do better. Hopefully, your center is beautiful and comfortable, reasonably priced, and makes it easy for patients and physicians.
Online Identity
Secondary to your brand, but just as important is your online identity. We want patients and physicians that search for you to be able to find you easily anywhere they search.
Your website should be simple, easy-to-navigate, search engine friendly, and have resources for referring docs and patients. Downloadable order sets, directions, and frequently asked questions are great content.
Decide what social media platforms you want to be on and keep all your information up-to-date. We’d start with Facebook for overall content about your center, then LinkedIn with a professional spin to the posts, and Instagram for wellness infusions.
Your online identity includes your reputation online. Having easy-to-find and accurate information about your center will be useful on Google, Waze, MapQuest, and everywhere else you show up. Set Google alerts on your company or Google your company regularly to update new profiles as they pop up. And, as you start getting reviews, you’ll want a proactive strategy to respond and utilize the feedback.
Physician Outreach
Decide who makes sense to do the physician outreach. Do you have internal staff that can do this or do you need to hire a salesperson? If you hire a salesperson, try to find someone that knows the area and physicians well, such as a drug or equipment rep already working in the area. You don’t have to be a salesperson to do physician outreach well. Being friendly, responsible, consistent, and knowledgeable will do.
You’ll need a list of physicians close to your center. Confirm the addresses and be sure they don’t offer infusions in their office before going to visit. We recommend starting with Allergy, Endocrinology, Functional Medicine, Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases, Neurology, Oncology, Rheumatology, and Wound Care within three miles of your center. Then, branch out to further geography and other specialties.
Make your pitch about them. What do they need in an infusion center? What would help them? Remove any barriers that you can. Handling pre-authorizations and ensuring patients are seen quickly is a good place to start.