As opposed to hospitals or primary care, urgent cares are dependent on consistent walk-in patients to drive success. Therefore, choosing your clinic’s physical location — based on proximity to competitors — is one of the most important decisions you can make. Nearly as important is marketing your urgent care to the correct audience.
Marketing may seem like a task that is secondary to operational needs. The opposite is true. Marketing needs to be a primary focus if your urgent care is to succeed financially. A forward-thinking budget will have a line item for marketing. In reality, you can have the best staff and medical equipment in the area — and no patients to serve because they don’t know about you.
Idea 1: Have A Consistent Brand Identity: All your marketing material — ads, brochures, website, printed pieces, promotional items — should have a consistent brand. Your brand name and logo should be clear and easy to read. Inconsistent brand identity (look and feel) is the equivalent of changing your business’s personality. It confuses your patients.
Careful consideration should be given to your brand name. Changing it later can be a painful — and often costly — process. If your urgent care is part of an umbrella organization, ensure you’re meeting the brand standard they have set. Be conscious of not being too clever with naming and branding; this can cause misunderstanding as to what you do. People put trust in a brand, so correct use of branding is vital to building and maintaining respect.
Brand identity is more than a name and logo. A brand is how your patients think of you. How are you standing out from the competition? Differentiation is key to having people remember you. Be unique at your clinic; offer something that others don’t have. Valet services, movies in the waiting room, or personal consultations upon arrival can make your urgent care memorable and will drive more referrals.
Idea 2: Be Involved in the Local Community:For all the expensive, glossy marketing items out there, nothing is more effective for urgent care than being involved in the local community. Grassroots marketing efforts can be easily done, are cost effective, and will be seen as a more genuine approach to reach potential patients in your neighborhood.
Ideas for community involvement can be sponsorship of events, such as sports, health activities, or other local functions. You can also participate in — and donate to — local fundraisers and charities. School and college event sponsorship can also be effective if you serve a younger demographic. Build strong relationships with local businesses if you do workers’ compensation or occupational medicine.
Host open houses, conduct a local flu shot clinic or sports physical camp, or invite area leaders to visit and tour your facility. Join your local chamber of commerce — and, contrary to popular belief, it’s wise to develop relationships with other local providers and medical organizations, so you can easily share referrals as needed.
Idea 3: Participate in Local Media and Public Relations:Want to save money on ads, but get your name out on radio or TV? Developing relationships with local media can be a great way to achieve this. Knowing your local news (TV and radio) and being in contact with area reporters can give you a channel to spread your urgent care’s name. Have a new provider join the staff? Add a new service that you want to share? Get the news out and ask for an interview from the media.
Keep a list of media contacts, and assign a staff member to send them ideas. Appoint a main point of contact at your clinic for media, so you can control your message. Another inventive way to get airtime is to do a medical segment for local media. Your providers or nursing staff can provide relevant or seasonal health tips in a short segment for TV or radio to get your name out.
Don’t forget to send stories to local newspapers. If you write your own press releases for events — and explain the importance to the area — the media will be more likely to share them. Similar to Idea 2, sponsorships and donations can also garner press attention and build a favorable impression.