Consumers want the latest style in cars, the latest fashions from Paris and the latest technology. But patients are shy in dealing with experimental medicine or the latest technology when it comes to improving their health or strengthening their bodies.
This is why doctors in the forefront of their field of specialty need public relations. A message about safety, convenience and success must be conveyed because medical consumers are much more important to be the first to adopt new medical technology than car, computer, furniture or fashion buyers.
Of course, sick people want to be treated with the latest drug, equipment, or method. They just do not want to be the first! And therefore, an innovative physician offering new equipment or a new treatment method needs the help of a public relations / marketing specialist to be successful.
No one will agree to ophthalmology, without being convened, the procedure is absolutely safe. No woman will ever accept breast augmentation or vaginal rejuvenation without feeling completely comfortable with the practitioner. The more sensitive the procedure, the greater the need for public relations.
In my experience, a well thought out and executed public relations / marketing plan will overcome the referral of patients for medical innovation. In my practice, this was certainly the case.
Working with regular doctors over the past few years, I have developed successful marketing campaigns for plastic surgery, LASIK surgery, dental surgery, liposuction and BOTOX. Among the most successful methods are to organize a free surgical operation or treatment for radio, television and sports leaders, and then make recommendations on how great this new operation or treatment is for them. I also supported the approval of popular athletes, broadcasters, and celebrity radio to convince clients that it is safe and desirable to use an electrical medical procedure.
One of my earliest medical clients, which serves as an insightful test case for the topic of this article, is the Windsor Laser Eye Institute (WLEI), founded by Dr. Fouad Tayfur, which today is the home name on the Detroit-Windsor market.
But when WLEI became my client, Dr. Taifur was not a surname in southeast Michigan. The FDA has not yet approved laser ophthalmology, and therefore it was only available in Canada. Dr. Tayfour, a pioneer in Canada and the United States, opened a clinic in Windsor across the river from Detroit. Thus, because of the proximity of Windsor to Detroit, Dr. Teifur wanted to go to the capital of Greater Detroi.
While interest in laser vision was replaced with prescription glasses or contact lenses, initially there was no traffic flow across the Bridge Bridge to the clinic. People are very sensitive to their eyes and very much doubt that they are among the first to adopt this revolutionary approach. How about side effects or complications in the future? How inconvenient is the procedure? How long will the correction last? Will it hurt my eyes? And he added to these concerns the fact that the procedure did not have FDA approval and was not covered by health insurance.
One of the first steps was to prepare a set of documents for the press to explain what exactly was connected with the laser procedure, what advantages and facts to solve the problems of side effects, pain, discomfort, etc. The printing kits were distributed for television , radio and newspaper journalists, as well as for sports figures, talk shows and other celebrities in the Detroit market. News reports were sent, and radio hosts began talking about this new procedure across the river. Dr. Tayfur then performed this procedure for free for sports figures, celebrities and media representatives, who then spread the word further. These famous and respected celebrities also gave approval for laser vision. As part of this campaign, I agreed that two surgical procedures of laser vision are broadcast live, which really has a positive effect on patients!
We created an advertising campaign, and soon everyone was talking about laser vision and how wonderful it was. The trips became so frequent from Detroit to Windsor that when the immigration officers in the booth asked, “Why are you going to Canada?” And heard “get laser surgery in front of your eyes,” they just waved their doctor Teyfur, then launched an intensive television advertising campaign, which strengthened his status of the word home in the region. But the basis for this was a targeted media campaign and individual endorsements.
It was not just a classic approach to a media promotion and niche marketing training manual, where you pull out a page and cover marked points. Particular attention was paid to media coverage, since I invested hard time in developing ties with doctors and establishing their trust. Now, when they receive a submission from me, the editor / reporter trusts me and knows that the facts presented will be accurate. If you do not establish relationships first and do not trust, your carefully planned set for printing, when you land on the editor’s desk, will fall into the waste basket for 20 seconds. PR is not about brilliance and brilliance; it's about relationships and trust.
As part of cultivating media relations, I regularly attend major media events in New York, where I have personal meetings with journalists, editors, writers, and producers from the best national magazines, newspapers, and radio / television programs. I successfully hosted such media as 20/20, Prime Time, CNN, People, Good Morning America, Newsweek, Time Magazine, Dateline NBC, The View, Oprah, O Cosmopolitan, Fox News, Good Housekeeping, Newsweek, to name a few .
The same thing that worked for Dr. Teifur also worked:
TLC laser eye centers in Michigan, to organize the coverage of FOX and ABC TV, contribute to their new user procedure LASIK,
Dr. Dr. Joseph Berenchots, director of the Institute for Vaginal Laser Rejuvenation in Michigan, is promoting a new vaginal laser treatment covered by Detroit Free Press, NBC and ABC TV in Detroit, as well as the Indianapolis TV station
To promote plastic surgeon Dr. Gregory Rocha from Bloomfield, Michigan, when he launched BOTOX in Michigan
Media advertisements and advertisements for Dr. Fiander from Farmington Laser Eye Clinic
For a laser plastic surgeon Dr. Lawrence Castlman, I posted dozens of articles and organized news coverage on television and radio, and also received newspaper coverage for everything from ultrasonic liposuction to BOTOX for sweating and hair transplantation.
Tar Purposeful Marketing for Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Michael Gray, when he started the program of endoscopic breast augmentation in Michigan
They also posted printed articles and arranged television news coverage on dental implants and a tooth-friendly Easter basket for Dr. Timothy Kosinski, DDS
(By the way, I have never represented two LASIK surgeons or two plastic surgeons at the same time.
In addition to PR and marketing campaigns aimed at television, radio, newspapers, professional and trade publications, Internet marketing is very effective. One of the first things that I check when meeting new customers is whether they have a website and how well they sell their product, service or message. Nine times out of ten, one of the first things we plan is to redesign and revise content in order to make a website a viable marketing tool that it should be.
After that, I then strategically place electronic press releases and EzineArticles on the Internet and use sound, modern search engine technology and traffic to the client website. Increased traffic to the newly rejuvenated website will result in phone calls or electronic inquiries to the client’s medical practice, which then lead the new traffic to the medical clinic.
Another method, which is the key to the advancement of medical professionals, is to create a client as a specialist in their field. The executive biography included in the press kit is focused on promoting the client’s experience. I am also convinced that the client is listed as an expert in a valuable online expert service. Editors consult with this service when searching for story design experts. To get an interview in the news feed as an expert in this field, it is worth the gold bank, and this makes subscribers of this service, such as my company, a valuable media ally, providing exactly what they need ... an expert,
An important strategy in creating a medical specialist as an expert is planning interviews on television, radio and radio talk shows. To do this, the client must be equipped to work with the media, and most clients do not have experience in the survey. Therefore, while the client's website is expanding and the printing kit is being developed, I sign the client with a respected media trainer.
Training in the media will give doctors, scientists and surgeons the skills to learn how to use the media, and not just convey their message, but make people try a medical procedure or treatment plan. As a marketing specialist, I can tell the doctor’s story and arrange an interview on television or radio, but the author cannot surprise the audience and benefit from the interview without being trained by the media coach
Before investing in a PR company, it is wise to find a public relations specialist who knows his way in the editorial office and has a job with successful medical sites in all forms of media. When shopping for a PR firm, consider the following:
o Does the company have a reputation of medical and medical institutions?
o Does the firm have extensive media contacts and ongoing relationships?
o Good reputation among journalists?
o Are press kit samples from other medical clients professionally written?
At the end of the day, sign up with someone who can demonstrate the desired results. My clients were represented by Good Morning America, CNN, ABC Nightly News, The New York Times, Night Line, TIME, PBS, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Family Circle, Woman & the World, to name a few,
