Do’s and Don’ts of Outsourcing: Buyer Beware

Updated November 10, 2014 -

Outsourcing your Internet marketing and SEO to a professional can seem like an overwhelming task if you don’t know what qualities to look for.  The good news is that there are several ways you can pinpoint a good medical marketing company.

Here are several key elements to look for as well as what to avoid.

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Things to Do When Outsourcing Your Medical Marketing

Choose a company with a good reputation. 

1. It’s a good idea to read client testimonials on their site and look at some tangible results described on their web site.
2.  The appearance of their site is a good gauge of their abilities to market themselves, and thus, their capability to create a professional marketing plan for their own clients.
3. Take a look at the marketing company’s articles on their site and any other information they have available (such as an “About Us” page).  This will give you a better idea of their level of expertise, how they do business, and what goals they hope to accomplish for their medical marketing clients.
4. Do they post their case studies as proof of the results their clients are getting?  If not, call and ask for them.

Set a budget for your marketing & advertising.  Things can quickly get out of hand with marketing costs if both parties don’t set a budget before starting.  Many practice marketing plans can involve a cost of anywhere between 10% and 20% of the total revenue that will be generated from those marketing efforts.

Obviously, those costs need to reflect a full spectrum strategy that includes video marketing, Internet marketing, patient acquisition and SEO (both on your web site and off).

It’s a smart idea to also be sure they include plans for creating patient referral programs and ways to generate a repeat relationship with your current aesthetic patients.  The reason for this is that the costs are considerably lower to draw in patients who are already patients than the effort and cost is takes to establish new relationships.

Communicate with your marketing company. “Early and often communication makes for a coordinated and successful effort when implementing a marketing and SEO strategy,” says Kim Virrueta, Owner of EggStream Marketing.  The reason for this is because without this key interaction between doctor and marketing firm, goals for the medical practice can get left in the hustle and bustle of the new marketing plan.

Kim goes on to explain, “The overall marketing plan must include specific contributions and goals set by the plastic  surgeon, dermatologist, or dentist - or the marketing plan won’t be successful.”

Don’t:

Never give your advertising firm complete reign. Yes, they should be competent to handle all phases of your plan, however, they should not be left to make decisions best left to you.  The reason for this is because every aesthetic or medical practice is different.  Each has its own challenges and advantages that help to create the list of unique needs that they have.

An SEO and marketing company will help determine those unique needs by asking you qualifying questions that help them to steer you in the right direction for improvements and to increase profits in the most direct manner.

Finally, don’t be afraid to speak up.  Simple communication between the medical marketing company and the doctor can help to refocus goals and the direction in which that those efforts are taking the practice.  Be clear with your SEO and Internet marketing partner and don’t be afraid to ask them to explain the “why” behind the results you are (or are not) seeing.

These few tips for choosing a highly-qualified company to outsource your medical practice marketing will help you decide on the right company and help you avoid common mistakes that can be made.

For more information about the medical marketing services that we provide, contact us today at (951) 665-8360 and see how effective we are at marketing your practice and getting outstanding results.