Help New Patients Schedule a Consultation

"You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."  Right?  Not necessarily so when it comes to prospective patients who are on your Web site.

Your site visitors have found you online because they are already interested in your services and live in your area.  The good news is, that means that you already have pre-qualified visitors from the start based on their location and interests.

But it takes more than that.  Here are five steps you can take right now to increase the chances that your site visitors will "drink that water" after you bring them to the proverbial well.

5 Ways to Convert Site Visitors to Consultations

1.  Have a well-laid out web site. Once your visitor clicks in to your site, you have about 3 seconds to capture their attention or they will hit their back button and go somewhere else.  That can be really scary to lose a potential patient that quickly, but one thing you can do is organize your web site so that they can navigate very easily.

First, display all of the procedures you perform in separate pages on your Web site with easy navigation on either the top or the left of the site.  This will allow visitors to clearly see what you do and will encourage them to click in to that page from your home page.

2.  Be sure to have links on each page that tell the visitor what you want them to do.  For instance, if they are reading an article about breast augmentation, you'll want to include a link at the end that will take them to your "Contact Us" page.  Be sure to include the link in a complete sentence that tells the visitor what you'd like them to do.  This way, you will have a better chance of  them taking action.

3.  Include a section on your site dedicated to testimonials.  Trust is everything when it comes to choosing an aesthetic doctor or dentist.  Provide reasons for your site visitors to trust you by offering them written and infographic testimonials of your work.

As your site visitors read more about how happy your past patients have been with the work you did, the more likely they will be to take the next step and come in to see you.  Be sure to include a link to your before and after gallery or video to make it even easier for your patients to trust the integrity of your work.

4.  Use a form that asks just enough information, yet it's not intrusive.  Since many visitors feel leery about sites "stealing" their personal information for spamming purposes, it's very important for you to include a link to your privacy policy on your site so they can see that you aren't going to sell their information.

The form they fill out should provide you and your staff with just enough information for you to get a general idea of who they are, what they are interested in and how to contact them.  Have a checklist on your form to allow them to check off one or more procedures they are considering.  Be sure to include a short statement near the form's "submit" button that states something like, "Your information is 100% private - we hate spam too!"

5.  Finally, convert visitors into consultations by explaining the new patient process.  For example, you might include a "new patient FAQ's" page that they can click on and read about what happens from their first consultation through their post-op follow-up appointment.  You can include information about your medical school, board certifications, and a few testimonials that stand out.

Remember to include a "Contact Us for a Free Consultation" link on your FAQ page to remind your new patients of the next logical step: to make an appointment with you.  Some of our clients prefer offering something special to new patients such as a free 30 minute massage at a local spa or a gift card to Amazon.com just for coming in.

Ready to Convert Your Visitors into Consultations?

Using these five steps is not only easy, but extremely effective.  With just a few adjustments to your site, you can experience a dramatic increase in conversion from site visitors to new patients from the very first time they come to your site.

And that's what medical marketing is all about.  Contact EggStream Marketing for help today or call 951.665.8360!

Updated April 12, 2013