Keeping in touch with patients by email helps build patient relationships, but sending the RIGHT message at REGULAR intervals boosts patient engagement and referrals.
The words you use, and the message you convey is important, because it establishes your brand and your reputation.
Think about it this way:
What you say = your message
How you convey it = your mode of communication
The audience to whom you convey it = your market
I discuss the mode of communication and audience segmentation in other blog posts, and we’ll focus on the message here.
The message is where most practice owners get it wrong. They get it wrong, because they think too much, and too deeply about the message, and because are focused on perfection, perfection, perfection.
The use of simple call to action phrases with certain words can dramatically increase audience engagement, because you are telling the patient what to do next. You aren’t being sheepish (please please refer), you are asking for the respect, and the action that you deserve. You are worth it, and you have the confidence to ask.
A call to action phrase can be any one of the following:
- Asking a patient to return to your practice
- Asking for a referral
- Asking for a testimonial
- Asking the patient to try one of your ‘other’ (cash paying) services
And speaking of certain words, there’s ONE word that can increase response rate.. substantially.
The One Word – I’ve already used it FOUR times so far..
You want to know the one word, because you want to use it in your practice, correct?
The single word ‘because’ can dramatically increase response rate.
A study performed by a Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer determined that people were more agreeable to something IF the word ‘because’ was used as a lead-in.
Here’s the interesting part – The word ‘because’ worked even when the reason made no sense.
For example, the statement, “Can I use the copy machine first because I need to make a copy?” allowed the subject to cut in line, because 93% of the people accepted this and allowed the subject to cut in line.
This ‘psychological trigger’ worked wonders. It was more than a word. It was a justification.
The next time you write content (or if we write it for you in the Therapy Newsletter technology), make sure you write content that ‘triggers patients to read and take action’.
Give the patient a valid reason to do so, and use the word because.
The reason doesn’t even have to make literal sense.
For example, you are likely to get the same (or higher response rate) if you say:
as opposed to
Please refer your family and friends because we’d appreciate the referrals
(this is not a logical reason)
as opposed to
Please refer your family and friends because we need referrals to grow and are a small practice.
(this is far more logical, and will also work… but the word because changes the nature of the ask)
The word ‘because’ can transform the most inconspicuous sentence into an ’embedded command’, and when you combine it as part of a content rich newsletter on a regular basis.
You have a New, Powerful Secret Weapon to Grow your Practice
Our internal team of physical therapists at Therapy Newsletter will write, test and revamp all of the content so it includes these ‘verbal triggers’ in the twice a month email newsletters in the Therapy Newsletter technology.
We do this for you, so you don’t have to.
You also get ready to use patient broadcast emails that help you improve patient relationships, get new patients and reactivate former patients.
Here are SOME of the things Therapy Newsletter can do for you:
- Reactivation of past patients with automated marketing
- Done-for-you service with full control over frequency, content and delivery
- Capture emails and other contact information with plug-and-play books
- Condition patients and doctors to recognize you as THE private practice expert
- Boost internal referrals from patients with word-of-mouth promotions
- Valid reason to communicate with doctors and ‘stand out’
- Convert website visitors to patient visits
- Automatically deliver valuable content with inbuilt ‘call to action’ for patients
Completely Automated, Done-For-You System with Templates
It cannot get any easier. We write the content every 2 weeks. You customize it just once. Every 2 weeks, the content portion of the newsletter is updated (and your contact information, company logos stays the same unless you change it). This new newsletter is automatically delivered by email to your list every 2 weeks. The process is then repeated.
Templates include:
– patient appreciation while encouraging referrals
– patient feedback to boost engagement
– contests that foster patient and community participation
…and more
Conclustion:
Make sure to use the ONE word in your marketing, in all types of media – print, email and on your websites. Sometimes, a single word can make all the difference. Make sure you use the ONE word in:
– PRINTED patient newsletters
– PRINTED physician newsletters
– Automation rules (when patient clicks on a link, they get automatically added to other sequences)
– UNLIMITED patient surveys
– PRE-WRITTEN patient email sequences (new patient welcome sequence, discharge patient sequence and more)
– Email segmentation – not only can you track clicks and opens, you can now send emails specifically to those who didn’t click, and didn’t open.. automatically in Therapy Newsletter.
