There was a time when healthcare seemed to be almost recession proof. Any physician, regardless of the area of practice, knows that today, that’s is just nowhere near the truth any longer. Add in the uncertainty caused by the impact of the recently passed healthcare reform, and many doctors now find themselves in the unfamiliar, and uncomfortable position, facing almost every other business during tough times – finding ways to do more, with less. However, if there is one thing that can be said about medical professionals, it is that they are a tenacious lot – and certainly up to facing challenges.

Just as physicians know the best way to treat disease is to be proactive – now is not the time to “wait and see” when it comes to your medical practice surviving and thriving in this recession.

Traditionally, practicing physicians did not have to rely as much as other types of businesses on advertising and marketing to survive. However, today, due to the on going healthcare crisis people are seeing themselves less as patients, and more as “medical consumers”. With lack of adequate health insurance and higher deductibles, patients are going increasingly out of pocket for medical care. They are now shopping for healthcare the same way they shop for everything else. And that means branding and brand loyalty are as important to your practice as they are to NIKE or McDonalds.

“Branding” is a great way to improve any medical practice. Yet many physicians may not be that skilled in the areas of marketing and public relations, certainly these skills are not taught in medical schools. With your practice facing a financial crunch, you may not have the ability to hire an outside marketing or PR firm. Here are some ways you can start to establish a brand identity for your practice and leverage the latest marketing techniques.

Make Use of Your Staff

As we said earlier most physicians may not have the skills, or background, certainly not the time, to establish a brand identity and marketing strategy for their practice. However someone else in your office might, probably your office manager, or practice manger. They will have studied marketing as part of their training to become a medical office manager; they may even have an advanced degree in business administration. In any event, as the main point of contact between the medial practice and the public, the PM can be crucial in establishing and maintaining the brand identity for the office and the physician within.

Now is the time to establish, or increase your online presence. According branding experts, the internet and Social Networking is critical to creating a brand today. Start with a blog. Then continue to build brand awareness by leveraging the large aggregators such as Facebook or Twitter. Delegate this responsibility. Most practicing physicians will not have the time, nor desire to partake in such activities, but your office manger, or other member of your staff is likely already using these very sites!