A referral is one of the most powerful tools your practice will ever experience. It is pretty much a recipe for instant growth. So if your practice isn’t working to encourage referrals, you are missing out on a significant new revenue channel.
Ultimately, patients who love you want to help you! They want to share their positive experiences with friends and family. So while sometimes a referral happens naturally, people get busy. It’s not always top-of-mind. Referral marketing simply helps to keep the act of referring you top-of-mind for your patients.
Numerous studies show that when it comes to sales and conversions, referral marketing is by far one of the most powerful forms of marketing because:
- People trust the opinions of the people they know (whether the opinion is shared in person or online)
- People also trust the opinions of people they don’t know personally (especially when the opinion seems genuine)
- Referral marketing is extremely targeted; your patients know their friends and whether or not they’d be a good fit for your practice
- People are willing to pay more for something that is strongly recommended
- Referred customers are less likely to leave
Our clients are already doing referral-worthy work. (We only work with medical practices that put patient care first!) We simply help our clients utilize the many referral channels available.
Referral channels include:
- Family & friends
- Colleagues & professionals
- Social platforms
- Online reviews
Where does referral marketing fit into the rest of the marketing mix?
Well, after a prospective patient receives a referral, they will look at your website for more information. Does the branding reflect what their friend/coworker said about you? When the information they find aligns with what the referrer said, trust grows, and the deal is sealed. And ideally, your marketing should be strong enough to convert new customers to your practice even without a direct referral!
Stay tuned to learn how to maximize the power of referral marketing for your business when we unveil The Polite Southerners’ Guide to Referral Marketing.
Need a partner who can help you leverage the power of referrals? Contact us today at 757.903.6356!