As we covered in last weeks’ article about tailoring online ads, the Patient Persona is a key component in the patient acquisition process. A deep understanding of the patient base is vital for the growth of your practice. The key to the Patient Persona is rewiring your mental framework. For the purposes of outreach and marketing, instead of thinking of your entire patient pool as hundreds (or thousands) of unique individuals, you will want to think of it as one singular person – your Patient Persona.
The Patient Persona is a fictional person that you create based on researching your current patients. It is a curated representation of your patients who largely share significant similarities. This shows what is working for you (who you are bringing in) and where your future success will lie. Identifying your ideal Patient Persona is a crucial step in bringing more of “your type” patients through the door.
So, how exactly do we create the Patient Persona? Here are some criteria to consider when putting your research together:
Demographics:
- Gender
- Age
- Ethnicity
- Household income
- Marital status
- Do they have children?
- Are they active online? What platforms do they frequent?
Psychographics:
- Cultural affiliation (generation)
- Religion
- Political leaning
- Interests or hobbies
- How/where do they spend their free time?
Health:
- Goals/wants/needs
- Obstacles/challenges
This information can be gathered using patient records (while keeping in compliance with HIPAA, of course!) and through voluntary anonymous surveys.
Now what? Once you have collected your data and can identify patterns and similarities, you can channel that into solid information that will help focus your marketing. You will be tailoring your ads and content specifically for the desired target patients that you want to reach. Take all your data into consideration to determine when to find them, where to find them, what they will respond to and what will turn them off. Your message should feel one-on-one and personalized – not broad and anonymous. Patients want to feel that their doctor really understands them and their needs. The marketing efforts should project this.
The better informed you are, the more effective your strategy will be. Researching your current patient pool will allow you to create your ideal target Patient Persona. With this in your corner, you can tailor your marketing to reach exactly who you want and continue to bring new patients to your practice.