It is an old adage that leaders are made through perseverance. Doctors have already become leaders by becoming medical servants to the masses but more often than not, they are lacking in the marketing department.

“If everyone were to jump off a bridge, would you?” This question has been asked in different variations over time to determine if a person was a leader or a follower. If a person answered no, it meant that the person was someone who could stand up for what he or she believed. As Jesse Jackson once said, “leadership cannot just go along to get along. Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day.”

The real challenge is finding how a doctor can become a marketing leader in the medical marketing niche. The first thing to remember is that becoming a marketing leader is a result, as all leaders are made. Time will be invested and patience will be tested but it will be worth it.

Here are five tips to becoming a medical marketing leader:

1.    Be actively involved

As a doctor, you are an expert in your field. Create a blog that discusses areas in your expertise to educate the masses. Create social media accounts and actively participate in discussions. However, be aware of HIPPA rules and regulations.

2.    Obtain customer feedback

At the end of a consultation or treatment with a patient, ask them to fill out a survey. It does not have to be mandatory but any feedback is better than no feedback. Have incentives like a chance to win $100 every month for those who will out the survey.

3.    Act on customer feedback

The process of obtaining customer feedback is easier than acting upon the feedback. Upon reading surveys, there may be some harsh comments, but as a marketing leader you must take both negative and positive comments and use them to improve your practice. If several patients are complaining of long wait times, analyze your booking schedule. Are you booking more patients than you can handle or are patients showing up late? If you are overbooking, cut down on the patients. If patients are showing up late, enact a strict late patient policy that includes penalties.

4.    Communicate with employees

To become a marketing leader, one must become an office leader. Do you talk to your employees on a frequent basis? Do you have weekly group meetings and one-on-one meetings with employees? What are you doing to make sure there is employee satisfaction? It is important to realize that employee satisfaction rubs off on patients, so keep both satisfied and you will do well.

5.    Analyze your marketing strategies

Don’t throw all your eggs into one basket. Don’t depend on just commercials, advertising or social media to market yourself. A good marketing leader examines the available strategies and decides on the most effective way to get information to prospective and potential patients.

Leaders are made over time. Leadership requires sacrifice and servitude to people who sometimes do not deserve it. It is up to you as a marketing leader to find ways to make yourself different than your competitors. Communicating with your patients and employees and analyzing your marketing strategies is a great start to become a leader in the medical marketing niche. Don’t know where to start, contact Mindstream Creative for a consultation today.