An essential component of any medical marketing and branding strategy is public relations. Public relations is the communication with a target market and can include a variety of vehicles including: press releases, articles, press conferences, media events, interviews, seminars and partnerships. Many businesses neglect to include PR when planning their marketing strategy. This is a mistake as public relations is one of the most cost-effective ways for a medical practice to raise consumer awareness and boost confidence.Most would agree that the payoff that comes from being featured by the local news is priceless. A little positive PR can go a long way to boost the marketing efforts of a medical practice. Most people first learn about a medical procedure or treatment through the media. An effective medical PR campaign can reach millions of consumers and can bring in patients.

A solid PR strategy can be more effective than advertising. This is because consumers perceive the information shared in an advertisement differently than they do a news feature. Consumers trust the media to provide them with factual information. When a physician is interviewed by the media, it establishes credibility for the provider and positions the practice as experts in their field. A well thought out PR campaign can help consumers overcome reluctance about having a medical procedure and can help improve sales for the practice by building consumer confidence that the physician is qualified to care for them. Consumers are much more likely to move forward with having a medical procedure based upon a news endorsement than an advertisement.

A consistent PR strategy can increase overall brand awareness and can supplement an already established advertising campaign. Another benefit of PR is that it improves search engine visibility. A newspaper article, press release or televised news features provides another way for the practice to be found online.

If you do not have a PR strategy in place, consider implementing one immediately. Not only can an effective medical PR campaign bring in more patients, it can save lives. If you would like assistance developing and implementing a PR strategy, contact a PR firm such as MindStream Creative today.