Why PR?

What Public Relations Can Do For You

Using PR tactics helps you grow your practice and your reputation because of the power of credibility. Basically, public relations conveys its messages through third parties over which you have no control, in contrast to other marketing methods (such as direct mail and advertising) where your audience knows you can say nearly anything you want.

Think of it as a friend or relative recommending that you try a certain product…or stay away from it! Because you know they have no vested interest in selling it to you, you give a lot of weight to their opinion, balanced of course by what you think of the individual providing the recommendation.

By the same token, the level of credibility given to something your prospective client or patient reads in a newspaper, for example, will be influenced by their opinion of that newspaper.

The newspaper then (or a magazine, a TV or radio station, or an Internet publication) is the medium through which your messages are conveyed and your image built. When that medium is perceived as objective then you have received a powerful recommendation.

This is why for centuries we have heard about “the power of the press.” Used well, it will provide you not only with new clients and the ability to charge higher fees, but with the power to influence public opinion and government decision-making relating to your profession.

Public relations gives you the opportunity to differentiate yourself from other providers so that your prospects do NOT make their selection based solely on geographic location or price, but rather based on perceived value. You avoid becoming a commodity by establishing yourself as a trusted expert who is the preferred specialist for your profession in your local community.

Your professional image is one of your most important assets and you want that image to reinforce your knowledge, experience and professionalism. PR is the discipline that guards and enhances reputation so it's natural that it would be the perfect fit for a professional.

You Choose Your Quality of Life

Ultimately, public relations tactics, focused on expert positioning in particular, have the ability to improve your quality of life by enabling you to achieve your most important business goals:

• Establish a new practice
• Expand geographically
• Grow a current practice
• Grow your total income
• Raise your fees so you can reduce your patient load or billable hours and take more time off without losing income
• Increase referrals, add new revenue streams, or add new associates to the practice
• Increase loyalty among current clients
• As a medical professional, remove yourself from the insurance reimbursement mill and build a practice of self-pay patients
• Increase your prestige in your community of practice while gaining visibility for your professional services without looking like you are marketing
  
  
  

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