6 Brand Building Tips That Drive Referrals

If you think of brand and referrals as separate channels with different goals, it could be worth reconsidering. When done correctly, they reinforce each other. All it takes to link your brand work to new patient revenue is promoting your clinicians and capabilities — burnishing their brands will drive new patient referrals.

Here's are 6 ways to do it effectively:

1. Define a tight goal. Design and execute a structured campaign based on clearly identified goals. Be specific about the specialties you’d like to support. Which qualify? Those with outstanding doctors, procedures, or results. Or, those that are new or not well-known for being at your hospital.

2. Decide who to promote. Your physicians are part of your brand. Calling out a few special caregivers with Physician Spotlight highlights them — and your hospital’s brand. That combination drives referrals because every doctor wants to know their patients will be in good hands with the specialist they refer.

3. Get targeted. Work with us to identify doctors outside your health system who are the most likely to make a referral and then build a multi-pronged contact strategy to reach them. Focusing on the right referring physicians can give you a significant bump in referrals — and ROI.

4. Be useful. Provide physicians with compelling, science-based medical information that delivers real value in helping them help their patients. News about clinical trials, medical breakthroughs, new capabilities, and awards and recognitions your clinicians have earned can enhance your health system’s brand because they offer these outside clinicians new options

5. Mix it up. Don’t rely on a single contact method. Use different approaches, such as articles in a newsfeed, emails, physician-to-physician outreach, and more. Switching up your approach can help you be more dynamic and harder to dismiss. And that can help build a long-term relationship that fills the referral pipeline for years.

6. Watch your metrics. You selected the physicians and specialties you think make sense to promote, but your audience will tell you if you’re right. Lean into the posts that get the most traction and consider replacing lower-engagement specialties with people or departments that more closely match what your community is interested in right now.

Don’t rely on a single contact method.  Using different approaches helps you be harder to miss.

Putting these recommendations into practice can positively reflect on your health system’s brand and lead to more referrals. If you have any questions, let us know.

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