I spent this weekend at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) conference in Miami. With over 18,000 attendees, it broke a record for attendance. While at the conference, I was invited by Sciton Laser to speak about two of my favorite subjects: Effective Websites and Social Media (as it relates to physicians marketing their aesthetic practice). I was curious by some of the looks I received while talking – which ranged from blank stares to nodding heads. There wasn’t a classic persona that defined the physicians who listened intently – they were young and old, established and newbie’s; but there was one common denominator that came through loud and clear after speaking with some of them one-on-one. Overwhelmed.
Comments such as: “There’s so much to do and so little time. What’s the best way to manage all of this stuff? I hardly have enough time to treat my patients, manage my staff and occasionally attend a conference. I don’t have a lot of money to invest in advertising.” None of these comments shocked me since I work with physicians everyday on their practice marketing. What did surprise me was an acceptance of complacency. Oh well…. Oh well! Oh well what! You’re smart people. You went to medical school. No one expects you to know everything or be able to do it all. So when you don’t know everything and/or don’t have time to do it all – get help. Marketing isn’t rocket science; however it does take planning, goal setting and time. It’s an investment like most things.
You don’t want that shiny new laser collecting dust, do you?