Radio shows, ads put your practice in the limelight
Good morning Winter Park!
The bigger cities become, the more time people spend in their cars. While some might bemoan the increasing traffic, for the astute medical practice, this captive audience offers you a great opportunity to get your name out into the community and demonstrate your expertise on various medical and health issues.
"People are spending more and more time in their cars," says Andrea Eliscu, RN, president of Medical Marketing in Winter Park, FL. "You can really get your message out if you advertise your practice in a 30-second spot at key times," she says.
In major markets, radio advertising can be expensive. One practice Eliscu worked with had a $30,000 budget. That money was spent writing and producing the ads and buying time for them to air over three months. Was it money well spent? Eliscu says the practice is still evaluating the impact of the ad, but the client noticed a lot of increased calls, particularly during the first two weeks when the ad was aired often. After that time, it was played only two to three times a week.
Some practices shy away from advertising, feeling it will sound cheap like some of the worst ads for lawyers that you hear, says Eliscu. But medical ads can be made to sound like public service announcements. "You can give the facts about a topic with your name at the end," she says. Aired during Howard Stern or Dr. Laura two of the most popular syndicated radio shows in the nation you can reach a lot of people in an unobtrusive way.
"But you have to know your demographics," she warns. For instance, if you want to target active men in their 30s for your sports medicine clinic, book your time during pre-game and post-game sports shows. "This works for college and professional sports," says Eliscu.
Radio offers practices more than just ads. There are also opportunities to underwrite entire shows. Julie Lusk, MEd, LPC, the director of health management at the Lewis Gale Clinic in Salem, VA, has had an annual contract for five years with a local radio station. Every Wednesday, a physician, nurse practitioner, dietitian, or other medical staff member is part of a talk show.
Lusk says that going into the details of the costs of the show and ads would be difficult, but she is willing to discuss the specifics with readers who are interested on a one-on-one basis. (See source box, p. 9, for Lusk’s contact information.)
"We supply a few questions to the interviewer to get the ball rolling," explains Lusk. "Then the lines are opened up for questions." The topics are often those that appear in the news. When Bob Dylan was diagnosed with a dangerous heart condition over the summer, a cardiologist was on the show to talk about the disease. During the holiday season, depression is a topic discussed by one of the clinic’s psychologists.
In addition to the talk show, the contract includes 10 commercials per week for the clinic, and the show itself is also promoted. During the talk show, other Lewis-Gale services such as classes or seminars are mentioned.
Lusk says she doesn’t have trouble getting the physicians to volunteer. "I ask twice a year and usually get 20 or 30 responses." The remaining shows are booked by "walking the halls and asking nicely."
She books the guests six months ahead of time and sends a reminder to the guest the week before the show and again the day before. The shows, guests, and topics are also mentioned in the clinic’s internal newsletter.
The show is the number two program in its slot for the 35+ age group a demographic the clinic targets, says Lusk. "It gets our name out there, brings us new business, and is a community service."
Eliscu says she has also worked with practices that have underwritten half-hour shows. "We once booked a different physician for each of 13 weeks," says Eliscu. She sent out flyers about the topic and created questions for them to answer. "We had no competition, so it gave us great visibility."
But she warns that in larger markets, ad reps will try to sell you those half-hour time slots during dead times, when the results of your efforts and your dollars would be less. "That may be a good bet for a new primary care practitioner to get his name out there. It does provide frequency and reach and can put the focus on important issues."
The cost can be as little as $2,500 for 13 weeks, she says, which also includes promotion of the show by the station.
You can also try to book your physicians on bigger nationally syndicated talk shows, but Eliscu says this isn’t as effective as advertising or having your own show locally. "Mostly, you are just educating the masses you don’t see. Unless you are the specialist on a particular subject, you aren’t going to get much business from this."
Lusk says the radio show has been a good deal for Lewis Gale. "I would recommend it. It just takes a little organization, and our doctors tell us that after they are on the air, they get an increased number of calls from the public."
• Julie Lusk, MEd, LPC, Director of Health Management, Lewis Gale Clinic, Salem, VA. Telephone: (540) 772-3736.
• Andrea Eliscu, RN, President, Medical Marketing, Winter Park, FL. Telephone: (407) 629-0062.
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