The Power of an Informative Referral-Generating Newsletter
Increasing the flow of new patients is critical to the success of your practice. Most professionals with a practice—from medical and dental specialists and physical therapists to attorneys, accountants and financial planners—agree that referrals from other professionals represent the single most significant source of new business.
To maintain relationships with valuable referral sources, a newsletter can help you communicate with those who might be in a position to refer patients or clients to your practice. A newsletter can help define your image, build your reputation and provide useful information to your referral sources.
A newsletter should not consist solely of material advertising your practice. That would reduce its credibility and increase the likelihood of its being thrown away. Instead, have it chock full of valuable information directed to your specific professional base.
Three reasons you should consider sending a newsletter:
- Keep in touch. Months or years could go by between seeing some of your professional referral sources. In that time span, you may become “out of sight, out of mind,” and those sources may start referring their patients or clients elsewhere. A newsletter keeps the name of your practice in front of them on a regular basis.
- Establish a positive, long-term relationship. A newsletter with valuable information will show your referring professionals that you value their referrals and have not forgotten them. A truly informative newsletter also gives you the opportunity for one-on-one communication. For example, if a newsletter includes an article about a topic that would be of interest to one of your referral sources, write a short note, even just a sentence or two. That short note shows you are thinking about him or her and are aware of a specific topic of interest.
- Uncover new referral sources. Do not limit your newsletter to professionals who already refer patients or clients to your practice. Send your newsletter to all area professionals who might become referral sources. Send an introductory letter with the first issue indicating how frequently you will be sending your newsletter to them and inviting questions and telephone calls. Your newsletter helps prove that you are knowledgeable in your specialty, and it builds a sense of trust in you. The objective is to create visibility for your practice. When it comes time to make a patient referral, it increases the likelihood that the recipient will think of you.
Your newsletter should contain valuable information targeted toward your readers—as well as a way for them to contact your practice. You will find newsletters to be a worthwhile tool for maintaining top-of-mind awareness among your referral sources. Depending on the nature of your practice, just one or two new referrals could make your investment in a newsletter program pay off.
If you are looking to market your practice with a quarterly newsletter you can send to professionals in your geographic area, WPI Communications, Inc., can help. We publish informative newsletters for medical and dental specialists, attorneys, accountants and financial planners. We do all the research, writing, editing, design, personalization and printing. We can even generate a mailing list and mail your newsletters for you. For more information, e-mail us or call us at 800-323-4995.
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