Best Practice Marketing for Allied Health Organisations in Australia

Written By Andrew Ford

Marketing for allied health organisations in Australia requires a tailored approach that considers the unique needs of the healthcare sector and the Australian market. Allied health professionals, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, and others, must employ strategies that build trust, demonstrate expertise, and foster community engagement. Here are some best practices for effective marketing in this field from my 15 years of experience working with a variety of practitioners in this field:


Clarify your goals

One of the first things I do with new allied health clients is to dig out their goals and make them SMART to ensure your marketing efforts are focused and effective. If you haven’t seen this methodology before, SMART goals are:

  • Specific: Define clear, specific objectives. For example, "Increase patients 10 per week within six months."

  • Measurable: Establish leading metrics to track your progress. This could be website traffic, social media engagement, or the number of new patient inquiries leading to patient bookings.

  • Achievable: Set realistic goals based on your current resources and market conditions. Aim for growth that challenges your team but is attainable. It’s no use getting 100 new patients if the support team cannot process them in a reasonable time period.

  • Relevant: Ensure your goals align with your overall objectives. For instance, if expanding your client base is a priority, but you don’t want to work more hours, we need to balance these priorities. Your marketing goals should take all factors into consideration to support your lifestyle, not just growth.

  • Time-bound: Set a clear timeline for achieving your goals. For example, "Generate 50 new patient leads through online channels by the end of the year."


Understand Your Audience

The second step in any marketing strategy is to understand your target audience. For allied health organisations, this includes patients, referring doctors, and other healthcare providers. Most clinics have practice management software but not customer relationship management (CRM) systems. The practice software is designed for different purposes so I always recommend having a separate CRM to do marketing. It helps to understand the GPs and referral Doctors who you are targeting and separates patient communications like newsletters from medical data. 

Build a Strong Online Presence

A robust online presence is essential in today’s digital age. Many allied health practitioners have been slow to adopt marketing into their routine business practices, but those that do have an advantage over those that don’t. Here are a few key components to consider:

Personal Website: Your website should be user-friendly, informative, and mobile-responsive. Include detailed information about your services, team members, and contact details. An easy-to-use booking system can enhance patient convenience particularly if you practice at several clinics. 

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is crucial for increasing your visibility online. Use relevant keywords, create high-quality content, and ensure your website is technically optimised to rank higher in search engine results.

Use social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to engage with your community. The choice of platform is dictated by your patient demographic and your personal preferences. Ask us for advice before starting them so we can help you share informative content. Social media is also a great platform for patient stories and educational videos. 

Content marketing is a powerful tool for demonstrating expertise and building trust. Create valuable content that addresses the needs and concerns of your patients. Think about your most commonly asked questions which could be turned into blog posts, videos, infographics, and downloadable guides. Topics might cover common health issues, treatment options, wellness tips, and patient success stories. Regularly updating your content helps keep your audience engaged and improves your SEO.

Effective communication is key to building strong patient relationships. Use clear, empathetic, and patient-centric language in all your communications. Whether it’s through your website, emails, or social media, make sure your messaging is consistent and focused on patient needs.

Networking and Partnerships

Building relationships with other healthcare providers can be a valuable source of referrals. We often utilise our tried and true ‘Cupcake outreach system’ to engage more referrers, you can see more about this program on our website - https://www.socialstar.com.au/cupcake-outreach. Establishing partnerships with gyms, wellness centres, and community organisations can also enhance your visibility and credibility.

Utilise Email Marketing

Email marketing is an effective way to stay connected with your patients and keep them informed about your services. Send regular newsletters with updates, health tips, and information about upcoming events or promotions. Make sure your emails are personalised and provide value to your recipients.

We also use email marketing for referring Doctors and practitioners with educational content. 

In conclusion, marketing for allied health organisations in Australia requires a bit of setup work, a comprehensive and well-thought-out strategy. By understanding your audience, building a strong online presence, creating valuable content, and leveraging relationships, you can effectively reach and engage with your target market. 

To book a marketing planning session click here - https://www.socialstar.com.au/strategy-workshop 

Andrew Ford
Marketing expert Andrew Ford, the founder of Social Star, has discovered the secret of ‘Powerful Branding’. With a fire for unleashing people’s inner brand and developing business models to generate profit from an individual’s passions, Andrew leverages ground-breaking digital and social media marketing techniques to create digital strategies for clients to attract maximum opportunities. Having established a strong name for himself in the field, Andrew blends traditional business techniques with now-necessary tools for entrepreneurs to achieve scale, quality, and influence in their niche. Andrew’s comprehensive business background and qualifications consist of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) (RMIT 2003), a Graduate Certificate in Management (MBA Executive Program, University of Sydney 2005), and a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne University 2011). Continually on the cutting edge of his own education, Andrew has tested his marketing theories in forums such as the BCG Business Strategy Competition, which he won in 2005 against all Victorian MBA schools, and the Venture Cup Business Plan Competition (Swinburne University 2003), which he won in the Masters category. With experience working at Hewlett-Packard, Sensis (Telstra) and IBM, Andrew also has mentored dozens of junior staffs to help them achieve their professional goals. Meeting and influencing high-profile public figures helped Andrew to realise just how many professionals require more understanding and control of their public brands or appearance, and need help with the skills to use the many amazing free tools at their disposal to generate success. At Social Star, Andrew consults with clients to uncover their personal brand – both where it is today and where it can be tomorrow – and refine and define how that should be displayed in social media in order to attract their perfect target audience. Andrew mentors his clients to rapidly grow their business’ audiences, resulting in larger potential client bases and higher revenue. Applying formulas that integrate over twenty years of Andrew’s business experience and fifteen years of formal business education, Social Star specialises in building clarity and velocity for clients’ brands using the ‘Understand, Build and Leverage’ methodology. ‘Having a Personal Business enables people to have an authentic, congruent connection with their valued clients and partners, using their brand as the bridge,’ says Andrew. ‘I’m highly driven to work with the new breed of entrepreneurs and small business owners – people who have a passion for making the world a better place. Traditional business models are stepping aside as people follow their innermost dreams and my role is to see them operate within their values while creating wealth. Some people think you have to sacrifice what you love to be successful in your business, yet it is actually the opposite. Follow your passion and success will come.’ Lecturing at Swinburne University from 2009 to 2011 on brand dynamics and digital marketing, presenting at numerous conferences, and consulting to hundreds of clients, Andrew has seen his philosophy work that if you follow your unique path, based on your skills, experience, values and goals, you will automatically attract the opportunities you desire and achieve the success you deserve. Living his mantra, Andrew has created a successful business and attracts high-profile clients including musicians, athletes, authors, models, entrepreneurs, professionals and small business owners, helping them find their ‘why’ in their business and fulfilment in their lives. Business for Andrew is more than work, it’s personal. Running a personal business means that he is able to fulfil all of his values rather than separating his life from work. It supports his two boys while providing social opportunities, educational development, fitness opportunities, spiritual fulfilment and many valuable friendships. Social Star has now become the vehicle for Andrew to crystallise his mission in the world, to help people love what they do, supporting his ‘why’, that if more people loved what they did, the world would be a better place.
http://www.andrewford.com.au/
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