The mainstream media love to remind the public (ie, your prospective patients) that flu season is still in full swing. That being the case, why shouldn’t one of your physicians be the talking head assuring patients that all will be well if they do the right thing? When WJRT in Flint, MI did its most recent report on school districts’ efforts to fight influenza, Peter Stoyanoff, MD was there on screen, talking about what he and his colleagues at AMD Urgent Care have been seeing—and reminding viewers that it’s not too late to get the vaccine. In addition, he laid out steps parents could take in addition to flu shots in order to protect their families.
The spot established Stoyanoff and AMD as public health advocates who care about children, and have the resources to back it up, all at no cost to the operator beyond the time Stoyanoff spent talking to the reporter.
Help satisfy the public’s need to know while boosting your center’s profile at the same time. You can start by putting together a simple press release that points out how your practice is responding to whatever the concern of the moment is, as well as a few bullet points on steps patients can take to stay healthy. Pick one clinician to offer as an interview subject, and send the missive off to local newspapers and television and radio stations. Then keep doing it. Even if you don’t get a “bite” the first time out, eventually a reporter will need a last-minute quote and your clinic will probably get the call if you’ve done what you can to get your name out there.