Written by: Ameeta Gangaram, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In the first article of this series, we embarked on the defining step of the 'Client Attraction Framework’, establishing the core elements of your marketing strategy: business values, vision, mission, and ideal client. Read the first article here. With this clarity, move on to the next crucial phase – 'Assess'. This second step involves three areas of assessment: assessing your competitors, your point of difference (POD) and your goals.
The diagram below identifies the Client Attraction Framework and the second step 'Assess', which this article will focus on. By following this framework you'll realise that growing your allied health practice is possible when you're equipped with the right marketing strategy.
Step 2: Assess
Now let's move on to working through the Assessment step the three areas to focus on are:
Assess the market.
Assess your point of difference (POD).
Assess your goals.
1. Assessing the market: Understanding your competitors
You may be thinking, "How do I assess my competitors?", or "What should I be looking at when assessing other health professionals in my field?". There is a simple method to use as you approach each competitor.
As mentioned above, assess your market before you develop effective marketing campaigns. You may be a dentist, psychologist, occupational therapist, nutritionist, or physiotherapist, running your private practice alongside fellow health professionals with the same target audience. It can leave health professionals feeling frustrated by the number of competitors. Many say they think the market is saturated. Yet, when asked if they have taken the time to understand the market and who their competitors are, they answer no.
Yes, there are competitors in every profession, yet only one of you. This uniqueness unlocks the potential to grow your business, attracting the ideal clients you defined for your business in the first step of this framework.
This is where a SWOT analysis comes in. A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
SWOT analysis for allied health professionals
As an allied health professional, use a SWOT analysis to assess your practice first. Then, move on to using this to assess your competitors. Here are some probing questions to assist in completing the SWOT analysis:
Strengths
What are your unique selling propositions?
What are your strengths as a health professional?
Weaknesses:
What are your areas for improvement?
What are your limitations as a practitioner?
What do your patients dislike most about your practice?
Opportunities
Are there any new trends or technologies you can use?
Are there any new patient populations that you can target?
Are there any new partnerships that you can form?
Threats
Who are your main competitors? Remember to consider local and online competitors.
What are the biggest challenges facing your profession?
Now that you have assessed your business within the market, assess your competitors.
Find a minimum of three competitors to complete this process with. When choosing your competitors, consider the ones who are:
Early adopters – businesses that remain ahead of the game and are innovators in the industry, always adapting and experimenting. Early adopters have an entrepreneurial mindset.
Industry leaders – these businesses have a strong reputation and following and generally have been in the industry for a while. They set the benchmark within their industry. They are often pioneers in innovation.
Late adopters or followers (vs leaders) – these businesses tend to remain the same and are not open to change. They do represent a significant portion of the market. Late adopters wait for the market to mature before implementing new products or services. It often reduces disruption and integration costs. However, they risk losing out on market share and staff.
Use this to guide where your practice fits within this landscape.
Competitor research
Once you've completed your SWOT analysis, you should conduct competitor research. Because understanding your competitors' strengths and weaknesses helps identify opportunities to differentiate your practice.
Here are some tips for conducting competitor research:
Search for your competitors online and offline.
Visit your competitors' websites and social media pages.
Read online reviews of your competitors.
Talk to your patients about your competitors.
Lastly, use the SWOT analysis tool to assess each health professional you identified as potential competition.
When you know your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats you can develop effective marketing campaigns.
Want more information on competitor research? Listen to episode 36 of the Simple Marketing Solutions podcast for a thorough guide.
2. Assessing your point of difference
The Client Attraction Framework, as seen in the diagram above, covers assessing your private practice, and how you compare to your competitors. The next element in step two is to assess what your point of difference (POD) is.
In a competitive market, it is not enough to simply offer quality services; you must also establish a clear point of difference – a unique value proposition that sets you apart from your competitors. This could be your specialisation, expertise, experience, patient-centred approach, or any other factor that makes your practice stand out.
Here are some examples of well-known companies and what their point of difference is:
Nike – As Neil Patel points out in The Motley Fool, Nike has many rivals e.g. Adidas, Under Armour, ASICS, etc., who offer the same quality products. Yet, when over 14000 teens were surveyed by Piper Sandler in 2022, Nike ranked as the 'top footwear brand'. Why? Because they've built an extremely strong brand presence. They have many high-profile endorsement deals, create captivating ads, and show up everywhere. Over the decades, they've nailed their audience and know who they are and what is attractive to them. Nike delivers on this through their products, pricing, placement, and promotion.
ALDI – This supermarket chain has dedicated itself to being 'no-frills', which speaks to consumers looking to save time and money. In their corporate responsibility policy, ALDI states their core purpose is to 'provide value and quality to our customers by being fair and efficient in all we do.' This POD is very clear when comparing ALDI to competitors such as Woolworths and Coles, who continuously have to put products on 'special' instead of offering everyday low prices.
Rex Airlines – This is a small airline compared to its competitors such as Qantas and Virgin. However, one thing Rex does well is their customer service experience. If you've ever flown with them, you'll notice they still provide free drinks and snacks, even on short flights! Their staff are friendly and helpful. They've got a clear POD through this service.
Now that you've seen how some big brands have highlighted their point of difference, from pricing to service or quality it's your turn to identify what your point of difference is going to be.
3. Assessing your goals
Often health professionals start or run their private practices without clearly defined goals. They then approach us because they have identified their business isn't growing. Yet, when we start working on their strategy it becomes apparent that the lack of defined goals is part of the problem.
If you were saving for a holiday to Europe you'd do your research, and know the cost of flights, accommodation, and daily expenses. This would allow you to start saving a specific amount each month with the goal of this trip in mind. Running your practice should be no different. Set and track goals to assess what is working or not. This gives you ample opportunity to rectify problems before they become overwhelming.
One way to successfully assess and measure your goals is setting SMART objectives. SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Start assessing your goals using this acronym.
a. Specific: Clearly define your objectives, leaving no room for ambiguity. For example, instead of aiming to "increase patient volume," set a specific target, such as "increasing new patient bookings by 20% in the next quarter."
b. Measurable: Quantify your goals to track progress and assess success. Ensure that your metrics are clearly defined and easy to measure.
c. Achievable: Set realistic and attainable goals that align with your resources and capabilities. Avoid setting goals that are too ambitious or unrealistic.
d. Relevant: Ensure that your goals align with your overall business objectives and contribute to the long-term growth of your practice.
e. Time-bound: Set deadlines for achieving your goals to create a sense of urgency and drive action. This helps you stay on track and prioritise your marketing efforts.
By following these guidelines, you can set SMART goals that fuel your marketing strategy and propel your allied health practice towards sustainable growth. Remember, once you've set these goals it's not a set-and-forget approach. Ensure you reflect on the progress of each goal regularly.
With your competitive landscape mapped, your unique value proposition identified, and your SMART goals set, you're now equipped to embark on the final stage of the Client Attraction Framework: Action. Remember, growth doesn't happen by chance, it's the result of strategic planning and intentional action. Don't let your competitors define your success. Armed with this actionable framework, take charge of your marketing, and watch your allied health practice flourish. Embrace the potential within your unique offering, set your goals, and confidently step into the spotlight. The power to attract ideal clients and build a thriving practice is in your hands.
Need a marketing strategist with over twenty years of experience in the allied healthcare profession to help you grow your business? Book a free Strategy Call here.
Ameeta Gangaram, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Ameeta Gangaram is known as the Chaos Whisperer. As a digital marketing consultant and coach, she helps health professionals and coaches who feel overwhelmed with everything digital to bring clarity and order to their business to achieve sustainable growth. She does this through private coaching, her online group coaching program called “She Succeeds”, done-for-you marketing services including marketing strategy, web design, email marketing.
