Hearing clinic owners likely face numerous challenges when it comes to marketing. Often, marketing budgets are limited. You probably don’t have a large team of marketing experts on staff, and you likely have a million other things that demand your attention.   

Marketing is essential to driving sales and revenue, and can help your hearing clinic attract attention, generate interest, and differentiate your business from the competition. But are you encountering these 6 common challenges that can stop your clinic from maximizing success? Here’s how to overcome them. 

Do potential customers and referral sources know who you are and what you offer? If you don't promote your business properly, proactively, or consistently, you may not have the necessary visibility to maximize traffic and sales. Think about the audiences you need to reach.

First, you will need to target prospective customers. Additionally, you’ll want to attract referral sources (like physicians, ENTs, geriatric doctors, senior centers) and partners (such as local businesses that might be interested in on-site screenings). Determine how you can reach these audiences (e.g., through newsletters, social media, signage in high-traffic locations, etc.)

It’s also important to be familiar with competitors’ marketing efforts.

1. What are other local audiology clinics doing to position themselves and attract attention?
2. How can you differentiate your business from theirs?
3. What can you do to become more visible with prospects and key referral sources?

You wouldn’t try to build a house without a blueprint, would you? You shouldn’t try to launch a marketing campaign without a plan either. Your marketing plan should identify what you hope to accomplish and outline the specific steps you’ll take to get there

Let’s say you want to increase new customers and drive sales. Well, how will you achieve these goals? When you develop your plan, write down the specific tactics you’ll implement to reach these goals – such as increasing your social media presence, starting a friends and family referral program, and securing five new community partners that will allow you to do onsite hearing screenings this year.

It can sometimes be overwhelming to think about all the marketing tactics you want to implement, especially since you’re also doing a million other things to run your business. It can be helpful to create a timeline, outlining when you’ll implement each tactic, so you can focus on a few things at a time. Also, decide which of the tactics are the most important priorities so you can start there.

If you’re a solo practitioner, you might want to consider outsourcing your marketing efforts or hiring a contract employee to help you with this initiative. During the planning phase, decide what success looks like to you.

1. Is it increasing social media followers?
2. Developing a newsletter and growing the database of recipients?
3. Growing sales by a certain percentage?
4. Which key performance indicators (KPIs) are most important to you, and how will you improve these numbers in the next 6-12 months?

It’s important to measure your efforts throughout the campaign to determine which tactics are contributing to your success. Did you generate significant leads by using an iPad hearing screener out in the community? Keep doing what generates positive results and cut out any tactics that are not contributing to your KPIs. This helps focus your time, energy, and budget on the more productive options. 

Social media continues to rise in popularity, with 4.62 billion people now using these platforms globally. Many people rely on social media for information, updates, recommendations, and more.

Savvy businesses are communicating with key demographics via social channels. In fact, nearly 90% of marketers say social marketing efforts have increased their organization’s exposure, and 73% of marketers believe that their social media efforts have been effective for their business. And 82% of marketers repurpose content (e.g., industry articles, product instructions, etc.) on their social media accounts.

Leverage platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for a cost-effective way to get your messages seen by huge numbers of people. Social media is also a great way to communicate with prospects and other priority populations. If you haven’t been using social as part of your marketing efforts, it’s time to start! 

Your messaging is the backbone of your marketing campaign, so you need to have clear, easily understandable messages with distinct calls to action (such as visit our clinics or follow us on Facebook and Instagram). Don’t use technical jargon when marketing to prospects, as it won’t be compelling or engaging for them.

Also, use consistent messages throughout your marketing efforts so you’re “singing from the same sheet of music” whether you’re posting on social media, issuing a press release, sending out an email blast, or writing a blog for your website. This helps reiterate information to your key audiences in a variety of ways. 

Studies show that generating a new customer can be 5x more expensive than keeping an existing one. It can also be extremely time-consuming to generate leads. Is your clinic taking on this important task wisely?

Hearing clinics worldwide have found tremendous success generating leads through Auditdata Engage, a portable iPad hearing screening tool that can be used in your clinic or out in the community. People can complete a hearing screening in just a few minutes, and they don’t need an appointment.

If the test indicates a hearing loss, your clinic can easily follow up to inform them of their test results and book an appointment for a more in-depth exam at your clinics. Remember: done properly, lead generation drives customers to your clinics, which leads to more sales and higher conversion rates.  

Measuring the ROI of marketing activities has remained a top marketing challenge globally year-over-year, with 28% of marketers saying it was their main challenge in 2021. Measuring ROI helps you understand the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and can show clinic leadership how well marketing and lead gen efforts are working.

When considering your marketing budget, ROI can show whether you’ve spent the money wisely. Luckily, Manage provides easy-to-read reports outlining KPIs by store, by a clinician, and across an organization. These reports can help clinic owners, managers, and heads of audiology determine which marketing efforts are “moving the needle” to increase customers, sales, conversions, and other key metrics.