Becker's ASC Review

23 ASC Management "Is there a need for ASCs to focus on direct-to- consumer marketing? Absolutely," says Nicholas Smith, business development at LEVEL TWO. "The short answer is that it helps control center profitability. In the long-term, direct-to-consum- er advertising will drive the target patients direct- ly into the center. When you start asking folks to pay out-of-pocket or bear a financial burden, you end up with a savvy consumer. So an ASC's best strategy would be to get the message out and stay in front of their prospective patients." ASCs may not have the money or resources to have large marketing departments, however that does not mean they have to bow out of the direct- to-consumer marketing completely. Here are seven direct-to-consumer marketing tips for ASCs: 1. Choose your strategy wisely. Pay attention to the type of media consumed by the community. "Depending on the market, we would suggest mix- ing the budget between mass media and digital ap- proaches. This is the method that will light up the telephone lines and lead to trackable ROI," he says. 3. Gain buy-in and commitment from the ASC board. The board of directors support will jump-start success in planning and implementing your strategy. 4. Don't expect immediate results. "The marketing effort should be profitable between six and nine months as volume begins to stabilize," says Mr. Smith. DTC marketing may yield different results for different specialties. For example, mar- keting efforts for a bariatric program could take six to nine months to bear fruit due to insurance man- dates. On the other hand a spine program could produce positive revenue in two to four months. "Sometimes profit can come even quicker as the marketing program can help attract new doctors to the center, who will bring an already existing patient pipeline," he says. 5. Treat each service line like a brand. Pa- tient experience and customization is key to a win- ning marketing strategy, especially online, says Mr. Smith. Customize landing pages and content for different specialties on your center's website and tailor it to the patient population specifically seek- ing information about those procedures. "Patients are coming in for different procedures and while deciding where to go for surgery they will search for their symptoms or condition," he says. "Boasting about quality indicators doesn't mean anything to patients. However, if they find a custom landing page for their condition and your solution, they know what you can do for them." 6. Avoid piece-mealing a program to- gether. Avoid redoing a website "because its time," says Mr. Smith. Treat each piece of the DTC marketing strategy as part of larger whole — each piece has its own purpose — and the campaign should be consistent across all communications. "Imagine fighting a war where half of your troops are attacking the wrong target or using the wrong weapon or attacking at the wrong time," he says. "All marketing methods need to be tied together to create a full-spectrum marketing strategy." 7. Don't look for a cure-all solution. Hiring one marketing person internally to solve all your marketing problems is a mistake. "Internal employ- ees who are paid by your center may not be able to be completely honest about the changes that need to be made at your center, whereas a third party orga- nization will have no such qualms," he says. n Direct-to-Consumer Marketing: 7 Tips for ASCs (continued from cover) AnticipAte chAnge. We do. 2013 ® 636.273.6711 | www.nationalASCbilling.com the ASc Revenue cycle. It's all we do. It's all we think about. And it shows. Named one of the world's best outsourcing service providers two years in a row. – Fortune Magazine 2013 Nicholas Smith

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