Frequently Asked Questions

General Marketing Questions

Q: Do I need an online presence for my business?

A: In short, yes. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it has helped us realize that having a broad online presence is an essential part of our new normal. No matter who your audience is, there is a strong chance that they are spending more time inside than they were before COVID-19 and will continue to spend more time inside and online in the future for businesses of any size. There are a few rare cases where your business may thrive even with the absence of digital marketing. However, in most cases, having a well-managed online presence on platforms such as your website and social media accounts can add significant value to your business.
Q: How does McCauley Marketing Services build a digital marketing strategy that will benefit my business?

A: At McCauley Marketing Services, we use a proven three-step process to build digital marketing strategies for our clients—analyze, strategize, and advertise. We start by analyzing your business. What are your business goals and how do you expect to reach them? This step includes evaluating your business’s current challenges, structure, demographics, etc. Once we have assessed where your business is currently and where you would like to be in the future, you can now move on to step two—strategize. This is where we help you to develop a plan to help reach the goals that you have outlined in phase one. This is why you may benefit from the help of a digital marketing expert who understands your vision and voice. Lastly, you need to advertise. This is where you take action and implement your marketing campaign by ensuring that your goals align with your budget and begin taking action.
Q: How can McCauley Marketing Services help to build my business’s social media following?

A: We start defining and analyzing your audience by researching your demographics. We find out as much as we can about your audience then use this information to create engaging posts. We can help you provide value to your customers by giving them quality content that they can relate to and create brand loyalty and recognition over time that will sustain your business even during times of economic trouble.
Q: What kind of marketing package is best for my business?

A: We offer accessible marketing packages for businesses of all sizes. If you are just starting your business and need help with the techy stuff, for example, our “Business Starter Package” may be right for you. We’ll take care of your website maintenance, security, SEO, and more! If you have an established business and are looking to drive clicks and revenue to your website, the “Get More for Your Money Package” may be right for you. For more information about all of our business packages, click here.
Q: Why should I invest in a marketing service for my business?

A: Outsourcing your marketing gives you the freedom as a business owner to focus on doing what you do best—running your business. Trust us, you’ll need the extra time to foster the new customers who will find your business through our marketing efforts. Gone will be the stressful days of educating yourself on the practices of social media, only to find your campaign has become stagnant. We can help you find the holes, locate your appropriate audience, and help you increase your patient base or customer base.

HEALTHCARE MARKETING & MEDICAL MARKETING

Q: Healthcare is something people need, not a luxury. Why do I need marketing?

A: There are actually many different reasons for healthcare marketing. First, even though you may provide a necessity, you still have competitors. When patients are in need of a dentist, a gynecologist, an ophthalmologist, or other provider your marketing needs to showcase your philosophy and your brand. Second, your advertising isn’t exclusively seen by patients – it’s seen by physicians in other specialties who may want to refer their patients to you. Third, many medical offices provide optional procedures in addition to medically necessary ones. For instance, a dermatologist may offer Botox® injections along with treating skin conditions, while a general physician may provide weight loss counseling in addition to addressing illnesses. These are all services that need to be marketed in order to spread the word. Finally, “marketing” means much more than just “advertising”. McCauley Marketing Services can also help with your online reputation management (like finding and responding to patient reviews), internal patient relations, and other measures that help you safeguard your professional reputation.
Q: If doctors are the ones who know what services they offer, aren’t they the best people to write marketing materials?

A: Not necessarily. With healthcare marketing in particular, you may be talking about complex and scientific subjects, but you need to communicate them in a way that the average person can understand. Being a competent and knowledgeable physician is one skill, and writing accessible content is a completely different skill. Our healthcare copywriters at McCauley Marketing Services are highly experienced in this unique art, and we always use safe and reliable sources as well as receive input from our clients to ensure medical accuracy and thoroughness.
Q: What makes healthcare marketing different from marketing for other industries?

A: Purchases in the medical field (whether they’re cosmetic or health-related) simply have higher stakes than most other purchases. Your patients truly need to trust you and to feel comfortable in your abilities. Medical marketing needs to convey both your brand and your competence as a practice, hospital, medical supply company, or whatever your healthcare business might be.
Q: I’m worried marketing will compromise my credibility as a doctor. How can I build my patient base?

A: Healthcare marketing can be done in so many ways, and it’s true that some doctors go about it in a way that diminishes their credibility. At McCauley Marketing Services, we’ve been in the business long enough to have a very strong understanding of how to spread the word about a physician without making him/her look less professional. In reality, many types of marketing aren’t even seen as “advertising,” like having a modern and well-constructed website and consistently updating it with new and relevant information. As a small local company, we’re able to offer one-on-one attention to each of our clients so that we can customize a marketing strategy that truly maintains the image you want.

NON-DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES

Q: In today’s digital marketplace, are traditional advertising methods like print and radio still relevant?

A: Absolutely! Even though the internet has become an extremely powerful tool, people still constantly come into contact with print, radio, and television media on a daily basis. The best marketing and advertising campaigns do not focus exclusively on a single aspect of their audience’s experience, but instead adopt a multi-media approach that incorporates many different aspects of that experience for an effect that is far greater than the mere sum of its individual parts.
Q: With all this digital marketing, do I really still need to have business cards printed?

A: Yes! Printed materials are integral to any marketing strategy. Even if the bulk of your customers come from your website, chances are customers won’t remember that website, or tell a friend about your amazing business without having a written reminder of who you are. The survival of the magazine industry, despite the economy, is further proof that there is power in print!
Q: I thought marketing and public relations were only things “big” businesses use. How can it help me?

A: Marketing and public relations are useful to ALL businesses. As the famous adage states, “A business with no sign is a sign of no business.” You can’t increase the amount of customers you have if nobody knows who you are or what you do. The beauty of marketing and PR is its adaptability and reach. With all of the media outlets McCauley Marketing Service professionals have access to, we CAN reach your business’ demographic.
Q: I often hear that print advertising is dead. Why do people still waste money on it?

A: If people are spending money on print advertising, it’s probably safe to say it isn’t dead. A general rule at McCauley is: “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” If you spend all your advertising money in one area, you’re probably only reaching one type of audience. Instead, consider spreading the money out over multiple outlets to reach more people. Print advertising done well is not dead; however, it’s important to do your research, finding outlets and creating ads that target your specific audience.

DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES

Q: What are “search engine optimization” and “search engine marketing” and how important are they to my practice?

A: The internet has become the “go-to” source to find out virtually any kind of information, and when people are shopping for services, even vitally important ones like health care, they often look on-line to find what they need. Because people almost always click on websites that are listed within the first few search engine result pages (or SERPs), getting your page ranked well is extremely important if you want patients or customers to be able to find you. The goal of search engine marketing (SEM) is to find a customized combination of paid and content-driven strategies that will increase your web traffic and optimize your search engine result listings.
Q: I created a website for my company, isn’t that enough?

A: Creating your company’s website is a great start, but it’s only the beginning. Building and maintaining a web presence is an ongoing process. Blog writing, social media management, webpage content updates, business cards, flyers, etc. are all great ways to get people on your site. Buying advertisements on other websites and submitting information to online directories will also help direct traffic to your site.
Q: So much marketing topday takes place online. How can my healthcare company use these channels without breaking HIPAA regulations?

A: The answer is to use them very carefully and deliberately. Many marketing professionals simply don’t know what they can and cannot divulge online, and if these people are interacting with your patients on social media or responding to online reviews on your behalf, you have a high risk of problems arising. The healthcare marketing experts at McCauley Marketing Services specialize in the medical field and are intimately familiar with how to communicate online effectively while also maintaining patient privacy.
Q: If I tweet and Facebook, why do I need to blog?

A: While it’s true that Twitter and Facebook have become the information sharing mainstays for individuals, blogs are vital to businesses. People who know each other personally can effectively communicate in 140 characters or less, but consumers prefer businesses that take the time to explain their views, summarize industry news, and thoughtfully respond to customer questions. Blogs allow businesses to establish relationships and brands better than mass amounts of Facebook messaging or Tweet squawking.
Q: How can I get my business to show up on the first few pages of search results for my potential customers?

Showing up in search engine results requires an art and a science called search engine optimization or SEO. Our team at McCauley Marketing Services includes SEO experts who use strategies like researching keywords, local SEO techniques, crafting meta tags, writing skillful content, and more. We can also manage search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns such as Google Ads.

MEDICAL SERVICE CONSULTING AND TRAINING

Q: Don’t you need specialized medical knowledge to know how to properly deal with patients?

A: Medical information is complicated, and sometimes an educated and highly-skilled professional can forget that the average layperson does not have the extensive knowledge that they do. The marketing experts at McCauley Services have years of experience turning complex medical information into simple, easy to understand text. We are thoroughly versed in HIPAA regulations, and have studied ways to resolve conflicts both verbally and in writing. Above all, we have worked closely with medical practices and have seen what works and what doesn’t. Successful communication is a skill that can be learned, just like any other. By blending your knowledge and our expertise we can together formulate strategies that will help you and your patients get the most out of your interactions.
Q: Everyone on my staff is very personable and friendly; why would they need any additional training?

A: While face to face communication is a vital part of any business or health care practice, technology has created a variety of other ways to interact with patients and customers, and your staff needs to be fluent in them all. Patients today ask questions on social media, schedule appointments via email, and express their concerns on internet review sites. Navigating the complex, and often contradictory, rules that govern interactions on these forums while maintaining the proper level of professionalism can be a full time job that can often test even the most cheery disposition.
In addition, remember that your staff is a vital part of bringing in and retaining patients. They need to know how to encourage a caller to book an appointment, how to make the patients’ experiences as smooth as possible, how to follow up and get patients to come back, and more. These aren’t skills many people have without direct training.
Q: How can hiring an outside Medical Service Consultant improve my practice?

A: It takes years of education, training, and experience to become a skilled medical practitioner, but those specialized skills don’t always translate to managing a profitable business. A medical service consultant can help you navigate the day-to-day operational tasks that are part of running a medical practice, and train your staff in daily procedures that will make it easier to provide consistently excellent patient care. With nearly twenty years of practical experience working in both the front and back offices, our medical service consulting staff works on a regular basis with practice administrators and physicians, leaving you free to focus exclusively on providing the best quality medical care.
Q: How long will it take before I see results from a Medical Service Consultation?

A: That depends entirely on your situation. Some practices may need only minor adjustments to get things running more efficiently while other might require intensive overhauls in multiple areas. Some staff may be resistant to change, or slow to assimilate new information, so multiple training sessions might be needed. No matter how long it takes, our experienced consultants will be by your side throughout, offering helpful advice and providing the training your staff needs to fully implement your long-term strategy.
Q: My practice is well established and I already have a full schedule of patients. Is there anything that a medical service consultation can do for me?

A: If there is one thing that is true of any business, even one as stable as a health care practice, it is that everything eventually changes. As patients grow older, their health care needs will inevitably change. Local demographics can shift and experienced staff may move on. Reputation management strategies can help us monitor and respond to patient feedback across a variety of social media platforms and medical directories. Using that information, our specialists can work with you to develop flexible systems that can adapt to changes in your business environment. Finally, even a highly successful and respected practice can become mired in routine and old habits. A fresh set of eyes can sometimes give you the insight to streamline operations, update social media interaction, or just fix problems you never realized were holding you back.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT & TRACKING

Q: What are reasonable goals for a marketing campaign and how do you measure results?

A: At McCauley Marketing Services, we realize that every medical practice and business is different, so we always sit down with our clients on a regular basis to determine exactly where they are and where they want and need to be. Our decades of experience in health care and marketing help us to determine what results are reasonable to expect. Then, using a combination of custom analysis, in-depth market research, on-line analytics, and sophisticated tracking tools, we can determine which aspects of our marketing plan are working and what changes may need to be made. Our company’s mission is to manage and grow the relationship you have with your patients or customers, and the best way to do that is to keep communicating with you at every step along the way.
Q: What is marketing research, and how is it effective?

A: Simply stated, marketing research is gathering, analyzing and recording information about your target audience, your business, your competition, and any other demographics that will help you market efficiently. For example, our experts begin with analyzing the overall market and identify who you wish to target. Competition research comes next because you have to know what you’re up against. Once marketing research is complete, then you can proceed with forming and implementing your marketing plan.
Q: What kind of result can I expect from implementing a marketing plan?

A: McCauley Marketing Services is a results centered company. While every marketing plan will identify goals specific to their respective business, our constant communication with you will keep you abreast of what progress is being made and what results are reasonable to expect. Our company’s mission is to manage and grow the relationship you have with your clients and to manage and foster the relationships we have with our customers- YOU. Our success is merely a reflection of your business’ success.
Q: If I get someone else to do my marketing, won’t my business lose its “personality?

A: You might have heard that about larger corporate centered marketing firms, but the opposite is true of McCauley Marketing Services. Our initial objective with any client is to identify what makes your business unique. Understanding your business’ “personality” helps us construct your one-of-a-kind brand. We foster that image throughout the marketing process to help you gain the consumer attention you need. Also, as a McCauley Marketing Services client, we are in constant communication with you regarding your marketing plan implementation and adjust our actions in conjunction with your feedback and the evolution of your business.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Q: I don’t regularly use Facebook, Instagram or Twitter; can it still be part of my marketing plan?

A: Absolutely! We understand that the world of social media, Facebook, and blogging is a little foreign to some. Our on-staff copy writers and web developers are extremely well versed in the usage of social media outlets, and understand how to integrate your business’ brand identity as well as your personality so that you are shown in a positive light that is attractive to new customers.
Q: I’m a social media pro with over 700 Facebook friends. Do I still need to network in person?

A: Absolutely! While you may feel connected to all your social media “friends,” they are all so inundated by digital messages they probably don’t remember you as well as they should. By meeting a contact in person, you have a bigger opportunity to leave a lasting, human impression. If you run into a potential contact, ask them to coffee or take them to lunch- they’ll remember the time you took to care about their needs by later helping you.
Q: Is LinkedIn as important for social media marketing as Facebook or Twitter?

A: Yes, LinkedIn is another valuable social media marketing tool for small business. The difference among the sites is the audience. While social media is an ever-changing industry, overall, LinkedIn has professionally minded individuals and companies networking to further their careers and businesses. Therefore, the tones of LinkedIn posts tend to be a bit more formal with more selective networks (i.e. – those you would actually work with/ have worked with).
Q: Everyone talks about the importance of social media in building a business, but there are some people who have requested to be my “friends” on Facebook and connect with me on LinkedIn that I don’t know. Is it unprofessional to not approve a “friend” or “follow” request?

A: No, it speaks a lot more highly of your professional reputation to screen who you are connected with than having to go back and perform damage control on spam or unprofessional material posted by a little known connection. You must exercise good judgment when approving connection requests: the more “friends” and “followers” you have, the further your message reaches, but it may not be worth the time and effort of patrolling these connections if you think they are likely to become trouble.
Q: I’m really big into networking through social media for business. Is that a bad thing?

A: No, it’s not a bad thing to network through social media. That’s the whole point of social media, and it can be very powerful. The only thing that can make it counterproductive is losing the personal connection. Being remembered as a profile picture or a Twitter name is not as effective as being remembered as the client who sent the “nice to meet you” letter (hand written, not emailed). Get out there, meet new (real) people, and educate them on what makes your business so wonderful.

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