Marketing Your Medical Transcription Business

Send a Promotion Letter

A proven way to find clients in the transcription business is by sending a letter.  Make a list of all doctor’s offices, clinics, and hospitals in your area and then send them a letter offering your services.  You want the letter to be professional, yet friendly.  And certainly don’t make it sound as  if it’s one standard letter sent to all clients. 

Try to do a little research if you can and this will make your letter stand out.  For example if it’s a small office of 100 patients make reference to why specifically you offer a good service to small offices.  If it’s a cardiology office make reference to that, talk about how you specialize or how you enjoy Cardiology.

Attach a business card to the letter and follow-up a week later with a personal phone call.  If you’re told they’re not interested then politely ask if your letter could be kept on file for future reference.  In a pinch, that office manager or doctor may find the letter and give you a call.

I have found sending out a letter and following up with a telephone call works best of all in this industry.  I have researched and interviews many other MTs who feel the same. 

You may be tempted to go directly to the doctor’s office to promote your services but this is probably not a good idea in this industry.  Hospitals and doctor’s offices are busy places.  Doctors don’t have the time to see someone without an appointment and office managers are usually swamped with work themselves.  Therefore, your reception may not be a very good one.  However, there are a few ways you can visit a physicican’s office without upsetting anyone (see below).

Use Your Business Cards

Carry your business cards with you wherever you go and use them.  You never know when the next opportunity will turn up.  Go to a few offices, clinics and hospitals and put your card up on the notice boards (make sure this is okay).  You can also leave a card rather than trying to speak to someone directly. 

This may not be as effective as sending a personal letter but you are getting the word out.  And you may just get lucky and get asked more questions. 

Also don’t be afraid to give your business card out to people you deal with on a regular basis, like your child’s pediatrician or your family doctor.  As long as you don’t make them feel pressured they won’t mind. 

Your MT Website

Another great marketing option is having a website.  People turn to the web for information on any number of things, same applies for transcription.  It’s your personal store-front open 24 hours for all to see.  If you think you may be too small for a website, think again.  Even very small businesses or service providers are turning to the internet to increase their marketing efforts. 

Simply putting your website address on a business card and/letter will show the client you mean business.  It also allows them to visit your site and find out about your services and you without having to call you or set up an appointment first.  You’ll look like someone who appreciates their time is valuable, which will make a great first impression.

Once you have your website there are many online marketing tools you can use to promote your web presence even further such as press releases, testimonials and writing articles.

Word of Mouth

Don’t underestimate this secret weapon in the MT world.  If a doctor is impressed with you they’ll pass your information on.  I have landed a huge portion of my accounts this way.  Doctors are busy people and they don’t want to worry about the details of their transcripts.  They want you to do a fantastic job at a reasonable rate without consuming their time. 

Get this right and you’re well on your way.  They will love you for it and tell their other doctor friends about you.  Get this wrong, and it will really work against you.

Go a step further, If you see that a particular doctor is pleased with you, find the right time and ask him to tell his colleagues about you.  Don’t be afraid to do this.  If he’s happy with your service, he will be glad to do it.  Give him a few business cards to pass on.  But make sure you know where you stand before you do this.  If he or she is upset about all the misspellings on your last transcripts you certainly don’t want to ask for anything.  Always read the situation before making any hasty decisions.

There are a countless number of ways to promote businesses online and offline.  The trick sometimes is to be creative and resourceful.  However, in the MT industry, where there is a huge demand for trained medical transcriptionists, finding clients and keeping them is often easier than in other industries.  And luckily, you won’t usually have to resort to any extreme or over the top marketing tactics. 

Simply get some promotion letters and business cards out, build a website, do a great job for your clients and the work will keep coming in.

à Next, Your Business Plan