Sponsored by: Weave
Weave from Lehi, Utah, is a communications platform dedicated to helping small businesses grow and flourish, including aesthetic medical practices.
We recently spoke to Gregory D. Lewen, MD, a double board-certified oculofacial plastic surgeon who specializes in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, to learn more about how today’s medical and cosmetic professionals are optimizing their return on investment (ROI) with the Weave platform.
Dr. Lewen shared the seven ways he is significantly improving ROI in his practice:
1. Learn the Business Side of Medicine
Simultaneously practicing medicine and running a business is a delicate balance at times, but it is essential that doctors learn core business principles to ensure success.“If you start to learn a little bit about the business side of medicine and are fueled by it, I feel like it ignites another passion and opens up an aspect of practicing medicine that is fascinating to learn about and develop,” said Dr. Lewen.
2. Focus on Your Social Media Accounts
Dr. Lewen has typically relied on a strong community outreach, networking at conferences, and participation in educational events to find new patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, many of these options weren’t available to him. In response, Dr. Lewen decided to focus on establishing his brand through social media, which can be a great place to share educational content that offers value.
 Gregory D. Lewen, MD Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon Aventura, FL |
3. Develop Your Email Marketing
Emailing can be used to share educational materials, schedule appointments, and even to collect payments.“At the beginning of the pandemic, we focused on just staying engaged with people,” Dr. Lewen shared.“We tried to use communication channels like email to simply say hi and show an interest in where our patients were with everything.”
4. Start Using Digital Forms
Prior to the pandemic, Dr. Lewen’s practice utilized PDFs to gather patient information before appointments. These forms made collecting insurance and identification cards difficult for his staff. Early in 2021, Dr. Lewen started using Weave’s Digital Forms. Now his patients never turn in incomplete information because Digital Forms won’t let them submit their information without checking all the requisite boxes.
5. Connect via Text Message
“The easiest way to reconnect with previous clients these days is to get them to respond to a text message,” Dr. Lewen expressed. He has found that reconnecting with patients is usually much easier via texting than calling or emailing, though there are always exceptions. Because clients are more likely to respond to texts, they are a terrific way to plant the seeds of ideas about having future procedures done.
6. Ask Your Clients for Online Reviews
With Weave’s “Reviews” tool, it is easy to send an online review request to patients via text message. After appointments, shoot clients a text that includes a link to a popular review site like Google or Facebook. Dr. Lewen has made an effort to reach out to patients and ask them to review his practice online, especially in the last year or so.
7. Build Relationships with Patients
“The best thing you can do to grow your business is to capitalize on the people who already know you,” Dr. Lewen stated.“That means your existing clientele, people you are already connected with, people who know who you are and your style. They have respect and confidence in your abilities and the results you can
