Advertising ideas?

[PilotMed]

Greetings!

We are a relatively new company in Northern NJ, and we would LOVE to pick any ones brains about advertising ideas!

We've done ads in the paper, faxes to the facilities, and a lot of cold-calling. We could really use some ideas from those who've BTDT.

TIA!

Lara[/font:73bdbcfce6]

[hammerpcp]

What is different about your kind of caring?

[Medconsult]

Not that I have BTDT...

From my perception of your EMT City ID and business logo I take it that your in the repatriation and aeromedical transfer business. Please correct me if I am wrong. I've been wrong many times before and have stopped counting.

A few suggestions:

- Ad your website address to everything that you send out or mediate (your probably already doing this).

- Continue to advertise and take special interest in advertising with customer related magazines and papers.

- If your in the repatriation business advertise in Hospital newspapers (http://www.hospitalnews.com/), advertise with medical magazines and journals for those doc's who hire such companies, ESPECIALLY advertise in places like (http://www.einsuranceprofessional.com/publications.htm), etc.

- Scmooz travel insurance companies. There are expositions and conferences held around the continent for the travel insurance industry each year. Travel insurance repatriations is a cash cow and these companies do all of the big business. When the medical consultants at these conferences see you and hear what you have to offer they may consider you every moment a flight needs to be planned.

- Consider advertising with the high-end private medical cancer clinics as they tend to have patients who can afford the flight to Mexico for the special treatment regiments that they offer.

- Advise your American embassies in other countries of your service as they come across the occasional person who needs a flight for medical reasons and cannot be transported commercially.

Best of luck in your new endeavors!

[PilotMed]

No, we're a ground ambulance service. We offer BLS ambulance, wheelchair van, and medical car. We're looking to target nursing homes.

[GAmedic1506]

dropping off pizza, candy, and donuts still works the best. I always used the approach of -- I know you like your current service, we would just like to be put in-line behind them for the times they are not available. The main thing is making connections with the people who pickup the phone.

[GAmedic1506]

Sorry didnt notice you were an air-service. Check with Loyds of London Insurance Company. They are a large broke for finding air-med services for travelors that get sick or injured overseas --- I would send a roladex card to every hospital and rehab center in resort towns. Is your service in an area that desperately needs flight service, or is already covered up with it ? You might need to find a new base camp. But as stated earlier -- relationships equal business -- get out there and introduce yourself (in person) to as many people as you can.

[buckeyedoc]

HIRE GOOD EMPLOYEES!!! Sorry for that to be in all caps, but I needed to make a point. The best type of advertisement is hiring good, professional employees. My best advice is to schmooze the local nursing homes and doctors offices. Like GAmedic said, I don't know anyone who doesn't love a free dozen doughnuts (especially cops). Pizza for the night crews is a step in the right direction. Promotional material is good (ie-pads of paper, pens, little glowy things that usually annoy people). Best of luck.

[JPINFV]

Good employees, good equiptment, and BE ON TIME. That is the one problem that every company in my area has, so call volume is constantly changing (you are on time, you get more calls ->you get overloaded, you start running late ->call volume goes down -> you are on time again). As one basic at my company once said, "If I was ever going to start an ambulance company, I'd call it "On Time."

[Dustdevil]

I always used the approach of -- I know you like your current service, we would just like to be put in-line behind them for the times they are not available. The main thing is making connections with the people who pickup the phone.

That is a good approach. To take it a step farther, you can market yourself as a "one call" service. Let the NH personnel know that you will get transportation to them in a timely manner, even if it means calling a competitor. Let them know that if they call you first, they will no longer have to call three or four providers to get an ambo when they need it. You will either have one of your units there ASAP, or you will arrange one from another company for them. Then, of course, you have to occasionally eat a call or swallow your pride and give a run to your competitors. But in the process, you will not only gain the trust of the nurses, you will foster goodwill with your competitors and they may in return do the same. It may not work in a particularly cut-throat market, but I have seen it work quite well in some, so it's worth a try.

As one basic at my company once said, "If I was ever going to start an ambulance company, I'd call it "On Time."

Plus five for an excellent idea! Even basics occasionally have a good idea!

When I combine the above two ideas, I come up with this; Have you ever noticed how many ambulance services there are called "Doctors Ambulance" or "Physicians Ambulance"? That's a stupid idea! Like GA said, NURSES are the ones making the phone calls for ambulances! NURSES are the ones you need to make relate to you! Hell, I'd name my service "Nurses Ambulance Service!"

[KE5EHI]

I agree with dustdevil on if you can't be there, send someone else. Nothing wrong with friendly competition in this business. Our service might be taking on another suburb because of the mutual aid we have sent them in the past, and they have also run for us as well (this is both 911 and transfers). Also, the biggest investment you can make is offer something that the other services can't. Again, being on time whether it be your service or one you have to call if you are too busy. If it's a BLS service, the whole "Paramedic on every truck" idea doesn't really work, but along those lines. You need to give them a reason to call you over a "Doctor's Ambulance" service that they might have been using for years. Professional appearance and attitude can go a long ways. It's not what you say, it's how you say it. Word of mouth will go further than any paid advertisement.