“If I had one dollar left, I’d spend it on PR.”
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July 2012Otolaryngologists wanting to further establish themselves and their practices may do well to heed Bill Gates’ advice. Traditionally, reputation and word of mouth have been the driving forces behind obtaining referrals and fueling a practice’s growth. Of course, these factors still come into play when a patient selects a doctor, but with more and more people doing their own searching for the “right” doctors, those otolaryngologists who stand out the most—a goal usually accomplished with help from a reputable public relations firm—are more likely to get the lion’s share of business.
“We are living in a media-driven society,” said Katherine Rothman, CEO of KMR Communications, a public relations firm in New York City with numerous medical clients. “We choose our restaurants, fashion and beauty and fitness products in large part due to what the media dictates.” For most people, selecting a doctor is not really all that different—mostly thanks to the Internet.