Using QR Codes in Your Podiatry Clinic

You're listening to Podiatry Marketing, conversations on building a successful podiatry practice with Tyson Franklin and Jim McDannald.

Welcome back to Podiatry Marketing. I'm your host, Jim McDannald, here with Always, Tyson Franklin. Tyson, how's it going today?

I'm fantastic today, Jim, and I'm looking forward to today's subject because it's life changing.

So what what is this life changing topic we're gonna discuss today?

Well, I think the world is now is really, really familiar with QR codes. So why not use them in their marketing while they are still extremely hot and everyone knows how to work? Even my mom, who is 78 years of age, if she saw a QR code, she would pick up a phone and straight away she knows what to do with it. So and we did talk about this just briefly before we press record that prior to the pandemic, you used to have to have a separate app on your phone to to go and read a QR code, which is why most people didn't care about QR codes because it was it was a little bit more difficult.

I would say it's even was a little bit nerdy there for a while. You know, five or ten years ago, you know, you do like you said, you had to have a separate app. You know, some places were using it. It wasn't super widespread. So and and like you talked about, now just your regular iPhone app, like the the camera app will just kinda basically read those, give you a link, and you can check out a menu or lots of other kinds of things.

So, yeah, I'm excited to to jump into some of the podiatry and the other uses of these QR codes we can dive into.

You know, what's funny about my friend that I've mentioned before, Nikki Judd, she actually developed a a website for a friend who has a business that creates QR codes for people. So she did the website for them. And what was funny, she said that at one point, they were getting really, really popular, and then they just died. They just died. Everyone's got lucky because of the extra app, it's just too complicated to click on the extra app and then click on it.

And then I said to you, prior to the pandemic, I remember seeing I was at a like an art gallery had these photos on the wall. There was a photo up there, had the name of the the photographer underneath, and then it had a QR code. Now because I was really savvy back then, I knew how a QR code works. I whipped out my phone, went through to the app, and clicked on it. And what it was, it was a short video explaining the reasoning behind this photograph.

So I'm looking at the photo thinking, it's a bridge. It was a good looking bridge too, but it was a bridge. Couldn't have told you where it was. But then the photographer was saying, oh, the photo I took the photo of this bridge at this particular time because I was after, you know, certain lighting, but also this bridge was famous for and he mentioned someone who had driven off the bridge and then mentioned a mark that was one of the concrete pillars holding it up, that that mark was where the car hit and and that person died and so many other people. And then all of a sudden, this photograph took on a whole new life.

It wasn't just a photo of a bridge. There was a a story behind the bridge, and I thought, wow, that photo is now worth far more because there's a story attached to it. And I wouldn't have known that story if it wasn't for the video that was attached to a QR code. So since the pandemic and now we're all aware of how QR codes work, it made me think, how can we use them in podiatry to to our advantage? Have you used any yourself with marketing in the past?

Yeah. I mean, I definitely use some on my my own business cards, I would say, instead of having to try to have someone remember a link or even having to spend the time it takes to type in. You know, my my last name, Big MacDonald, is a pretty easy name to mistake you know, make mistakes with. So, you know, if you can give someone this this QR code that is tied to a, like, a a website link or URL, it's a pretty fast way for them just to get to where you want them to go as opposed to either having to explain it in person or, you know, mess up the dot where the slash should be or the the hyphen or the Oh, yeah. The Com or the Org or the .marketing.

It can be just a helpful way to just expediate and kind of clear up any kind of confusion sometimes happens with those web addresses.

Yeah. Well, I have seen it on the back of somebody's business card, and I remember when it was first handed to me. Well, actually, was on the front. It had their name and everything and had the QR code on the side. I went, I'm curious.

Because when I see a QR code now and it's somewhere and someone isn't telling me, oh, you need to click on that to get more information. When I just see a QR code, I can't help myself. I get my phone out and I I click on it. So it was on a person's business card that went through to a video on their website of them, and because that was me just saying, oh, hi. How are doing?

I'm Tyson Franklin, and welcome to my website, and and gave a little bit of a bio about that person. And I went, wow. That was really, really clever. So I could see a podiatrist putting QR codes on their business cards. So when they're actually handing it to people, to a patient, they can click on it to another health professional.

They click on it. Same thing goes to a video on their website, and it's them introducing who they are. So all of a sudden, you know, just their name on a business card that picked up, they can see, okay, this person looks trustworthy. He doesn't have two heads, which is always a good start. So other places I thought you could use a QR code within your practice, because I think patients are curious, is you could place QR codes on different equipment in your business.

So if you had a shockwave unit, it could be ultrasound, it could be low level laser. If you put QR codes on each of those things, I I would tell you patients, out of curiosity, just like me, would go, oh, you've left the room. They're gonna click on that, and then you could have that go through to a video to explain, hey, this is how we use it. It could be you again talking. It could be a video of you showing how the equipment works.

It could just link through to an article. Or you might have the patient in the room, and you think, oh, I've gotta duck out for five minutes. And you say, patient, oh, if you wanna know how this equipment what we're about to do, just click on that QR code and it'll give you a bit of an idea of what we're going to be doing. Or click on this after I do the treatment, it'll give you an idea of what you need to do next at home.

Now I think that makes total sense. Like, you like you said, you're kinda like sometimes going in and out of the room, sometimes you wanna maybe reemphasize some point, whether it's on a a sheet or, you know, somewhere where you like, or a piece of equipment where they can help educate themselves a little bit more about know, what's available in your practice because you're always trying to find relevant ways to help pay patients learn about all the things that you do. So by, you know, making the kind of like a, you know, like, kinda like a, I don't know, hide and seek or kinda like a gamification of the real world with these QR codes so they can learn those things. I can I think that's a huge opportunity for them to to be a little bit more educated about the services you provide?

And another area that I've seen where QR codes have worked successfully for some podiatrists is they've used it as a a link in an in some material that they hand out, brochures and things like that, but to direct people on how to do a Google review. Because some people just don't know how to do it. So they've actually linked it through to their their site or to to the Google site to make it easier for them. Because I don't know if you've ever had to do a Google review, but sometimes it's it's not always the easiest thing. You gotta click through a couple of places to to actually do it.

It's like a podcast review, for example. Whoever's listening to this now, we always say, if you're enjoying this podcast, you should leave us review. And it's probably on the phone or the thing you're listening to right now, but then to do the review, you gotta go and click on somewhere, and then it's not always the easiest thing. So a QR code can do a good link that way. We mentioned the business cards, which I think is great, But I think when you're writing a report to a professional referrer, you might be saying, yeah.

Hey, doctor Jim. How are doing? I've done this. Had the patient come in with this. I diagnosed this particular problem, and this is how we're gonna be treated.

We're gonna be using, you know, shock shockwave therapy or whatever treatment you're going to do. Down the bottom, you can have a QR code there, and the QR code underneath this is shockwave therapy, QR code that says whether it's, you know, plantar fasciitis, they know what that is. But so if it's another term that you you think maybe they don't know what that particular problem is. So you get over those QR codes down the bottom of a report, and once again, if it's like me, if the doctor's a little bit curious and they know that that QR code links through to to something that's got to do with Shockwave, they're probably gonna click on it and have a look. Once again, it could be an article, it could be you explaining what Shockwave is, or it could just be you using Shockwave.

I think one thing that is also interesting about QR codes is they can be unique. So if you have like, say, you're sending out like, in June, you have a specific QR, you know, a QR code for your newsletter that you send out to everybody. If it's tied to unique link as well, you might be able to see how many people use it, how many people clicked on it, was it a successful campaign. Like, we talked about, like, you know, met you don't really know what you're doing well until you can kinda measure things.

So Definitely.

That's something that's something also that's unique with these QR codes tied maybe to, like, a a link shortener is you actually get to see the number of people that have clicked through or come through that link. So I think that's a great that's a great point about, you know, these kind of reports for professionals, but just the technology of this QR codes are some definite definitely some stuff you can bake into it.

That's a really, really good point too is because anytime you're doing anything with marketing, you wanna know, is it working? And if if it's working, then double down on it and do more of it. If it's not working, and I usually tell people this, if you're doing something that's not working, stop doing it. And I if some people hear that, they go, oh, well, that's pretty obvious. They go, yeah, it is, but people don't do it.

Yeah. People will keep doing certain things that aren't working. And tell you right now, I'm sure, like, I don't know in America, but in Australia, we still actually do have a Yellow Pages book. It's not very big. Well, I used to just have to put one Yellow Pages underneath your monitor to lift it up a certain amount.

These days, you'd have to use about eight of them to to sort of lift your monitor up. But you go through there and you open up and there are still podiatrists advertising in the Yellow Pages. And I'm thinking, I it depends who the who the demographic is, I suppose, but there's other businesses that you still see in Yellow Pages, and you're thinking, yeah, are you really getting anything from that anymore? Is it are you just doing things out of habit because you're not measuring measuring what's actually going on? So when you're talking about at least you're talking about doing a Bitly link and then hooking that to the QR code?

Yeah. You can do those kind of things. Also, you can probably measure some of that stuff through your Google Analytics or your mark whoever's doing your marketing should be able to able to track those kind of unique links that are tied to those QR codes just to see, you know, are you getting 10 patients or 10 clicks on that to come visit that video or, you know, whatever kind of, material you're trying to, you know, attach to the other side of that QR code. But like you said, it's you know, you'd be surprised a lot of times when you when you reduce the number of steps people have to do and and make it easier for them to, like, get to your website or get to your video, you'll have a lot better results than just giving, like, you know, a 30 letter, URL or website address and expect people to peck away at the keyboard or their their iPhone and and get there. You're gonna have so many people drop off.

So just that that kind of kinda eliminating those two or three steps with that QR code can be, you know it can it can lead to some really some really great things.

Yeah. And I think that's the thing that people need to realize. If you're sending an electronic newsletter, then you can have a link in there straight away. For more information, click here. So people will click on that and it can go through to wherever you want them to go.

But if you're handing anything that's written format and you have a a link there, you go to this link and they've gotta get on the keyboard and go, yeah, tappity tap tap tap. It's sort of like like I said, it's one extra thing. I'll do that later. Or if it's really long one because it might be a more detailed article, then you're not sure. And if you sometimes, if you do use, like, a Bitly link or something that shortens it, then some people are a bit apprehensive about typing in something that doesn't look real.

I know I am. I'm always a bit, yeah, I'm not quite sure about that, but QR codes, I'm a little bit happier with. And and I think the another area where people can use this is if they've if a patient's had orthotics, say they've been fitted with orthotics, or you've given them a treatment plan for orthotics, really great that on that treatment plan that you've given them, there's a link on there that when they click on that, it might go through to how are your orthotics made? Can can you get a video done of the process of your orthotics being made so then go, wow. Okay.

This is just not something they pull out of a box. This is something where there's a scan, and then from that scan, it goes to do another program and it's modified and then into a milling machine if that's how it was done or a three d printer. And the patient go, okay. Now I understand why this why they charge what they charge because this isn't something that I can just go and buy at the chemist shop.

Yeah. That additional information can be really powerful to like give patients, you know, more attention, more time, and just so they can better understand what we provide.

So, yeah, and a final thing I think, if you really wanna think about, okay, where where can I use QR codes? Really think about times when you you don't have enough time to explain things. So you've got a limited amount of time with the patient, You tell them a certain amount, but you'd love to tell them more, but you don't have the time to do it. Give them a link to a QR code so they can see more information. It could be you may give them two exercises or you may say you gave them one exercise for, say, the hamstrings, But there might be two or three variations from that exercise.

But you think, don't have time to sit there and show them six ways of doing a hamstring exercise. So here's it. Here's one. Now if you followed if you go to this QR code or on the sheet that I've given you, click on there, and it'll show you a video of five other ways that you can actually do a hamstring stretch. So to me, it's if you're limited with time, they're very useful.

If you're limited with space, so you've written a letter, a report, it could be a newsletter, something that you're giving giving out to somebody else, but you've only got a certain amount of space to tell them the story or the information you want. Click on the QR code. That will take them basically to another place, And it's a perfect opportunity of informing people what you want them to do next. This is what we're doing now. Click on the QR code, that will tell you what we're doing next.

So it could even explain if someone comes in for one treatment, what you're going to do on the next treatment, what they can expect. Then my thoughts on QR codes. Like I find them like I said, I reckon if you've four podiatrists in a room together, which I'm gonna be doing pretty soon, putting four podiatrists in a room together, and this is one of the topics I'm actually gonna go over. We're gonna spend a couple of hours just on how can you use QR codes. And because I think once you bounce ideas off people and they explain otherwise where they've seen it done, how can we use that in podiatry?

Yeah. And I would say also on the technology side, there's some definitely some free tools out there these days as well where you can, like you said, like, you can create your own QR codes. You can tie them to a specific link. It's not that technically difficult now. So, there's not really any barrier to at least going ahead and, like, taking the first step to try them to see, if they can, know, simplify, and kinda like you said, you know, if people have limited time, if they have you have limited space on any kind of, like, physical item where it has information on there and you wanna have a important link, having that QR code present can be very, very helpful.

So like, for an example, like I told you off air before we got on here, there's a restaurant nearby where, you know, we no longer get those paper menus anymore. Right? You have your phone, you scan the QR code, which is you know, you can see the menu, order your food, and then, you know, the the the waiter knows which table you're at with which QR code. And instead of bringing a paper bill or anything, you can just pay right there through Apple Pay Mhmm. Whenever your credit card's on your phone, and then just walk away.

You know, you can tip there as well. It's kind of like it's like the magic of living in, 2022.

Well, it's funny. So what all the the restaurants have done have taken what they've learned through COVID and trying to limit the amount of people that are crowded around the counter trying to order. Keep them at the tables because back then too, you want to know if somebody popped with COVID somewhere. Who was in contact with them? Mhmm.

They've they've taken what they've been forced to do, but they I I I think I think it's a good thing because, like I said, I went to somewhere in Las Vegas before COVID, We could sit there at a table and oh, who wants who wants another drink? Yeah. My shout. And we'd pull out the QR code and we would go to the thing on their table. We would order the drinks from there, press a button, and within a couple of minutes we paid for it.

Couple of minutes later, the person turned it with their drinks. And I'm thinking, that's pretty cool.

Yeah. That was super convenient. I mean, that that that kind of patient convenience or that customer convenience factor, think, is a huge aspect of things as well. You know, creating that kind of great patient experience or great customer experience is something that will set you apart from other people. I know, for example, I've got two small kids.

Right? And, like, sometimes we just wanna sit there and, like, take our time. And other times, like, you have something pop up and you just wanna get out of there as as fast as possible.

Yeah.

It's always those times when you're, like, raising your hand saying, hey, can we get the tab? Can we get the tab? Or you just gotta get out of there. But when you have this QR code and this it almost feels like magic that can pay right there and walk out. You're good to go.

So there's definitely, obviously, some applications that can be used in health care. And I think as time goes on, there'll be even more and more ideas, with QR codes to make it to kinda, like, improve that overall patient experience to make it as convenient as possible.

Yeah. And do say, and that's what I keep saying to everyone, is just look at how QR codes are being used by everybody else and think don't say to yourself, oh, that won't work in podiatry. Just think, how can I make that work in podiatry or how can I modify that to make it work in podiatry? And and as long as your mind is always open to what everybody else is doing, you will see the possibilities. But if you just close your mind and say, that won't work, then it it probably won't work for you.

I'm I'm also curious to hear from our audience, you know, the people listening to this podcast, you know, a little bit of feedback if you use QR codes, you know, any any uses for them that you that you you use them for that we haven't mentioned on the show today, definitely hit us up at podiatry dot marketing. We'd love to hear from you and hear your uses of QR codes.

Yeah. That'd be great. I'd love to get some feedback on this one.

For sure.

Okay, Jim. Well, I will talk to you next week.

Sounds great, Tyson. Okay. Bye. Thanks for listening

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