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What is the first thing patients notice when they visit your office? Is it the furniture, the decor, the music? What if there was a way to immediately grab the patient's attention and increase your referrals? There is a way and it's easy and inexpensive. All you need is an empty wall in your waiting area.

The best way to market yourself is to show proof of your good work. What better way to do that than to display photographs of patients who have been helped by you and are now leading normal, active lives? It's one thing to tell people how able you are, but it's another thing to show them. Here's how to do it.

Decide how you want to showcase your patients. Do you want a poster-size collage of your patients? Individually framed pictures in various sizes? A giant bulletin board with pictures tacked up? Whatever way you decide to display the photographs, make sure it is neat, professional looking and grabs the attention of visiting patients.

Your next step is choosing the appropriate pictures. For example, if you are an OB/GYN, you may want to display pictures of newborn babies with their families. If you are a rheumatologist, you may show pictures of patients who were afflicted with severe arthritis demonstrating active lifestyles under your care. Be sure the picture depicts the message you want to send--healthy patients. You may want to include a little blurb about the patient--what the ailment was, how it was treated and how the patient is currently doing.

Next, you will need to get the patient's permission before you display his or her photograph. Some patients may not like having their picture up on the wall for everyone to see or having their reasons for visiting you discussed.

You may decide that this type of project requires some professional assistance. There are companies that can help you create a beautifully designed, highly professional display. However, you will want to investigate cost before choosing which outside organization you want to work with.

The advantage to this type of marketing is that it is real. It depicts real patients with real problems whom you have helped. The wall also invites patients to ask you about the photographs and treatment plans that they may want to try. In addition, it will encourage patients to refer friends and family members to you.