How do you increase your chances of succeeding in healthcare digital marketing? The answer is to focus on strategies that work.
Here are the best tips, tricks, and ideas that bring in patients, engage with the existing ones, and build a loyal customer base.
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7 Medical Digital Marketing Ideas You Should Do Today
Launching and scaling hospital or clinic digital marketing campaigns is challenging. The competition is fierce, the budget is tight, and the target market has more options.
The good news is you can climb to the top, ease your rivals, and attract patients while providing high-quality healthcare service with these tips:
1. Begin with the Basics
Many online marketing strategies come and go, but the institutions remain. When you feel at a loss on where to begin, these tried-and-tested techniques never disappoint:
- Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to optimizing the pages for organic search results a.k.a. the likes of Google or Bing. Although the results can take months, it provides consistent (and often) free traffic.
- Paid advertising includes cost per click (CPC), cost per view (CPV), cost per impression (CPI), and many more. While it is expensive, you can be sure that the hospital or clinic will reach potential patients quickly because you can see the ads within hours.
- Content marketing entails writing blogs, making videos, creating infographics, podcasting, and organizing webinars. They help the brand establish itself as an authority in the industry, inspiring loyalty and trust among patients.
- Email marketing encourages segmentation, personalized content, and more intimate engagement. According to Digital Authority Partners (DAP), email is a highly effective tool for nurturing leads and patients.
- Social media. It is an ideal platform for sharing stories, announcing sales and promotions, humanizing your brand, and providing customer service.
2. Diversify Your Online Channels
A healthcare digital marketing campaign is incomplete without a diversified online presence. Here are some other ideas to consider:
- Create a mobile app. Whether it is for appointment scheduling, tracking health progress, or easily logging patient information, the app can make patients’ lives easier and help with customer retention.
- Integrate artificial intelligence (AI). This can help personalize content, provide automated FAQs, create health alerts and reminders, schedule appointments, etc.
- Invest in influencer marketing. Reaching out to a popular figure in the healthcare industry or even the local community will attract more patients by boosting your brand’s credibility.
- Work on website design. Your hospital’s or clinic’s online presence should be user-friendly, visually attractive, and secure to build patient trust.
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3. Adapt to the Changing Market
New trends are always around. You do not have to jump into all of them, but make sure to upgrade your healthcare digital marketing efforts as needed.
Some noteworthy updates include:
- Voice search. Virtual assistants, such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Home, will become the go-to option for many consumers. Optimize your content and website accordingly by focusing on long-tail keywords, anticipating questions, and using a conversational tone.
- Digital assistants. Chatbots can quickly answer potential patients’ inquiries or those who need support after a visit.
- Video marketing. Use explainer videos, interviews, demos, and tutorials to provide visual explanations of your products or services.
- Augmented reality (AR)/Virtual reality (VR). AR/VR in healthcare can provide an immersive experience to potential patients. For example, users can visit the clinic virtually or see a procedure simulation before booking an appointment.
4. Focus on User Intent
People search for information for many reasons and in different ways. Your digital marketing approach should also align with this.
You can build a plan around search intent with these tips:
- Know your industry’s customer journey. What do the different sales stages look like in your niche? For instance, a patient may first research symptoms, learn about the procedure alternatives, and finally compare prices.
- Optimize for local searches. Use local key phrases such as “near me” or include specific locations to target users from a particular region.
- Match the content with the sales stage. Write content with the lead’s journey in mind. A blog post for those in the awareness stage may be about symptoms and diagnosis, whereas a pricing guide should aim at those ready to purchase.
5. Measure Your Performance
Digital marketing campaigns are no good if you do not measure their performance. But how do you do it?
Here are the best practices:
- Set goals. Having an objective such as “boosting website traffic” or “increasing patient appointments by 10%” can help you decide which metrics to track.
- Track website analytics. Monitor page views, average time on page, bounce rate, conversion rate, etc., to get a better idea of how your website performs.
- Correlate the results from various marketing efforts. Connecting the dots between your ads, emails, and other strategies lets you determine which one works best. It also provides a clearer picture of your campaign’s health.
- Test different strategies. Try A/B testing to find out what works on certain channels or demographics.
6. Handle Data with Care
Patient trust is essential in the healthcare industry. It can even make or break any digital marketing effort.
To maintain it, handle sensitive information responsibly.
- Comply with medical privacy regulations. When collecting patients’ data, follow HIPAA and other relevant laws.
- Secure sensitive data. Ensure that you store the information securely and that no one can access it without authorization.
- Collect first-party data. Put a HIPAA compliant form in place to obtain consent from individuals who choose to share their health information data with you.
- Vet websites you share. Make sure the links you share are secure without malware or other threats.
- Stay transparent. Explain how you plan to use the data and how long you will store it. Include a privacy policy and terms of service on your website.
7. Speak Your Brand
Branding is essential for customer recognition and loyalty. It should extend to your digital marketing strategy as well.
Consider these ideas:
- Create a buyer persona. Knowing who you are targeting can help you find the right tone, language, and messaging.
- Define it. Establish a few core values, mission statements, and personality traits that best represent your brand.
- Use every opportunity to stand out. From using your own photos to writing in a particular style, find opportunities to be different and create an emotional connection.
- Be consistent. Use the same tone and words across channels to maintain consistency with your messaging.
- Involve your team. Get feedback from various departments on how they view the brand and how you should present it in your marketing efforts.
Summing Up
Healthcare digital marketing is tough, but it is more challenging if you have no idea how to approach it. These seven tips and tricks already pave the way for you.
The next step is refining them for your industry and niche. You can get help from medical digital marketing experts to ensure that you are on the right track.
With practice and data-driven decisions, you can create a successful digital marketing strategy that leads to more conversions and happy patients.