The world of healthcare is a diverse one comprising millions of sub-sectors such as medical service providers, insurers, medicine, and medical products suppliers, advocacy groups, and many others. For each such business, increasing awareness about the product or service is the key to expansion. That is where healthcare marketing comes to the picture.
Sadly, most smaller clinics or supplies completely rely on word of mouth for their brand promotion. Such good faith works only up to a certain extent, and after a point, the business stops growing. To ensure that you do not fall prey to such stagnation, it is important to direct your efforts at marketing.
Healthcare marketing is a dynamic field, and, as a business, you need to keep up with the latest trends. Today, 77% of patients look up a medical service provider online before booking an appointment. In such a situation, effective digital marketing techniques are the need of the hour for any business looking to grow should consider these 7 contemporary healthcare marketing tips.
Make your Website Mobile Receptive
High mobile phone penetration has led most people to use their phones for on-the-go searches. In recent years, some of the top search engines (including Google Chrome) have switched to mobile-first indexing wherein search results are based on a website’s mobile version. That way, if your healthcare brand does not have a mobile-friendly website, it will not show up in a user’s searches unless one types in the exact company name.
Build an Online Reputation
Health is an aspect of a person’s life that he or she would not want to compromise with, and that is why people are more cautious before settling for a healthcare product or service. Most consumers engage in active online research, and that is why you need to maintain a healthy reputation.
Start by having a professional-looking intro for your channel and make sure that every detail on the website is not just factually correct, but also updated. If you have mixed reviews from customers or online articles that project your business in a not-so-good light, seek professional help in fixing your online image.
Come up with a Social Media Healthcare Marketing Plan
In today’s world, social media is a digital window to your target group, and the better your presence here, the more likely you are to notice your work in real life. The fact that most people use social media to research their health symptoms should be enough reason to have a thorough marketing plan.
Facebook is one of the most widely used social media platforms and is the ideal place for sharing original posts, organizing live Q&A sessions, and replying to patient reviews. You can create YouTube videos (either individually or by teaming up with influencers) that can be shared on Facebook.
Pinterest is an image-centric platform with a higher female presence making it an ideal marketing spot for healthcare services pertaining to nutrition, pediatrics, and gynecological sectors. Instagram is more visual, thereby catering better to dermatologists, dentists, plastic surgeons, etc. It is only when you identify the social media platform that works the best for you that you can streamline your marketing efforts to bring home the results that you expect.
Indulge in Location-Based SEO
For healthcare businesses with a physical address, location-based SEO is one of the greatest boons of 2020. Geotagging your location on your social media posts can be an effective way of driving home relevant web traffic. You can take things a step further and create web content that has the location as the keyword. An example in this regard will be using ‘Top Physiotherapist in Dallas’ instead of ‘Top Physiotherapist’ (if you are a physiotherapist based in Dallas).
Work out Multichannel Marketing Initiatives
One of the easiest ways of providing a better experience to your customers is to have multiple touchpoints. From basic chat options in your websites to sophisticated chatbots, try to give your customers multiple ways to engage with your brand. Having an email address, landline number, and links to your social media pages on your brand’s official website will go a long way in making your customers feel appreciated.
While it is always better to be omnichannel in your marketing campaigns, make sure that you are receptive and respond to queries and feedback in each platform at an acceptable response time. Delay in response time will take a toll on your brand’s credibility and may cost you potential customers.
Use Video for Marketing
Video is one of the most potent ways of catching the attention of the public. Video marketing has multiple angles in the healthcare sector, and you can choose to maintain a channel wherein you post videos talk about your company’s goals, vision, and products.
That way, you will be able to strike a chord with your target segment and make your brand more approachable even to people who are intimidated by conventional medical equipment, doctors, and healthcare facilities. Preparing 10-second video ads to be played before streaming YouTube or Hotstar videos is another viable marketing option.
Develop tech-powered Solutions
The average patient today is much more tech-savvy than that of the past. Healthcare businesses can make the most of this trend by coming up with technology-driven solutions that enable patients to stay independent and manage their chronic illnesses.
From dedicated healthcare apps to telemedicine, identify ways to improve clinical communication, and come up with better workflows. With the death of hospital-created medical apps, if you can identify patient needs and come up with apps that cater to those, you will be able to make good money from the venture.
Thus, you see that although the healthcare sector has been swift in its adaptation to technology, there is a lot of room for improvement as far as healthcare marketing is concerned. Just like any other marketing sector, healthcare marketing is all about identifying potential and then working to leverage that. It is you who must embark on a search for uncovering the potential of digital marketing that is relevant to your healthcare business.