80 percent of internet users, or about 93 million Americans, have searched for a health-related topic online, including healthcare providers – but how can those in the field ensure that they are found by the right patients? For busy doctors, dentists and specialists, navigating the complex world of online marketing in addition to running their own practices can feel like an overwhelming task. With more and more patients demanding internet-savvy solutions, such as convenient online booking, going digital is a no-brainer for healthcare providers who want to grow their patient list.
Below are 5 marketing techniques
1. SEO
Never underestimate the power of SEO. Healthcare providers should know what SEO can do for their website and how it can tremendously boost traffic. Every business with a website wants to rank on the first page of Google. That’s why it’s so competitive and hard to get there. The more people find your website, the more they’ll be interested in using your service and most importantly the more trust you start to build with your audience. Over the course of time website using the right techniques can gain organic traffic.
Many ask themselves, can I do SEO myself? The answer is yes and no. If you don’t know what your’re doing you should probably get a professional to
help you. The most simplest way you can start to optimize your website for SEO is inserting keywords that people may use when searching in google. For example let’s say Dr. Kauffman is a Cardiologist in New York, his website should include words like Cardiologist and New York. Of course there are deeper ways to play around with SEO.
One suggestions is writing blogs within your website. Get comfortable talking about topics that revolve around your practice and topics that may interest people who love reading about your niche by including search terms that can appear on Google. By searching your keywords on Google Trends, you can see how many people have Googled it in the last x amount of months or hours, the location where this search term is being googled the most along with related topics. The fact is that having a website just isn’t enough of a marketing efforts to get people to notice you.
2. WEBSITE
First impression is important. Imagine going to a practice and there is no one in the front desk waiting to assist you to get you setup to see the doctor, or the waiting times are way too long. Let’s just say the experience was horrible. Well the same goes for a website. It represents you and your practice. It should be professional and easy to navigate.
Visitors going to your website should know 3 things within the first 20 seconds of being in your website. 1.) they should know what you specialize in and location. 2.) There should be a clear view of your phone number for contact reasons. 3.) There should be a button where patients can book appointments with you on the fly. These 3 things can facilitate in making faster and positive decisions towards your website. That is the goal.
3. Ratings
It boils down to social proof. Probably one the most important factors. People love talking and sharing their experience with their friends and family. If Ana tells her sister that she had a horrible experience, I’m 99.99999% sure that her sister will not go there either. If Ana says “The process was so easy, I got checked-in pretty quickly and I was very comfortable with the doctor” then something tells me that more people will visit that place. Word of mouth still plays an important role in marketing. Provide a good service and start using websites that help build credibility like yelp and other rating/review applications.
4. Social media
This one can be tricky. Healthcare providers can really benefit from this but have to be careful that they don’t share any sensitive information about their patients. If you use social media under the HIPAA compliance then you should be good to go. Stay professionals and let your followers into your world by letting them know your day to day task and the things you do. Social media is forever increasing. “
In 2017, 71 percent of internet users were social network users and these numbers are expected to grow. By 2019, it is estimated that there will be around 2.77 billion social network users around the globe”. Start connecting with people. It is the way to communicate with potential patients.
5. Advertisements
Facebook, Google and Instagram advertisements. What better way to reach your desired audience than with paid traffic. This can come in handy with a good budget behind your campaigns. You can reach a massive audience and even build a good following this way. Start running ads with a goal in mind, whether that is to send traffic to your website, create awareness or bringing people into your practice
Our goal to eliminate 100% of the hardwork by using this one critical service…
Having a healthy marketing plan is essential to your growth tomorrow but running your own practice and keeping up with how to run your business is a nightmare.
PatientFounder is a holistic digital marketing service specifically designed for healthcare professionals who run their own practices and need help with a marketing strategy. From custom website development to SEO, social media management, online booking systems and digital advertising, Patientfounder covers it all, working with clients to ensure a seamless, results-driven solution.
