Healthcare consumerism has significantly altered the way healthcare professionals should market and deliver their services. Healthcare is now expected to be as technologically advanced as any other industry by the consumer.
To remain competitive, hospitals, health systems, and medical practices must evolve to meet these changing needs.
Consumers are no longer required to visit the nearest option as more healthcare professionals provide accessible online services which reduce the red tape between physician-patient communications. Consumers can select a healthcare organization that provides a consumer experience that meets or exceeds their expectations.
Even if your current patient volumes are satisfactory, healthcare marketing cannot take place without a well-planned healthcare marketing strategy to keep your healthcare brand at the forefront of people’s minds.
Rapid shifts in the healthcare industry require agility and focus. Think about hiring a reputed digital marketing agency like HealthSoul with the right affordable budget can help you grow your practice. But it’s worth it finally where you will experience the complete peace of mind—and find your bottom line grow significantly than ever before.
To assist you, we have provided 6 strategies to include in any well-planned healthcare marketing strategy.
- Make use of consistent healthcare branding
You may think that your proficiency sets you apart from other care providers or healthcare businesses. But, let’s face it, one white coat looks exactly like the next to a healthcare consumer, and consumers are notoriously hesitant to buy a product or service from someone they don’t know and trust.
When you create a strong and recognizable brand and promote its awareness, you can reduce your overall cost-per-acquisition while increasing your ROI.
- Assess the online patient experience
Twenty years ago, just having a personalized website was more than enough to make an impact on prospective consumers so that they can find your healthcare brand identity.
Consumer engagement is becoming more complex as the healthcare industry transitions more readily into virtual care experiences such as telehealth and remote monitoring.
A website serves as your company’s front door. It is frequently the first thing customers see; if not optimized, it may also be the last time they consider your hospital.
Aside from ensuring that your site has easily accessible contact information, the imagery and wording also represent your target audience.
- Create a responsive healthcare website
A responsive website automatically adjusts to the size of a screen, providing the same experience whether accessed via computer, tablet, phone, or another mobile device.
It’s now the norm in website design, but it’s also something search engines look for to determine how and where you’ll rank.
- Site speed tests
According to healthcare marketing experts who study user (prospective healthcare consumer) behaviors online, consumers are less willing to put up with slow loading times than ever before. A prospective customer can be lost in 5 seconds.
Furthermore, slow site speed may cause your medical or healthcare website to drop in search engine rankings. You can use Google Page Speed Insights to test the speed of your website. If load times are slow, consult with your web developer about ways to improve them. We also recommend examining the site speeds of your direct and indirect competitors to get more insights.
- Improve organic search engine results for potential healthcare customers
Search engine optimization can propel your medical practices to the top of search engine results pages. It is, however, far more complicated than most people realize.
You cannot simply use the term “orthopedic surgeon” 100 times on your website and expect to rank first on Google among all doctors, physicians, and surgeons in your area.
SEO entails using the best phrases and keywords to help Google understand your healthcare organization’s websites. Using organic SEO tactics allows you to rank for the right and relevant healthcare-related search terms. However, you must use those terms naturally throughout your content because Google prioritizes readability over anything else.
- For healthcare marketing, use PPC and display ads
Search Engine Optimization is an organic marketing strategy used to increase the visibility of a healthcare system or hospital.
Even if your site ranks first organically for a search term like “surgeon in Tulsa,” people will see 3 or 4 paid advertisements above your organic web page.
Paid search advertisements, otherwise called PPC (pay-per-click) advertisements, are focused on appearing first on search engine results pages (SERP) for a specific set of search terms. You can manage your budget on paid search to keep your site at the top of SERPs. With both PPC and display ads that appear on the sidebar or on top of other websites, your return on investment is clear and defined.
Wrapping Up
Do you want an expert consultation for more details about healthcare marketing strategies? Connect with HealthSoul right away.
