Healthcare Digital Marketing: 5 Keys to a Strong Strategy

Overview

Because of HIPPA regulations and FDA constraints, it’s quite challenging to innovate marketing efforts in the healthcare industry. It also matters in the levels of priorities which puts marketing the least of concerns and with patient care on top. The healthcare industry is also being forced to step up to digitize their service to improve their patient care and their online services.

Healthcare digital marketing requires a delicate yet strong approach in targeting their chosen demographic, advertising, and information sharing. Taking into consideration that the majority of the population relies and depends greatly on the internet for information and transactions. According to a study from Pew Research Center, 80% of internet users search health-related topics online daily with one out of three Americans go online to figure out a medical condition. Because of that, healthcare providers have a huge advantage in utilizing what the digital era brings. Here are the 5 keys that you need to focus on in order to achieve a strong healthcare digital marketing strategy.

    1. Strong Social Media Engagement

The internet is bringing everyone digitally closer together. It made making friends, spreading and learning new information, and social interaction at the tip of your fingers. The majority of the credit for connecting people goes to the emergence of social media. Thus, giving healthcare providers an opportunity to reach out to a lot of people in just one platform. Here are some ways on how social media can empower healthcare organizations and practices:

• Connects Healthcare Providers and Patients. This connection promotes pro activity where the patients can receive useful information and updates from their healthcare providers.
• Building Trust. Healthcare organizations and practices can share useful and informative posts on social media. This is due to the fact that people in this generation turn to the internet for health-related topics. With a strong social media presence and consistency in providing informational data, patient retention and trust will automatically increase. It will also attract more patients and referrals with the possibility of the health-related posts being shared.
• Instant feedback and reviews. Thanks to Facebook’s review section, patients can easily submit their opinions and comments about a health organization or practice. A great number of positive reviews would influence visiting potential patients and may want to make an appointment instantly.
• Medium for reliable, real-time information. Healthcare providers and professionals are needed on social media to validate news and information online because of the spread of fake news. For example, healthcare professionals posting news and the latest update about the COVID 19 pandemic. Undoubtedly, their patients will believe them and share it with their circle because they trust their local healthcare professionals.

      2.  Informational Blogs and Videos

• Blogs. You can take advantage of the high number of health-related searches on Google by making quality rich content posted on your user-friendly website. An example of these is health-related blogs like medical conditions, natural home remedies for common sickness and health and wellness tips. Moreover, make sure to make blog topics that are timely and relevant to your community and targeted audience. You can also help people who experienced a treatment, condition or had surgery feel better and comforted by posting patient testimonials or recovery stories.
• Videos. On top of your blogs, you can also produce educational videos that are informative or inspiring. With this, you are also catering to people who prefer watching visual content over reading. Additionally, your credibility can increase and capture more audience if you get to have a physician to talk about a topic in their area of expertise. It will make your viewers feel more at ease when an expert is talking about something they were curious about. Interviewing patients about their recoveries can also help and inspire viewers about their conditions and it would also help in spreading awareness.

    3. Optimize SEO Content

You might have the best-looking website with high-quality content but with a poor SEO, a lot of people may not hear about you. That is why it is important to strengthen your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to boost up your search ranking. You can do this by filtering your content on a specific keyword or keywords that patients will use in their online searches. You may also want to look for keywords that will surely bring traffic to your website. Most importantly, avoid “keyword stuffing” or the overuse of a keyword phrase because Google will penalize you for it. Always remember that keywords are just the cherry and icing on top of your blog, high-quality content is still the key.

   4. Updated and Fortified Email Strategy

Email marketing is still on the lead. You can easily strengthen patient retention by sending informative and relevant newsletters at least once a month. Additionally, make sure to utilize email personalization and segmentation that is based on your recipient’s interests or needs. Schedule out your blog for the month or an inspiring video that will be suitable for them.

    5. Hiring the Right Team

Finally, it all boils down to having the right team. A team of experts is key to a strong healthcare digital marketing strategy. Your marketing team should consist of the following

• Marketing Strategist. This refers to the person who will be responsible for drafting your marketing campaigns, calling shots and making decisions. The person should be able to understand the marketing field fully and the healthcare industry as well. He will also be the one supervise and manage your marketing team to ensure goals and deadlines are being met.
• Social Media Expert. This refers to the person who will be responsible for managing all social media platforms that your organization will be using. The person will be the one who will draft a social media marketing plan and will be responsible for interacting with patients on your social media channels. This person should also be an expert in the healthcare industry and your organization to provide correct and accurate information. Additionally, he would also need to work hand in hand with a certified medical specialist.
• Technical Expert. This person is responsible for implementing the marketing plan and strategy physically. This means that he should be an expert in dealing with digital marketing tools like HTML and CSS in building templates for social media marketing and content. The person will also be to one to ensure your website and social media accounts are user-friendly, easy to navigate and overall provides convenience to your patients.
• SEO Specialist. This person is responsible for boosting your search ranking through optimizing your website blogs and social media content. This is done by incorporating a variety of SEO tools from keyword search software to interlinking methods. This is to ensure that your high-quality content will be read by your targeted audience.
• Information Analyst. This person is responsible for evaluating all the results of your marketing strategy. An analyst will help you save time and money by timely analytics on your marketing plan. It will help in determining if its the right or wrong approach. The person should also be an expert or may easily understand the analytic tools for healthcare marketing.
• Content Manager. This person is responsible for providing high-quality, timely and relevant content on your website and social media to be able to gain more visitors. A content manager should have excellent communication and writing skills. He will also serve as the voice of your organization through a blog and social media posts. The person should also work closely with the SEO specialist to know what content to make to achieve a higher traffic rate for your website.

Final Thoughts

If you and your staff don’t have much free time on your hands, let DrCatalyst handle it for you. Our team of Marketing experts can customize different marketing strategies that are guaranteed to help you attract new patients. Of course, you’ll be involved and updated every step of the way to ensure that we carry out your vision and brand voice online.

Interested? Let’s set up a 15-minute meeting now!

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