4 Ways to Boost Your Healthcare Marketing Strategy
Creating a comprehensive healthcare marketing strategy is vital to distinguishing your practice and getting awareness that will drive patient conversions. It is reported that over 60% of patients run an online search before scheduling an appointment. Simply being online is not enough anymore; an effective digital campaign is necessary to get recognition from search engines.
Patient conversion is the most important goal of any campaign for healthcare practices. As 88% of appointments are scheduled over the phone, it should be the primary call to action (CTA). And, for many people, it happens quickly. A simple Google search and a read through of the reviews, and an inquiry call is being made.
Keep reading to discover how you can boost your healthcare marketing strategy and start getting those patient conversions!
Patient Driven Website Design and Branding
With the amount of people that search online for a healthcare practice, your website is what makes the first impression. In fact, 48% of people have said that a website’s design is the number one factor in determining the credibility of a business. Even if your website holds valuable information, if it looks outdated it could be the leading factor that turns away patients from making that appointment call.
Start by creating branding that can be used throughout your marketing materials that has a clean, attractive look. Then, look to serve the functional needs of both new and existing patients. Scheduling, bill pay, patient portals, and messaging capabilities are all tools that add up to a positive user experience.
Increase Visitors with SEO and Social Media
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of getting your website ranked higher and, therefore, increasing the amount of people that are finding your practice. To do this, your website has to hold valuable content that is both accurate and relevant to consumers. Each page should be centered around an industry keyword that people are actually searching for.
A social media presence goes a long way in creating a consistent and reliable brand image. This is a great way to prove yourself as an industry leader through sharing relevant information not only about your practice but general healthcare industry news and updates as well. Paid advertising should also be considered as it is an underrated tool that produces rapid reach and engagement results.
All-Inclusive Email Marketing
Although phone calls rank the highest for making appointments, when it comes to communication from doctors, patients want more emails. While there are your typical alert emails, such as appointment and follow up reminders, there is an opportunity for a complete email marketing campaign that your practice may not be taking advantage of. This might include the latest health news, office announcements, or seasonal symptoms and tips.
If your practice serves more than one patient type, email marketing is a way for you to segment who you are reaching with content that is relevant to their interests and concerns. While there are the traditional categories of new or current patients, you can get more creative and create segments such as former athletes, seniority, hobbies and interests, birthdays, and more.
Track Patient Data and Reviews
An overlooked aspect of a marketing strategy is accurately tracking the results. It is crucial to know what exactly is driving patients to your practice. By creating a report for each arm of your marketing campaign, you can track what content is really boosting the awareness of your practice.
To better understand what drives patient conversion, record how they have found your practice. Then, after a successful visit, it’s best to ask for a review to increase referrals and overall credibility. It can also be beneficial to offer an incentive such as a feature on your website or social media, or a branded promotional product.
If you are looking to start or heighten your healthcare marketing strategy, reach out to the experts at Kraus Marketing to learn how a digital approach can take your practice to the next level.