Jul 02, 2019
Marketing is important for any business, but if you want to grow your private medical practice, there are specific methods you should use for targeting that clientele. Certain trends have helped shape the way we see healthcare companies today, and many of those trends are still relevant and useful.
Healthcare marketing is best when it is engaging while also raising patient awareness. Whether you want to build a medical practice from the ground up or find a way to level up your career, starting a business in the medical field can be difficult. No matter what your specialty may be —from dentistry to endocrinologist to urology—you must have a killer marketing strategy.
For healthcare, marketing should be both educational and logical. You want to get your audience emotionally involved with your practice. Here are some key ways to pull that off:
1. Content Marketing
Content marketing is a popular way to get new patients and customers for healthcare businesses. It’s one of the smartest ways to market your company and promote educational interactions with your audience. Pop up ads and banners are old news—people these days enjoy interacting with businesses.
When you begin marketing, you must try to remember that you’re a company first. Think of your brand as that of a media company try to get a specific message heard. Whatever practice you’re in, content marketing will be helpful for this.
Your content shouldn’t be created solely for your website, you want to post original content on social media and other online outlets. There are many platforms to choose from, and there are patients out there waiting for your content. Your content could be about common illnesses or what’s up in your local area, but try to make the content relevant and simple enough for people to engage with quickly.
2. Mobile-Friendly Website
Creating a mobile-friendly website is important for keeping up to date with the latest technology and the needs of your future patients. Make it easy for users to view your website online using their mobile devices. We’re all constantly on our devices, and if your site isn’t compatible with mobile it can be hard to attract and keep prospective clientele.
Google created a new algorithm that sorts the websites on search pages based on mobile compatibility instead of website relevancy. You want the website for your medical practice to be seen, and if your website isn’t mobile-friendly it won’t get to be.
3. Video Marketing
Video marketing is a way to get people to see what it’s like to be in your care. You want to appeal to your audience by showing them the quality of your facility and care. Giving your future patients something to expect when they show up is important in improving not only your online presence but your reputation in the real world as well.
Video marketing helps build trust between patients and specialists. In 2019, more people are gravitating toward video content. We binge on it (and admit it, you do to). If you want your business to thrive, take advantage of that. And make sure to aim for quality video. You want your efforts to be worth it, so hire a Marketing Manager with rich media expertise and make the production as high-quality as possible.
4. Online Reputation
Your online presence and reputation can be a make-or-break for your business.
You want to put forth the right marketing efforts to maintain a certain reputation—both online and off. The two are not mutually exclusive! But most everything is online these days, so you want to stay relevant by paying attention to what people say in the reviews about you and how people interact with your brand in the digital space. It will effect how they interact with your business in the real world.
So be sure that your website is professional and easy to use. Your online image should reflect your practice on its best day, and to do that you must consider how you appear online. If you don’t necessarily like how you appear online, then you should take the next step—get professional help and revamp your digital footprint right away!
5. Social Media Marketing
Social media is powerful, and it can make or break your business. Use it to your advantage and market both to locals and to audiences that are farther afield.
You should feel proud of your social media accounts, and if you aren’t getting the attention you need, hire a social media expert to help you. In the meantime, appoint one of your staff members to post on your social accounts daily or weekly. The more people see your content, the more your exposure for your business, the more likely you are to transform your private practice. There are many different social media outlets that you can utilize to your advantage, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and many more.
Make sure to be active on your personal account as well. You want to reply to comments and even share posts to create relationships. Being consistent is key in managing a social media account. It can be easy to neglect your online presence when you’re busy with other pressing matters, but avoid that and stay on top of it.
6. Patient Portals
Be sure your website is easily manageable above all else. A difficult website is an unnecessary pain for clients, and they will tell you this by going elsewhere for care. Simplify by including simple text and graphics, and create patient portals that make accessing information and scheduling appointments easy.
Being a user-friendly company is going to put you in good with prospective patients. Make life easy for your clients, and they will make earning money easy for you. If your online presence is thoughtless, counterintuitive, unattractive, or uninteresting, just imagine yourself closing the door on new clientele. You wouldn’t be confusing and boring in real life, would you? So don’t do it on your website or social media either.
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