Beginners Guide to Digital Marketing for Health Care

Welcome to the world of digital marketing for health care.

Let’s assume that you’ve decided to take the plunge and open your own medical practice. Congratulations! You’re on your way to achieving the Dream.

Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and market yourself like a boss in order to lure patients through your doors.

But where do you start?

Fret no more, we at SmartWebpreneur are here to help!

In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the most effective digital marketing strategies for health care businesses.

We’ll also provide tips for implementation. So, whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking to take your health care business to the next level, read on!

Why Does Digital Marketing Matter for Healthcare?

If you’re a beginner, there’s a big chance that you don’t know what “digital marketing” even means -no worries, just know that it is a blanket term for all online marketing efforts.

Let’s go over the basics!

Digital marketing is a form of advertising that uses internet technologies to promote brands, goods, and services.

So if you’ve been using Facebook or Twitter to communicate and promote your services and products with friends and followers then congratulations! You’re already a digital marketer.

Digital marketing matters for the healthcare industry because it’s one effective way to reach patients where they are.

Patients now have access to more information than ever before and they’re starting to use their phones, tablets, and laptops to find medical services in their area.  

They also rely on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter when they want to connect with organizations or brands.

With more people turning to the internet for information about their symptoms and conditions, those in the health care industry need to find ways of reaching them where they are – on search engines and social media platforms. 

The digital marketing landscape has changed significantly over the last few years with social media and other new channels emerging. So adapting to these new channels is vital.

Digital marketing for healthcare is a must-have in today’s marketplace. In short, the Internet is a great place to promote your health care business. You just have to know how to use it.

Digital Marketing for Health Care

Let’s Get Digital

There are a plethora of digital marketing techniques available for businesses. However, some methods are more popular than others.

The following are the TOP 4 digital marketing techniques for new health care practices looking to attract more patients.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

Have you ever typed in a phrase related to your practice on Google, Yahoo or Bing? Or maybe YouTube? If you answered yes, then congratulations! You’ve taken the first step towards web visibility.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about making sure that your website is as visible as possible when people search for specific keywords and phrases -you want to pop up as the first, second or third result.

In order to make sure that happens you need to make your site more relevant and authoritative -for example, if a patient is searching for “General Dentist in Atlanta” then your website needs to rank high up on Google and other search engines for that particular term.

Social Media Marketing:

This digital marketing technique relates to the use of Social Media sites to promote your practice. This includes all social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

Integrating social media into your online marketing is a great way to increase opportunities for patient referrals -for example, you can send an update on Facebook or tweet that you are offering a special on new patient examinations.

Video Marketing:

An excellent marketing strategy for health care practices is to create online video content, share it on your website or blog, and upload it to YouTube.

The goal of this digital marketing technique is to grow your authority in your field -YouTube allows you to be able to market directly to patients, share your expertise, get found by new patients, etc.

The great thing about video marketing is that it can be used on any device or platform -you can upload videos to YouTube on your laptop, smartphone, tablet…the list goes on!

Email Marketing:

Send an email to your list of subscribers every so often with news about your practice, new services/products you offer, special offers and gift cards for patients, etc.

Take note: Make sure your email is trustworthy and reliable (i.e. Don’t send out an “urgent offer” every week.) This will most likely lose you subscribers in the process -all of whom are potential leads or referrals for your practice.

Digital Marketing Tips for Success in Health Care

If you are thinking about starting your digital marketing journey, don’t be overwhelmed!

Although some may be intimidated by the prospect of creating an online presence or advertising on social media, don’t be afraid to jump in! Here are some tips for success with digital marketing.

Choose the Platform

Decide on the online platforms that you want to focus on -this falls in line with your target audience.

For example, if you do cosmetic dentistry, you may want to expand your presence on Instagram since selfies are all the rage.

Create a website

One of the first things you’ll need to do is set up your website. Even if you’re just starting out, it’s a good idea to have your own website. You can use this as an opportunity to promote yourself and make your practice more attractive to would-be patients.

This will be the home base for everything you do. It needs to be informative and look nice, but most importantly – it should make sense!

Make sure you include all of the basic information that a potential patient would need to know. That includes things like your location, hours of operation, your mission statement, insurance information (this is especially important if you plan on dealing with insurance) and what services you offer etc.

Being transparent is key.

Additionally, make sure your website images are large and clear so that site viewers can see everything they need to before getting involved in the process of becoming a patient.

Remember, you’re not just selling your services-you’re marketing yourself. People want to know that you’re trustworthy, reliable and friendly.

Finally, make sure your website is mobile responsive so that it can be viewed on any device (smartphone, tablet etc).

In addition to writing informative blog posts about various health issues, you should include photos of yourself and your staff, testimonials from satisfied patients, links to your social media profiles and contact information.

Create a Detailed Content Marketing Strategy

This is where you break down your campaign into manageable chunks -for example, “I will post 3 times per week for 8 weeks.”

Optimize Your Website for Search Engines (SEO)

One crucial part of digital marketing is ensuring that your website ranks high in search engine results.

This can be done through a variety of tactics, but most often it involves writing high quality and relevant content for your website.

If we take this instance as an example,

-Write about the types of services you provide and the benefits they offer

-Post articles on your blog that relate to common health issues people may face or information on how to stay healthy

-Create a resource page with tips and tricks your clients can use to better their health

-Create an impressive social media presence, share information on healthy living (the same types of things you would write about for your website).

Include links to your Website on all of your Marketing Campaigns

Don’t forget to mention your website in all marketing materials.

If you’re handing out business cards or brochures, include a link to your site in the footer.

For online marketing, you should include links to your page in all of your social media profiles, website and email signatures.

Tag Yourself

Be sure to ‘tag’ yourself on Facebook when posting pics

If you’re planning on running an online contest or any other type of Facebook promotion, be sure to tag yourself in the post so that it will pop up on your followers’ newsfeeds.

Create Online Videos

As mentioned earlier, YouTube is the second most popular search engine next to Google.

That means that if you’re going to market yourself, it’s a good idea to jump into the video realm. YouTube is also a great way to get patients comfortable with you and gain their trust since many patients prefer to do their research online

You should create videos that are informative and entertaining. This will help you stand out against your competitors, especially if they’re not using YouTube as part of their marketing strategy.

Reach out to Bloggers in Your Field for Guest Posts

The beauty of blogging is its ability to get lots of traffic. If you’re trying to market yourself as a health care professional, this is a no-brainer. The more exposure your practice gets, the better.

Find bloggers who write about health care and offer them guest posts on topics pertaining to your field.

If their audience starts sharing or clicking through to your site, it should boost traffic and help you build your brand.

Be Consistent, Be Social and Stay Positive!

Be sure to post or share fresh content at least three times a week on each of the social media platforms you use. This helps keep your audience engaged and interested in what you have to say.

Track your progress!

It’s important that you know what is working, what isn’t working and how you can improve. So you need to integrate certain tracking tools into your internet marketing campaigns.

How do you Create a Modern Content Strategy for Healthcare?

You might have a great website and a well-designed logo, but do you have the right content?

The first step to any successful content strategy is defining your goals and objectives. What are you trying to accomplish as a company? What do you want as an end result? These questions will help you identify what type of content will be most useful and how to measure success.

If you’re looking for a way to generate more leads, create an interactive service request form on your website and publish it on social media platforms in conjunction with local advertising.

This will make it easier for potential customers in your area to find out about the services that are available in their area, which can increase conversions.

The second step is to determine what type of content you should have. There are lots of different types of media you might need, such as text, audio or video. You should also consider how people consume information.

What devices do they use? Are they looking for quick tips or detailed explanations? Once you know what type of content you want to produce and how it will be consumed, it’s time to decide on what tone it will take – cool and calm or warm and inviting? 

The third step is to determine what platform you’re going to use. There are lots of different social media sites that might fit your needs, such as Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Before you start creating any content, it’s a good idea to take stock of the resources you have at your disposal. Do you have a great voice for audio or a professional-looking video camera? Do you have access to any flair or flair photographers? These are all important questions that need to be answered before you start creating content.

Once you know what type of content your audience wants, where they want it and how they want it, you’ll be able to create an effective strategy that will generate lots of interest in your health care business.

Conclusion:

The days of putting up a billboard and hoping for the best are long gone. If you want to get noticed in this digital age, then your digital marketing strategy needs to be at its most creative and innovative self.

You need to think outside the box, explore new ways that people consume content on their phones, tablets or laptops. I hope that the tips of digital marketing for health care given above will assist in making a great strategy for your health care business.

This article is only the tip of the iceberg.

I am sure, this has given you a good foundation of what digital marketing is and how it can be applied to your own business.

Digital marketing for healthcare is one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving industries.

As new technologies and communication channels for marketing continue to emerge, it’s important that healthcare providers keep pace with these changes to be able to communicate with their patients and stay ahead of the competition.

Start by reviewing your digital marketing presence and updating your current strategy with the latest trends in digital marketing.

Begin with the basics such as creating a website and social media profiles, and identify which channels will be most effective to increase ROI.

In order to keep up with this rapidly evolving field, it’s also important to stay up to date on the latest digital marketing tools and to interact with your target audience in a way that is both authentic and meaningful.

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