Online marketing has certainly changed the nature of many industries, the healthcare industry being no exception. With the plethora of health-related content online, it's difficult to remember a time when we didn't reach first for our smartphones when looking for medical information.
In fact, at leas 62% of smartphone owners use their phones to look up information about health conditions. This percentage is sure to rise as millennials age and medical practice marketing becomes more commonplace.
That being said, it's easy to fade into the background of healthcare content online without a solid medical practice marketing plan. This is one area where you want to stand out.
With that in mind, we've compiled 4 super strategies that will have you leading the pack.
Know your personas. Know your content. No personas, no content.
It's as simple as that. When you're hoping to promote your medical practice, you're dealing with a whole host of specialties and concerns. Your patients are coming to you because they trust you as an expert.
So, to stand out from the pack and leverage your expertise, think personalization. Use those personas to create content tailored to their needs, wants, concerns, and interests. Make sure you are conveying a perspective that is uniquely yours; reflect the personaliaty and nature of your medical practice since the primary objective here is to differentiate from the offices in the area available as other choices. When it comes to healthcare, the online environment is saturated with high level discussions about all kinds of topics. Putting your local spin on things can really help you connect on the personal level needed to actually gain business value from your content.
Now that you know your personas, it's time to learn to speak their language. Healthcare jargon is confusing at best and alienating at worst. If you're thinking about all the essential vocabulary your clients must know, you're on track! The next consideration are the unique variations of your locality. Take that vocabulary and put it to work in terms specific to your area.
Get started by creating a guide to important vocabulary as a new piece of educational content. Your clients will love you for it. As you advance, share important tips in easily digestible formats such as short blog posts and videos. Try to move away from sounding so much like a brochure since people can find an abundance of that kind of material all over the web. What they really need from you is help in finding the relevance of this intimidating jargon for their real-world concerns.
You've heard it before. Quality trumps quantity. A couple of well-crafted pieces of fresh content each week are far more valuable than 5 blog posts a day full of regurgitated content. That value is deemed by the experience of the user, and in turn, Google.
A quick test to determine the quality of content: If it's offering something new, helpful, or informative, you're on the path to success. Tailor it to meet your personas and you'll be miles ahead of the rest.
Social media matters. 41% of patients says social media influences their choice of healthcare providers. Of course, it all makes sense. Going to a new healthcare provider can be intimidating, scary even.
Most people would much rather go to someone who presents themselves as approachable, knowledgeable, and professional. However, patients can't get to know the superb qualities of your team if you don't have active social media profiles. Most won't go much further than a few online searches for information either.
Share content that matches the interests of your personas, create informative videos, and be responsive. Over time you'll develop a recognizable brand strategy, which is a big part of standing out from the rest.
You can't go wrong in connecting what you're writing about to some local flavor, and this works especially well when shared via social media channels. Consider teaming up with the local pharmacies or other local icons to include some type of offline offer content – like something free that can be picked up in person on the next visit to either location.
There are other ways to merge your online marketing plan with offline efforts on the social side. Send birthday cards to patients from your team. Create care packages and hard copies of your most successful content for patients who may prefer physical reading materials.
Wondering what else your patients are looking for? Wonder no more. Here's exactly what they're searching for before booking an appointment.
