Maybe the lack of time has prevented you from content marketing or healthcare marketing.
Maybe you don’t know how to go about it.
Maybe you’re worried that you will violate HIPAA rules.
Now imagine that you have entered the healthcare marketing foray. Picture yourself reaching your ideal patients while keeping the ones that you already have. Create a blog that turns your readers into prospective patients, wanting more advice from you. Think of your practice growing and your reputation skyrocketing!
Yes, it’s possible….for YOU!
You already have the expertise. After all, you spend time everyday talking to patients as well as colleagues. You know what information that your patients are typically seeking out and how to express it to them in a way that they understand. You speak with your colleagues and go to hospital meetings to find out the best or newest ways to treat the conditions that are in sync with your services.
Google’s research found 44% of patients who research hospitals on a mobile device go on to schedule an appointment.. and that was way back in 2013! This statistic cannot be ignored.
But what is the best way to reach your ideal patients online?
3 Tips to Successful Healthcare Marketing
- Create A Mobile-Friendly Website
Mobile usage is pervasive. Let’s look at the numbers. According to Comscore:
- There are approximately 310 million people in the United States.
- Of these people, approximately 250 million are over the age of 14.
- 235 million of these Americans use mobile devices
- Smartphone usage- about 225 million people in the U.S. (78% of the adult population age 15-64)
How many of these can you use to grow your practice?
The thing is, have you checked out your website on a mobile device? Just because your site is online, that doesn’t mean that it translates to seeing your site on a mobile device. There may be margins on both sides that are cut off. Information may be totally unreadable.
It is crucial that your website be capable of displaying on all types of devices with easy viewing for both patients and doctors that may refer to you. A responsive website can adapt to all screen sizes. You don’t need different sites for each device. It just needs to be responsive for reduction, or zooming in and out.
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Content Marketing
Content marketing is simply populating your site by providing information that educates, entertains and engages the viewers. You can supply this in the form of videos, articles, blog posts and eBooks as well as adding information to chatrooms and forums that provides solutions to the problems your patients are struggling with.
If you provide both relevant and valued content, your viewers will keep coming back for more.
Captivating and engaging content will:
- Drive traffic to your website
- Attract prospective patients
- Establish your authority as the “go-to” professional
- Increase your visibility
- Boost search engine rankings
- Content marketing is using content in the form of articles, blog posts, eBooks, webinars, videos, etc. to bring in new leads and customers
- Builds trust
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Figure out what keywords best describe you and your services. In other words, when people go online to search, what would they type in to find you? Long-tail keywords are more efficient and entail 3-4 words. Instead of having orthopedist, having knee orthopedist in Delray Beach (or wherever your geographical location is) will allow many more surfers to land on your site instead of a huge list of orthopedists.
Triple the healthcare website visitors come from searches than any other referral source.
Once you have the keywords, sprinkle them liberally into your fresh content so that search engines know what services you provide and what you’re all about. Just think of the increase in patient numbers you could see if you optimized your website with the appropriate keywords. If not, you will lose patients to competitors in your community.
Are you Ready?
Health marketing or medical writing and content marketing can be challenging but clearly something that you need to start doing or you will be behind the competition. If you feel that you have neither the time nor inclination to do so, outsource it! Get your free 30 minute consultation at Barbara@TheMedicalStrategist.com or go for a package.
