If you’re a healthcare professional, you understand the challenges of acquiring and keeping loyal patients. Doctors offices and healthcare clinics must think more and more like small businesses in their marketing strategies. Now, add in a global pandemic and the associated fear, distrust, and demand. Healthcare professionals are facing more challenges now than ever before.
We’ve compiled six tips for digital marketing for healthcare providers to help you reach and engage new patients in this new environment.
1. Use compassionate, patient-focused communication.
Healthcare brands who find success in the midst of a global pandemic are the ones who offer calm, compassionate communication. Amongst the general public, there is a rising distrust of the healthcare industry as a whole. In a recent study, only 23% of Americans expressed a high level of confidence in the medical industry. Many people are experiencing fear of viruses and diseases but don’t trust their doctor with their care and treatment.
It’s essential to humanize your communication. People want to hear from people. Put a face to your brand by posting videos from your doctors about the pandemic and what you’re doing to keep your patients safe. Some clinics are not issuing any communication about COVID-19 for fear of creating negative emotion, but there is a helpful way to address the pandemic in a compassionate way that will build trust. Avoid political affiliations and stances and focus on positive, uplifting phrases like “let’s take care of each other” and “you’re not alone, we are in this together.”
2. Focus on your patient reviews on business listings.
Reviews are vital for healthcare professionals. Similar to small business digital marketing, healthcare clinics must rely on their own customers to establish credibility on their behalf. Personal health and safety is more important to people than a product or service, so more people will rely on patient reviews for a doctor than customer reviews for a nail salon. There are a variety of healthcare business directories that patients look at when searching for a new doctor or clinic. If you’re not already, make sure you have a listing on HealthGrades and RateMDs.
Don’t be afraid to ask loyal patients to leave a positive review on Google or Facebook either. You can also use a post appointment survey email to ask for feedback and permission to highlight their review on your website. If you receive a negative review, don’t panic. Just as we recommend in our small business digital marketing blog on customer reviews, respond to the review respectfully and request the opportunity to solve their issue during their next visit.
3. Use geofencing to target local neighborhoods around your practice.
Another digital marketing trend to consider is geofencing. Geofencing is a term used to describe hyper-specific location targeting for social media advertising. If you own a health clinic, make sure you’re advertising on social media and targeting local neighborhoods within a few miles. If an individual experiences a minor illness or injury, they won’t want to drive very far. Focus your advertising on brand awareness so that when they need you, they remember your clinic first.
4. Provide educational content to your audience with a blog.
Did you know that 1 in 14 Google searches revolve around healthcare inquiries? People are turning online for answers to their healthcare industry questions rather than calling their primary care physicians. Many individuals research their symptoms first before going to see their doctor. So instead of patients finding their answers on WebMD, use your blog to write helpful, accurate content about certain symptoms like allergies, colds, fevers, etc. You can use content marketing to build trust and then encourage your audience to visit your clinic for a more in-depth conversation and check-up. If you’re looking for hidden secrets for digital marketing in the healthcare industry, this is a great way to reach a new audience and establish trust and credibility.
How professional is your website? Get some inspiration from our healthcare-specific website designs.
5. Keep your Google My Business account updated.
Oftentimes, people pull up their Google maps app to find a clinic or doctor near them. That’s why it’s very important to have an updated, professional Google My Business account. You can post pictures of your office and staff as well as gather reviews. If you want to show up at the top of the list, use local SEO tactics like a great GMB account to reach that #1 position.
Check out our YouTube video about how to set up a Google My Business account.
6. Explore the use of telemedicine for your practice.
Telemedicine is here to stay. With the rise in quarantining and social distancing, people are more inclined to stay home for a doctor’s appointment rather than going into a clinic. If you do not currently offer a telemedicine option for your patients, you could be losing out to telehealth competitors. Whether you look into partnering with a telehealth national company or you start offering virtual video appointments, explore options that don’t require your patients to come into your physical location to use your services. A large part of successful digital marketing for healthcare providers involves analyzing what your competitors aren’t doing and trying something new to reach your target market.
Conclusion
The current environment during the global pandemic is one of anxiety and uncertainty. It’s important that healthcare brands present themselves professionally and sincerely. Stay active on social media, offer encouraging messages, and provide helpful content that your audience will find valuable. Most importantly, stay patient-focused in all your efforts in digital marketing in the healthcare industry.
Did you know that Hyport Digital provides blogging and SEO services?
Contact us to discuss how we can help you reach and engage your ideal audience.
