For many, a doctor’s visit is seen as time-consuming, and in some cases, expensive. And as the amount of medical information found online continues to grow, more and more people are turning to the internet when they feel under the weather. 80% of patients make health-related searches online while a third of adults in the US use online sites to self-diagnose. With the COVID-19 pandemic still in action, people are relying on the internet more than ever to get their medical information.
While the rise of the internet can help patients figure out what they might be feeling, so much information can be overwhelming. In addition, some medical sites contain outdated or unreliable information that can put someone’s health at risk. No amount of information found online can replace a visit to the proper medical professional. That is why medical professionals need to reach out to current and potential patients through effective marketing strategies.
Establish Your Brand
Branding is as important for healthcare services as it is for regular businesses. You may think that you stand out with your medical specialty, but potential patients might not agree. The medical field is still saturated so finding an aspect in your business that makes you different from other healthcare services can help you attract more patients. If you’re a dentist, just saying you’re the “best dentist in town” won’t cut it.
On the other hand, if you’re the only dentist in your area that also offers oral and maxillofacial surgery, link that to your brand. Do you offer quick and painless service? Is your clinic a place one can relax while getting their checkup? Find what makes your business unique and people will remember it.
Build Your Online Presence
At a time when most people are on their smartphones or laptops, your online presence is as important as ever. If someone can’t look you up online, you’re practically non-existent. It also makes your business sound less legitimate.
To properly build your online presence, you’ll need to make use of a website and social media. When building your website, it’s important to optimize your site and make it accessible to different devices, especially smartphones. With most people on their smartphones, having an optimized website can ensure that potential patients won’t click out of your site right away. Doing this will help increase your ranking on Google, prioritizing optimized sites on their search engines.
When it comes to building your presence on social media, there are two ways you can go about this. The first is creating social media accounts for your business or creating an account as an individual with a business. The first one is more professional, but in some cases, people like to relate to the content they’re viewing. So if you’re a medical professional who doesn’t mind being in front of the camera, you can choose the latter option.
One example of a medical professional who has successfully penetrated the social media sphere and provides medical advice in a relatable way is Dr. Mike Varshavski, commonly known as Doctor Mike. He creates informative and engaging content for social media sites like Youtube, sharing his expertise.
Communicate with Your Audience
Once you have your social media accounts and websites set up, you need to communicate with your audience. Use these channels to maintain your current patient relationships as well as build new ones. See how your patients are doing, give health advice, share updated information about the and current health and safety protocols. Let people know what you’re doing to make your business safer for patients, and what they can expect when they visit your office.
Make Use of Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is simply improving your visibility on search engines like Google through the use of keywords relevant to your site. However, this doesn’t mean writing articles using the word “healthcare provide” and other health-related phrases over and over. The keywords that you should use should relate to your site and services. Avoid sounding like a pushy salesperson.
This is only one way of using SEO to your advantage. Other ways include having a sitemap, using meta descriptions, owning search verticals, etc.
Deliver the Same Service
The pandemic continues to affect many sectors of business all around the world. Keep them informed about any changes taking place, especially if it affects your patience. Let them know that despite these other changes, you won’t compromise on one thing: the quality of your services.
Uncertain times like these bring many questions with few answers, but all we can do is push forward and keep up with the times. If you don’t already have a marketing plan, these strategies are a step in the right direction to get more eyes on your business. Otherwise, you can use these strategies to improve and revise your current marketing plan to attract more patients.
