In the United States, healthcare is a 1.6 trillion dollar industry. But with health care costs mounting, Americans are looking for ways to be more selective with the healthcare providers they choose.
If you’re looking to improve your practice’s reach with potential patients, then you can benefit from investing time in medical marketing strategies. These strategies will help more patients find your business and will persuade them to choose your practice over others.
Ready to get started? Here are 5 medical marketing strategies every practice can benefit from.
Start with Your Website
Every year, millions of adults use the internet to search for medical information. In many cases, patients conduct online research before deciding whether to visit a medical provider. They also research illnesses, conditions and treatment options.
This means that if you want to attract patients, you will need to have an engaging website that describes your services. Your website should include information to address patient’s potential questions. This information can be in the form of page text, downloadable files/case studies or a blog. Providing information on topics people are searching for will establish your practice as an authority. Your website should also clearly list your practice’s contact information and street address.
Search Engine Optimization
Even if you build a beautiful website, it won’t be effective if patients are not able to find it. That’s where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.
Research keywords related to your specific area of practice, and make sure those are included in your site. Use these keywords in your blog posts, site content and image alt text. Since most doctors’ offices are regionally located, also focus on local keywords. For instance, if you have a dentist’s office in Miami, you might want to target the keyword “Teeth Whitening Miami.”
For medical practices, it is also important to include the proper structured data in your site’s backend. This is something many local businesses are lacking and can provide a boost to being found locally.
Develop Engaging Content
There are several good reasons to consider including a blog on your practice’s website.
For one, a blog will allow you to provide great content for patients regarding their medical questions. This will encourage patients to spend more time on your site, and help boost your conversion rate. Blogs are important to establish authority, both for Google, as well as with your patients.
Blogging also helps with SEO. This is because increasing the content on your site fills your website with more keywords. If done correctly, these keywords will help your site move up the search results page.
Set Up Your Google Local Business Listing
One of the most important steps in local SEO is claiming and filling out the information on your local business listing. This allows potential patients to easily view your address, phone number, and hours of operation. It also gives patients the ability to leave online reviews. Remember, Google is the king of search engines, so it makes sense to create a local business listing.
Cultivate Online Reviews
Online reviews are crucial to any marketing strategy. Potential patients are likely to trust the testimonials of other folks like themselves who have visited your practice.
Encourage your patients to leave online reviews. Consider creating a referral program that rewards patients for writing reviews, or directly referring another patient. This is a good way to build your network.
Also, make sure read the reviews and keep tabs on what patients are saying. If you receive negative reviews, follow up with those commenters to see how you can make the situation right.
Get Started with Medical Marketing Today
With these marketing tips, you will soon be able to take your healthcare practice to the next level. You might also want to check out this article on Healthcare Marketing Trends to Watch in 2018.
Do you have questions about how to get started with marketing your medical practice? Then contact us. We’ll connect you with the resources you need for success.
