The entire healthcare industry has seen a major overhaul in the past few years in more ways than one. The United States in particular has witnessed an explosion in new medical technologies, companies, and innovations that have created a whole world of opportunities for both patients and medical professionals. With increased competition and the need to build awareness, there has never been a greater demand for a strong healthcare digital marketing strategy.
Healthcare is always in pursuit of technological advancement. Whether this is represented through a new treatment or an improvement on an old one, the opening of a groundbreaking facility or the development of physician abilities and specialties, the stakes have never been higher. And at the heart of the industry, medical professionals are constantly seeking to increase the level of care they provide to patients.
The medical industry has one major advantage to other industries when it comes to digital marketing strategy. They boast a broad audience. Everyone needs medical attention throughout their lives. We all use hospitals, see a general practitioner, follow health guidelines, and rely on practices or specialties for quality of life. From a digital marketing perspective this is a major advantage. In many other industries digital marketing professionals must work overtime to reach niche markets effectively. When everyone is a stakeholder, some to lesser degrees obviously, then the targeting because much simpler. But that is not to say that putting together a powerful healthcare digital marketing strategy is a piece of cake. And with the ever-changing digital landscape it is imperative that digital strategists working in the healthcare field are ready and able to promote the interests of their employers.
To help keep your healthcare digital strategy at the forefront of this evolving territory, we have put together five key components that should be at the very top of your list:
- Captivating Social Media Strategy
- Transformative Videos
- Useful and Informational Emails
- Resourceful Blog
- Navigable Website
Captivating Social Media Strategy
If your organization is not on social media then you’re not just missing a huge opportunity, you risk falling way behind the competition. And while the idea of competing for patients may seem objectionable to medial professionals it has become necessary in this day and age. With so many healthcare organizations to pick from if patients are not familiar with your brand then you cannot provide the care your doctors and staff have been trained to perform. And patients want to work with the most technologically advanced organization. From accessing medical records to making appointments through Twitter, the more access points you create for patients, the more attractive your organization will seem.
According to Infographics Archive, research shows that 60 percent of social media users will trust social media posts originating from doctors over any other professional group. With this power comes great responsibility. Make sure you plan your social media posts with the utmost care. Any mistake could irreparably harm your brand.
Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is a great example of a healthcare organization using social media to their advantage. If you visit their Facebook page you immediately see they are open to chat, answer questions and are using their cover image to promote Mental Health Awareness Month.
They also promote events, news about the hospital and surrounding military community, and post inspiring and educational videos.
Transformative Videos
There is no doubt that audiences crave video content like never before. In fact, one-third of all online activity is spent watching videos. But there is a common misconception in the healthcare industry that videos need to be Hollywood quality in order to move the needle. This could not be further from the truth. Yes, basic audio and video quality is necessary. But for some videos this can be accomplished with a smart phone and a microphone. And at the end of the day if your video is both informative, to the point, and/or inspirational – you will have produced an effective video.
Having a physician speak on camera will capture an audience looking for trustworthy information about their health from a qualified source.
The video above is a TEDMED talk from ER doctor Peter Attia. With over 1.2 million views there is no doubt this video was found to be inspirational by a number of people. Just check out this description and you can see why it has garnered so much attention:
As a young ER doctor, Peter Attia felt contempt for a patient with diabetes. She was overweight, he thought, and thus responsible for the fact that she needed a foot amputation. But years later, Attia received an unpleasant medical surprise that led him to wonder: is our understanding of diabetes right? Could the precursors to diabetes cause obesity, and not the other way around? A look at how assumptions may be leading us to wage the wrong medical war.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMhLBPPtlrY
And the first comment (one of 3,552!) explains why this video was so effective:
You must find a way to connect with your audience in order to be effective. This video did but you don’t need to speak at a TEDMED talk in order to connect. A simple 2 minute video discussing ways to manage diabetes can be just as compelling.
Useful and Informational Emails
Email marketing is an important component to your healthcare digital marketing strategy. Patients are constantly searching for information. Email provides you with a platform to get ahead and provide information to patients before they even seek it out.
The most important part of your email marketing strategy is to provide fresh and varied content to your email database. Make sure to use segmentation and email personalization to create a feeling of trust with your subscribers. You want to send informative content that is as personalized as possible. And while this can be a challenge, it is important for the longevity and effectiveness of your list.
Send a video, industry news, a recent blog post or something similar that will be both useful and informational. Plan these in advance so they are timely. Take advantage of recent trends in healthcare (Mental Health Awareness Month, a recent breakthrough in cancer screenings, etc.) to maximize effectiveness.
The example to the right comes from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital (click the image to see the full email). It is called ‘Health e-Hints for parents.’ The newsletter provides age-specific tips for families and is written by pediatric specialists. The example showcases stories about sore throats, ways to help seasonal depression, and how to stop thumb-sucking. These stories are varied and applicable to parents with children of many ages. Subscribers are practically guaranteed to find something of interest.
Resourceful Blog
A blog pairs well with a user-friendly website. According to Google, there are 35 million online searches every day related to healthcare. One percent of all Google searches are related to medical symptoms. Rich blog content can help drive traffic to your website. It also is a place for patients to go for information they can share on social media.
One strategy is to organize your editorial calendar around health months in addition to timely topics related to your organization. And remember that people find stories comforting that come from patients who have experienced something they’re facing or about to face. This can easily help boost your number of readers of your blog. In-depth patient stories are becoming one of the most popular formats for healthcare blogs.
Heart Sisters provides a number of useful topics for women suffering from heart disease. It includes touching stories from people who suffer from heart disease and family members affected by the disease. They provide general information for the public, health professionals, and others.
Navigable Website
While we have mentioned this last it by no means is the least important. Without an easy-to-navigate website, the rest of the aforementioned healthcare digital marketing strategies don’t make a lot of sense. Your website is the first impression for many of your customers and patients. It needs to be lightning quick and simple enough that anyone can find what they’re looking for in seconds. If they are turned off by what you’ve presented, they won’t bother coming back another time.
Your website needs to be patient focused. Visitors should be able to make an appointment easily or login to their account with ease. Contact links should be prominent and easy to use in case visitors need to get a hold of someone quickly. Navigation menus should be self-explanatory and help direct visitors to exactly where they need to go.
Take for instance the Mayo Clinic’s website, with these highlighted sections:
Conclusion
There are many different ways for your healthcare digital marketing strategy to excel. These are a few big ideas that will make your organization excel in the digital landscape.
And of course, if you ever need any help please reach out to us at Paton Digital!
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If you’d like more information, make sure to download our e-book: Facebook Ads For Healthcare Professionals.
Inside you’ll find guidance on where to begin if you’re just starting out and examples of quality healthcare ads that you can use as a template for your own advertising campaigns. There are step-by-step directions on how to create the perfect healthcare ad in Facebook and tips on creating audiences proven to be effective – and more!