The healthcare industry tends to run behind other sectors when it comes to marketing.
It’s really no surprise, between FDA restrictions and HIPAA compliance regulations, marketing is uncharted territory, and it can be intimidating. However, connecting and engaging with today’s tech-savvy patients means marketing is no longer optional for organizations in the healthcare world.
So how can medical office managers adapt to changing marketing trends in a heavily regulated industry? Here are five critical marketing trends in healthcare and some key information on making them work for your practice.
A well-designed website with responsive features.
A high-quality, user-friendly site with responsive features will adapt to the screen size of the device being used. Instead of a patient trying to navigate an awkward and clunky site on their phone, a responsive website will adapt, making it a simple and polished digital experience.
Additionally, managing a professional site allows healthcare organizations to develop a solid web strategy to increase reach, conversions, and visibility. This is all while decreasing practice expenses and staff effort.
Ensure your website is optimized for a higher ranking.
Your healthcare office must develop a search engine optimization [SEO] strategy that allows your practice to rank when a potential patient searches online.
There’s high competition for search traffic. For instance, if a nearby rheumatology practice has a more effective SEO strategy, it will appear higher in search results, making their site the one they click on. A detailed and targeted SEO strategy strengthens your overall online presence. In this strategy, be sure to research keywords to find the words that patients might be using to search for your organization and use those words throughout your site.
Create a detailed and goal-oriented marketing strategy.
You can’t create a successful SEO strategy without quality content. To succeed in the quickly progressing healthcare industry, practices need to constantly produce fresh content that gets them found and generates leads.
Quality content will improve your search engine rankings and drive new traffic to your website. Additionally, it will cultivate leads and encourage patients to visit your practice for their healthcare needs.
Work to produce content that aids in a customized experience for patients. Think outside the box of standard blogs and newsletters to more diverse ways to capture the target audience. Consider content that is engaging, relatable, and will foster leads.
Create some video.
Whether you currently have some video or plan on investing in a video strategy, it’s time to get busy. Video is a great way to grab attention and garner leads. There are a few ways you can include video on your website or on social media to encourage patients to make an appointment. Some video ideas include:
- FAQ segments
- Interview with a physician
- Educate viewers about a common health concern
- A day in the life at your practice
- Explain an unfamiliar treatment option
Be sure to include a call-to-action at the end, hyperlinked to the page for booking appointments.
Tie in a social media campaign.
Using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram is an excellent way to connect with your patients and make them feel more comfortable with your practice. While you cannot share personal medical information in a public forum, you can create a business social media page to share general health tips and information about your practice.
[Need more social media tips? Click here!]
Providing a behind-the-scenes look at your practice, along with some personal details about your staff, is an excellent way for patients to feel as if they “know” you. This increases credibility and loyalty and will make them more comfortable making an appointment.
New marketing trends in healthcare often turn into valuable standards. Take time to think about these and pick a few you can commit to and will be able to make work for your practice. Then create a list of goals to shoot for when it’s time to update your strategy. As always, keep your customers in mind, and think about what will serve them best.
Tags: Healthcare Marketing Trends, Marketing for Office Managers, Marketing Trends, medical office management, national organization of rheumatology managers, office management, social media for rheumatology, tips for office managers Posted by
