5 Healthcare Marketing Trends for Providers in 2019
If you want to grow your practice, these 5 healthcare marketing trends can help do just that.
1. Content is King
Content marketing & educational content is the smartest way to attract new patients for your practice.
Lots of people are guilty of going online to educate or diagnose whatever problem they may be experiencing. There’s a lot of terrible information out there…even on very reliable sites. Blogs is a great way to capture clients at the awareness stage. Whether it’s tips and tricks or general industry news, there’s at least one topic people are always interested in. Let’s say If someone is Googling “symptoms of psoriasis” or “what’s the snoopy breast deformity” they’re most likely experiencing this and could use a doctor’s help. Your content can be the demonstration of knowledge to build trust in potential patients. And while they’re reading your blog, your site is readily available to peruse.
Talk about a win-win situation!
2. Video Marketing
Video marketing is the best channel to build trust and increase awareness around your practice in 2019.
Whether you’re creating a 15 second ad to play before YouTube videos or creating a channel to promote your practice, video marketing is a technique you need to include in your marketing plan.
Nothing really compares to the level of engagement video marketing provides. It’s why television ads have been the BIG DOG of marketing in the past and why YouTube is the huge success it is today. Video can personalize your practiceand make it approachable in an industry where people are often intimidated. Want to see healthcare video marketing done right? Check out Texas Health Resources. They have a great series of videos on YouTube and are a great example of healthcare video marketing.
3. Optimized Mobile Site
If your website is not mobile responsive in 2019, say goodbye to new customers.
If you haven’t heard, Google is focused on a mobile first initiative and there’s no looking back. As of March 26, 2018, Google rolled out new algorithms for search results in the form of mobile first indexing. Simply put, Google decided to only show search results based on websites’ mobile version versus the web version. So, if your website is not mobile friendly you will be excluded from all search results except for branded keywords (i.e. the name of your practice).
It’s no secret, mobile usage has increased and will continue to increase. So this change really should not be a surprise. In order to keep up with the times your website needs to be mobile responsive, or be prepared to say “See Ya” to the idea of new patients.
Interested in redesigning your healthcare website? Check out our the 5 elements your healthcare website must have: 5 Things Every Website Must Have
4. Your Online Reputation Matters
Online reputation can make or break your business – and of course your marketing efforts. Control the narrative around what users say about your practice online.
Trust is the single most important factor when it comes to getting new customers for your practice. With so many users searching for providers online, you need to make sure your brand is one that can be trusted. Your online reputation is key to the overall success of your business. Even if you have the best product around, if your practice is receiving bad reviews - you’re more than likely going to be overlooked.
5. Location SEO is Unavoidable
Location-based SEO is the best friend for every healthcare organization with a local branch.
Have you ever conducted a search for pizza and ‘nearby pizza parlors’ pops up? Automatically, I will go this direction, because as much as I love pizza, I’m not willing to drive 2 hours for a good pie. The same goes for when a patient is searching for a provider.
Your practice should be trying to rank well for local searches. To help with this, make sure your practice is optimized for location based keywords, like “DFW dental” as an example. This will help significantly.
Having location-specific content is also another great way to get targeted users to come to visit your website. So, let’s say you’re a dentist in New Orleans, Louisiana - it’s a smart idea to run a marketing campaign and create unique content around topics like: “Dentist New Orleans’ or even more specific “Where is the best dental practice in New Orleans”. Ranking for specific keywords on the first page of search results will generate valuable and qualified traffic to your site.
In Summary:
- Content is King: Content marketing and education content is the smartest way to attract new patients for your practice.
- Video Marketing: Video marketing is the best channel to build trust and increase awareness around your practice in 2019.
- Optimized Mobile Site: If your website is not mobile responsive, say goodbye to new patients.
- Your Online Reputation Matters: Online reputation can make or break your business – and of course your marketing efforts. Control the narrative around what users say about your practice online.
- Invest in location-based SEO: Location-based SEO is the best friend for every healthcare organization with a local branch.
DoctorLogic can help with all your healthcare marketing efforts. If you’d like help, let us know. We’d love to help, because helping providers with their marketing is what we do!
