If you’re not using pay per click (PPC) as part of your medical marketing plan for 2020, there’s a good chance your competitors are. PPC ads can help improve your brand awareness, increase website traffic, but more importantly generate more appointments and patients.
Utilize these effective PPC strategies to create powerful, compelling healthcare ads that convert new and existing patients.
1. Know Your Your Market and Regulations
Before you start building ads, it’s important to know that healthcare advertisers face a few unique challenges. For example, there’s a higher level of competition in healthcare advertising and higher cost per click in specific healthcare industries.
One in 20 searches completed on Google is health-related. Since the competition is so high, you’ll need to make sure you have effective landing pages and good quality scores to maximize leads.
You should also know that Google has set certain restrictions for medical advertisers.
For example, medical information is extremely sensitive. With that in mind, there are strict privacy laws and policies that require advertisers to proceed with care. You also can’t use certain keywords, including ones that include “drugs” or “prescriptions.”
Using these keywords could trigger Google’s automatic disapproval system.
Here’s a full list of Google’s advertising regulations for healthcare and medicine. Understanding these regulations can help you avoid disapproved ads.
Healthcare advertisers also can’t use remarketing tactics. Remarketing is a PPC strategy that companies use to bring previous website visitors back to their site.
Hiring Google AdWords professionals to navigate these challenges can help you ensure your campaigns succeed.
2. Research Your Target Audience
In order to build a strong campaign, you need to know who your clients are and what they’re searching for online. Like search engine optimization (SEO), PPC relies on keywords and audience targeting. The better you know your audience, the more likely you’ll create ads that appeal to their needs.
First, split your patients into separate buyer personas. Segmenting your target audience will make it easier for you to appeal to their needs. Create groups based on age, gender, medical needs, marital status, or other criteria.
Then, use tools such as SEMRush, Ahrefs, Google Trends, and Keyword Planner. These tools will help you make a list of keywords based on popularity and competition.
Once you make a list of keywords, you can group your keywords into ad groups and campaigns.
Try using Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) to keep your keywords organized. SKAG will let you target keywords more efficiently. Then, you can determine which keywords are worth keeping as a part of your campaign.
Put yourself in the patients’ shoes. What are they looking for when they search on Google? You’ll need that answer to create your ads and landing pages.
3. Craft Dynamic Search Ads
Sometimes, it’s difficult to determine the exact language patients will use when searching online. You can use Dynamic Search Ads in your medical marketing campaigns to fill in the gap. These ads will dynamically generate headlines and landing page URLs to fit the user’s search query.
That way, your ad is more likely to appeal to their exact search.
Dynamic ads will save you time and energy. You won’t have to think so hard about your keyword list or headline ad copy. Instead, you can appeal to your users, increasing visibility and relevancy.
As a result, your clickthrough rate and conversion rates should improve, too.
4. Utilize Ads Extensions
Make sure to take advantage of the different ad extensions you have available to you.
For example, call extensions encourage people to convert without clicking on your website. Instead, you can have them call your practice directly, allowing you to turn them into a lead on the phone.
Make sure to use location extensions as well, especially if you have multiple locations. A patient searching for an urgent care center will need your location right away. The location extension will provide them with directions, allowing them to walk in for an appointment.
You can also use site link extensions to encourage patients to explore your website. Sitelinks can improve your clickthrough rate and quality score. As these metrics improve, your ads will rank higher, too.
Try including review extensions to communicate your brand value and trust other patients have in your practice as well.
5. Experiment with Smart Display Campaigns
Smart Display campaigns can help increase your reach and boost brand awareness. Smart Display helps practices keep their name in front of potential patients.
These responsive ads are generated from a list of headlines, images, and descriptions. Automating these ads will save you time and help you reach a broader net of potential patients.
6. Improve Your Landing Pages
Once a potential patient clicks on your ad, they’ll visit a landing page on your website. Make sure your healthcare ads and landing pages share the same language. That way, you can keep patients focused on a single goal.
Your landing page should load quickly, remain concise, and offer patients a way to contact you or schedule an appointment. Google looks at your landing page language and design when determining how your rank among competitors. If your website isn’t up-to-date, you might not appear at the top of a search page.
Most people are out and about when they search online. Make sure your website is mobile-optimized. Otherwise, mobile users will have a difficult time exploring your website from smaller screens.
You can also create mobile-only campaigns to encourage immediate calls to your practice
A professional website design and development team can help improve your pages and ensure they’re ready to gather new leads!
Diagnose Your Medical Marketing Plan
Breathe life into your next PPC campaign! With these six medical marketing PPC strategies, you can strengthen your ads and boost your ranking.
Eager to start marketing healthcare services to new patients? Start here for a free proposal!
