Are you having a difficult time attracting patients to your healthcare practice? Maybe your goal this year is to boost online traffic. Either way, one of the best ways to boost leads and drive traffic is search marketing.
As the number one driver of traffic to websites, search beats social media by 300%.
However, there’s a lot more involved in healthcare digital marketing than search engines, social media, and content. In fact, for a well-rounded marketing plan, you’ll need to consider every component of your strategy and how they work as one.
Keep reading to get a better understanding of digital marketing in healthcare. With these nine strategies, you can develop a plan designed to boost your brand. Then, you can attract more patients and grow as a practice.
Get started with these nine strategies!
1. Optimize Your Website for Mobile Visitors
According to Google, more than half of all web traffic starts on a mobile device. If you want any of the following healthcare digital marketing strategies to work, you’ll need to start with mobile marketing.
The first step is to update your website. Your website acts as a digital storefront for your practice. Without it, patients might have a difficult time learning about (and trusting) you.
Make sure your website provides visitors with all the information they need. That includes your:
- Hours
- Services
- Location
You’ll also use your website to post informative blogs that are relevant to your niche. These blogs will show patients that you know what you’re talking about, which will improve brand trust.
To make sure your site is mobile-optimized, you can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
Once you make sure your site is mobile, use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to check your speed. A slow-loading website will scare away visitors. If people leave without clicking around, your bounce rate will increase.
A low clickthrough rate and high bounce rate will impact your ranking on search engines like Google. A higher ranking will help you attract more visitors. A low ranking, however, will spend those patients straight to your competitors.
2. Reconsider Your Content
As you start utilizing these digital marketing healthcare trends, you’ll want to consider your content. Unique, high-quality content will attract people to your website. Remember, educating your patients will also show readers that you’re there to help.
Before you start creating random pieces of content, research your patients. What keywords are they searching for? You can use these tools to develop a list of topics:
- Ahrefs
- Google Keyword Planner
- Google Trends
- SEMRush
Once you develop a list of keywords to use, you’ll need to consider the content you want to make. For example, you might create:
- Blog posts
- Infographics
- White papers
- Quizzes
- Polls
- Videos
Try using interactive content, such as quizzes, polls, and contests, to increase engagement. Better engagement can help improve your search engine ranking.
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Once you create your content, you’ll want to optimize it for search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) will help your content rank higher on Google. You’ll want to optimize your existing web pages for SEO as well.
There are a few SEO trends you’ll need to utilize to boost your ranking, too.
For example, almost 30% of all website sessions are conducted without a screen. Instead, consumers are using voice search to find the information they need. To optimize your content for voice search, phrase your content the same way patients are asking their questions.
Then, provide a brief summary of the answer at the beginning of your content.
Google also uses mobile-first indexing when determining page rankings. Make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices!
4. Add Video In
Want patients to learn more about your practice? One effective digital marketing strategy for hospitals and private practices is video marketing.
Videos will help you emotionally connect with potential patients. Then, you can develop brand trust and draw them in to explore your website. You can also use SEO to make sure your videos rank higher on Google.
In fact, videos will account for almost 80% of all web traffic by 2022. By using videos now, you can get ahead of the curve and attract new patients!
5. Let Patients Speak Up
Let your happy patients represent your brand. As you use these healthcare digital marketing tips, don’t forget to gather reviews. Happy reviews will help potential patients learn more about your practice.
It can also give them a reason to trust you.
6. Stay Social
Don’t forget to share your content on social media. A strong social media marketing strategy will help you gather a following. As you attract more followers, you’ll have an easier time sharing your content.
Then, you can use a strong call-to-action to compel those visitors to visit your website.
You can also use social media to spark conversations, answer questions, and boost brand awareness.
7. Love Where You Work
One of the most important digital marketing healthcare tips you can use is to focus on local strategies. First, make sure your Google My Business listing and other online directors are updated.
Then, consider hosting or participating in a local event. Get involved with your community. Show patients you’re there to help and they’ll become more likely to trust you!
8. Get Ahead With AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a great way to get ahead of the competition. First, use your Google Search Console to learn more about your site visitors. Study their activity and search terms.
You can also use a heat map to determine where they’re spending time on the page.
Then, use AI to optimize your marketing campaigns. AI will free up your time, allowing you to dedicate more attention to your patients.
9 . Know Your Customers
As you use these healthcare marketing tips, remember what matters most: your customers.
What problems are they having? What questions are they asking? Take the time to learn about their needs.
That way, you can appeal to their interests within your content and marketing.
10. Advertise Online
If you want to attract more patients to your practice, consider using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. These digital ads will appear on search engines like Google or social media platforms like Facebook. You can use these ads to attract people to your website, where you can convert them on the page.
Don’t fall behind the curve. In fact, 45% of businesses are already using PPC advertising. By using PPC, you can boost your brand, schedule more appointments, and more.
Healthcare Digital Marketing: 9 Strategies to Help You Succeed
Start boosting your brand and building your online reputation. With these nine healthcare digital marketing strategies, you can get ahead of the competition. Set yourself up for long-term success with these easy tips.
Eager to get started? Contact us today for your free proposal!