By Tara Arrington
In today’s online environment, it’s more important than ever to leverage digital marketing tools to help your practice succeed. If you feel lost, don’t worry. There are many ways to improve your online presence, whether you can afford to hire a marketing firm, or you plan to handle it in-house.
Though we’re focusing on the digital world, most if not all your services are probably offered in person. Your practice’s location can either be the key to your prosperity or downfall, so your location should influence your digital marketing strategy. Analyze surrounding areas and population metrics to understand who your potential patients are. This will help you develop more targeted marketing strategies, which are typically more successful.
One of the most important parts of your digital marketing plan is developing a website that is optimized for search engines and easy to use. A healthcare advisor can guide you through this process or help you find a marketing firm to set up and host your website. If you are web savvy, setting up a site via a platform like Wordpress is relatively easy, and you can avoid the high fees that sometimes come with a marketing firm. After setting up your site, hire a freelance designer to improve the look and feel. Be sure your website includes information like your hours, contact information, and key links for patients, such as the patient portal or forms.
A common phrase in the digital marketing world is, “Where do businesses go to die? The second page of Google.” Your search engine optimization (SEO) determines where your business ranks in search engine results. One of the best ways to improve your SEO is by including relevant keywords on your website. Research relevant keywords relating to your specialty and combine those with location-specific keywords.
Another way to improve your SEO is through blog posts. Blog posts allow you to target a patient looking for a particular procedure or treatment while offering educational information. To succeed, blog posts should contain original content and relevant keywords. For example, if you are a surgeon targeting patients seeking weight loss treatments, you could write about bariatric surgery benefits, including keywords like bariatric surgery near me; gastric sleeve near me; gastric bypass near me; gastric sleeve cost; and gastric bypass cost. Leverage artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, to generate blog ideas or even an outline. However, it is best to write your own blog posts or work with a freelance copywriter to produce them instead of using AI to create the entire post. Original content will perform better with search engines, allowing your blog post to rank above competitors.
If you’re still looking for ways to drive potential patients to your site? Consider search engine marketing (SEM). This includes ads with search engines like Google. You determine how much you want to spend with Google Ads, allowing flexibility for all budgets. If you’re lost, try working with a digital agency that specializes in SEO and SEM.
After setting up your website, create a Google Business Profile. A Google Business Profile is one of the top ways patients find you. Don’t forget important information like your address, phone number, website address, hours of operation, and appointment link, if applicable. Including photos of your providers and your space will also help your profile rank higher with Google. Reviews power your Google rating, the stars you see below a business name, and capture word-of-mouth marketing for everyone to see. Encourage patients to leave your business a review, especially if they seem pleased. While positive reviews improve credibility, negative reviews can damage your reputation. If you receive a negative review, be sure to understand the patient’s experience before responding. Following your research, respond in a timely manner, maintain a professional tone, and offer opportunities to discuss further offline.
If you already have a Healthgrades profile, update your profile as needed. If you don’t have a profile, set one up. It’s free and relatively easy.
Social media is another free resource to promote your business, but it must be used to be successful. If you don’t have time to consistently post on social media, consider working with a marketing firm or a freelancer to help. Freelancers are generally more affordable than working with a traditional firm, but they may not offer as many services. A freelancer can set up your accounts, create evergreen content, and train an employee to manage them.
If the idea of digital marketing leaves you feeling frustrated, don’t be afraid to work with a healthcare advisor. Even if your advisor isn’t a marketing maven, they can find the right expert for you, all while protecting your bottom line.
Tara Arrington is the Leader of Marketing, Communications, and Engagement for
Kassouf & Co.
