Medical marketing has gone digital and requires high-tech, inexpensive equipment to communicate effectively with patients. For most medical practices, advertising on television or the Internet is not a cost-effective solution. Therefore, many medical offices find that working with local, state or federal government agencies is a more effective way to promote their practice. For example, Medicaid programs often have an advertising program designed specifically for medical practices.
Unfortunately, even though the government may have a strong interest in your practice’s quality of care and track record, medical marketing does not come cheap. Medical marketing requires high-priced equipment like digital medical cameras, video intercoms and television stations. In addition, there are costs associated with content creation and search engine optimization. If your doctors choose not to participate in PPC campaigns, they will incur additional advertising costs on their own.
Creating a medical marketing strategy can be difficult, but not without benefit. When starting a new medical practice, a medical marketing plan can provide continuity throughout the business. Starting out with a solid strategy in place will ensure that the marketing plan is effective. In addition, developing a solid medical marketing plan will give a medical practice the freedom to choose when it makes sense to launch a campaign and how much budget to allocate to the activity.
Social Media Like many medical practitioners are already familiar with Facebook, Twitter and Google+, many are beginning to use these social media sites as a vehicle to increase their patient database. Whether you use Facebook strictly for business purposes or as part of a public social media campaign to build new patients and keep current patients informed, each platform allows you to connect with those in your area by providing a quick and easy interface for sharing information. With a Facebook account, it’s easy to post new photos, blog posts and event information. For example, if your medical website offers weekend hours at an X-Ray Studio located in New York, posting an image of a patient while on the treadmill could trigger an image and video sharing option to spread the news about your new hours.
Search Engine Optimization Search engines are the backbone of any successful marketing plan. By utilizing well-optimized webpages and optimizing keywords throughout the site, medical practices will be able to gain a front-row presence on major search engine results pages. In order for a medical website to appear higher on search engine results pages, it should be optimized with key phrases relevant to the service provided. Keywords should also be chosen based on how many other websites use them. By pairing a high search engine ranking with a well-optimized web page, medical practices can boost their exposure and build a strong clientele.
Reputation Management A reputable reputation management marketing agency will ensure that medical practices are proactive about managing their brand. The best agencies will help to improve customer satisfaction by offering customer surveys and providing customer reports. These materials will reveal what customers are most upset about, what problems are the most important to resolve, and which features would most benefit the patient. By listening to patients and addressing their concerns, medical marketing agencies can help medical practices build loyalty among their client base.
Medical marketing agencies have a wide range of skills and knowledge to ensure a successful medical marketing campaign. SEO professionals have the expertise necessary to optimize the site for top rankings in major search engines. They will create content that is engaging and informative. Content developers can create optimized pages that provide doctors with the information they need to make their patients feel comfortable. Web designers can optimize the entire web site or individual web pages, and medical seo experts can update doctors’ contact information and provide analytics to monitor the success of the campaign.
If you are an online physician, healthcare service provider, or work with healthcare professionals, you can benefit from medical seo. Working with a reliable online medical seo company can help your practice expand by ensuring that you rank high in major search engines. Learn more about online marketing for healthcare professionals today.