Today’s patients and
healthcare professionals are different to the healthcare consumer from the
past. Consumer behavior has changed drastically over the years you can’t just
imagine. Digital marketing in healthcare industry aids in reaching the right
patient at the right time with the right treatment advertisement. The last few years have witnessed a
drastic change in consumer behaviour across almost all aspects and spheres of
life in India – right from shopping, eating, learning and entertainment to
communication, travel, daily commuting and more.
Healthcare is
one such area which has seen some profound changes, both on the service
delivery as well as on the consumer or patient fronts. At the onset of modern
technology joined with the advantages of digital marketing has helped the
healthcare industry to flourish.
Healthcare
marketing is an advertising process that creates excellent online experiences
that places your healthcare company at the forefront of a highly competitive
healthcare market. Healthcare digital marketing would broadly encompass, but
not limited to responsive websites, Google adwords campaigns, SEO tactics,
unique landing pages, mobile apps, email marketing programs, social media
content and more. In fact, it is very interesting to note that the consumer
behaviour in the health segment has begun to mirror that of other more
‘commercial’ segments, creating new challenges and opportunities for healthcare
service providers today.
Why
Healthcare Industry Needs Digital Marketing?
You may have solid tactics in place, but you’ll need something stronger,
and that will be a strategy. And today’s consumers are becoming more active on
apps and websites. In fact, patients are relying on web searches at a growing
rate to make healthcare choices.
1. Mobile Access
Nearly two billion people own a smartphone worldwide. With the growing
number of mobile users, how can you ignore the rise of digital marketing?
Physicians, clinicians, dentists, and healthcare officials often use mobiles
various purposes to keep themselves abreast of the trends in the industry.
Patients too, seek healthcare and treatment options online which puts
prominence on digital healthcare marketing.
2. Newer Digital Channels
If we look at the past, we can see how digital marketing has picked up
its pace. It’s also crucial for healthcare digital marketers to be equally
involved and show acceptance to trends. With the growing trends in the digital
space, every healthcare marketers focus should be on digital ads, mobile apps,
and social media. Did you know that Instagram boasts 800 million monthly active
users?
3. Demand For Healthcare Application
Today, a consumer seeks a stress-free and a trustworthy user experience.
With the progression of technology, the demand for innovative healthcare
applications has amplified. Thus, the implementation of a healthcare marketing
strategy on a digital platform will elevate the healthcare sector.
4. Healthcare Marketing Insights To Believe
Search drives 3x more visitors to hospital sites. Web search is the most
preferred way for patients to find healthcare providers online.
94% of patients use online reviews to assess providers. Reading reviews
the easiest step for patients to get a first impression of your
practice/clinic.
Healthcare digital advertising spend will overtake TV ads for the first
time in 2021. By that time, healthcare digital advertising spend will be 46% of
all healthcare ad spend
88% of healthcare appointments are scheduled by phone. Patients who
research online prefer to call because healthcare is personal and private.
That’s why
it’s essential to stay on top of digital marketing techniques and keep your
healthcare organization at the forefront of the online revolution.
Consumer
trends in healthcare marketing tune up .
The new
healthcare consumer is a lot more active and empowered. His expectations have
changed, and he is also a lot more demanding. Rising levels of health
consciousness as well as easy access to technology-enabled information is
driving more awareness and involvement in all healthcare choices.
It is not
uncommon for these consumers to voluntarily seek out health information online
– whether it is for symptoms and their likely causes, the different treatment
modalities for specific conditions or even about the different healthcare
providers available in their vicinity.
When it comes
to high risk or high investment treatments like cosmetic treatments and other
surgical treatments, patients will spend even more time and effort in looking
up past patient experiences and case studies before making their final choice.
It therefore wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that digital content plays an
integral role in the healthcare decision process.
Is digital
marketing important for healthcare
providers
The
traditional role of doctors and hospitals as key decision makers is changing,
as patients seek more transparency, accountability and convenience. At the same
time, the popularity and dependence on traditional marketing methods is also
declining, as people spend more time online. This adds an increased task for
this sector to build and sustain an online credibility and reputation, and to
create an efficient online means of interaction with current and prospective
patients, to even be shortlisted for consideration.
Moreover, not
only has digital usage increased, with smart phone ownership and internet
access, but more and more Indians are spending more time online. Like with
other categories of businesses, it is absolutely imperative to be present where
your prospects are, which in this case is online.
Some basics
for healthcare providers tune up their digital marketing
Whether you
are an independent healthcare provider or even a large multi-speciality
hospital today, you would already know by now that it is not enough to just
have a basic functional website and a Facebook page. Just as it is a given to
be updated with the current consumer behaviour on digital and have a holistic
digital marketing approach to cover all your digital bases, and build a solid
foundation for your brand online. Apart from a well-built responsive website,
here are some of the most important basics, which if done well, can help you
stay at the top in the digital realm.
Some of the
most important basics, apart from a responsive and well-designed website would
be:
Search Engine
Optimization (SEO), including local SEO
SEO is a wonderful
way to gain visibility on the search engine results page, for the right
reasons. We already know that most health centric searches start off on the
search engine, and if you can be seen as a solution provider to the health
queries being asked, you will be able to attract a lot of new prospective
patients at a relatively lower patient acquisition cost compared to traditional
marketing. Healthcare SEO should also focus on local SEO tactics to increase
their visibility for their home suburbs during location based searches like “GP
near me” as well as voice search optimisation and featured answers for specific
health queries.
Social media
marketing
Social media
offers wonderful platforms for you to not only interact and engage with current
and potential patients, but also build your brand and drive more visitors to
your website. Sharing updates about new health research and discoveries,
offering health management tips and resources, sharing patient testimonials,
answering queries and offering support can all add up to building more
credibility and trust for your brand online. Consumers exhibit distinct
behaviour and preferences on different social media platforms, and your
marketing strategy should reflect that. It is also recommended to explore paid
marketing for increased visibility and reach.
Content
marketing
Content
marketing is one of the keys for effective SEO and SMO, and is an important
tool to establish digital domination today, while the healthcare sector is
relatively nascent online. Creating and sharing content in different formats –
blogs, videos, case studies, social media stories, infographics, webinars,
ebooks, guides, articles, press releases and more can all help your practice
stand out from your competition. Your consumers are hungry for quality content,
and if you are able to provide that in an easy to access manner, then you are
sure to earn a lot of valuable digital real estate, and establish a strong
position in your consumers’ minds. Content is king, and rightly so!
Search Engine
Marketing (SEM)
Also commonly
known as pay-per-click or PPC marketing, SEM is a tactic through which you can
have your practice be visible at the moment when your consumers are looking for
you. It is one of the best and quickest ways to be seen by high interest prospects,
and given that so many people seek health related information online, SEM can
greatly benefit almost all types of practices. The difference between this and
SEO is that SEO is a long term exercise, whereas SEM can give you quicker
results for an immediate traffic boost. Well-crafted ad messages can spur your
consumers to immediate action, whether it is giving you a call or sharing their
contact details so that you can stay in touch with them in the future.
Online
Reputation Management (ORM)
Widespread
adoption of social media has also seen a rise in people sharing their
experiences with brands and businesses online, and the same holds true for the
health sector as well. People are less inhibited about sharing about their
health and related experiences – both the good and the bad. Just as in real
life, so in digital life – good patient reviews will work like word-of-mouth
referrals and get you more patient inquiries, while negative experiences
receive more prominence over positive ones and spread faster, harming your
online reputation. Given that the healthcare industry operates on trust,
keeping an eye out for both types of conversations and try to improve the
patient experience even after a negative review. Doing this is akin to creating
good word-of-mouth online, and earning precious goodwill. At no point should we
avoid or remove negative reviews, as that can snowball into an even bigger
controversy.
Now that you have
read through some of the absolute basics of digital marketing for healthcare professionals,
clinics and hospitals, the next question on your mind would probably be how
much investment is required, and how long will it take to see results. While
digital marketing is usually a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing
methods, how much you invest will completely depend on the kind of results you
want to achieve.
Depending
upon your digital marketing strategy, the timelines for organic efforts like
SEO could take anywhere between six to eight months for a new website. If you
are seeking quicker results and do not mind a higher investment, then paid
marketing like Google and Facebook Ads is what will give you quick results. It
helps to partner with a specialist healthcare marketing digital agency to help
you better manage your online presence. But all said the verdict remains that
digital marketing is a must for healthcare providers to compete in this rapidly
changing landscape – to reach out, attract and retain new patients.