Do you want to GROW your medical practice?
Take control today with digital marketing for doctors.
WHAT IS YOUR GROWTH STRATEGY – DO YOU:?
HAVE A WALK-IN, WORD-OF-MOUTH ONLY PRACTICE, CONFINED TO LOCAL CLIENTS
- where you wait for business (just 53% of practices have a Facebook page),
According to Google Analytics, up to 44% of the visitors to practices make their appointments online or by making a call to the clinic after acquiring the number from the website. (People conduct their research online rather than by relying on other people).
OR,
HAVE A GROWTH STRATEGY THAT INCLUDES USING DIGITAL MARKETING
- to actively grow your outreach and expanding your practice’s horizons, perhaps even including medical tourism?
Digital ad spending ON HEALTHCARE is expected to reach $15 billion by 2023. Businesses earn $8 for every $1 spent on Google Ads, digital marketing for doctors is more important than ever.
Medical practices can have different levels of outreach strategy to gain patients:
What is yours?
Levels of outreach:
- Some practices do not do any marketing relying of walk-ins and word-of-mouth from locals only.
- In addition some practices may have a ‘brochure’ website‘ which makes it possible to find the practice online if in the vicinity.
- Some practices may take it even further by active digital marketing reaching out to a wider audience and actively engaging visitors to their online digital presence using ‘lead generation websites’, as well as reaching out to an international audience.
- With digitized medicine cutting edge practices are able to reach an even wider audience with a broader set of products and services.
Doctors can use a variety of techniques such as SEO and social media to put themselves and their clinics on the map in order to expand, grow and evolve as a business in today’s world.
WHY BE ONLINE?
The THIRD MOST COMMON ACTIVITY on the internet today is searching for a healthcare provider or healthcare related information.
- 32% of social media users utilize Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to post about their friends and families. health and medical experiences
- 77% of new patients search online (and read reviews) prior to booking a physician appointment
HOW DO PATIENTS FIND A DOCTOR?
Most smartphones users will use the internet to find healthcare information, to check reviews, compare prices, and find doctors that meet their needs. If you’re not visible online, you’re missing out on a lot of potential patients.
Building a strong online presence
- In today’s digital world, doctors need to have a strong online presence. Practicing good medicine alone is not enough
- By creating a website and putting it on TOP of Google and promoting your practice on social media and other digital channels, you can reach more patients and build trust with potential patients.
- If you are not coming up on the top of Google search results, they will not find you.
It also allows doctors and their clinics to tap into new resources and tools which serve patients and other seekers of healthcare in an efficient and streamlined manner.
WHERE ARE YOUR PATIENTS?
Not reading magazines in your waiting room. More likely scrolling on social media and searching online to pass the time. THAT is the digital waiting room. Some of them are sitting overseas looking medical tourism opportunities.
‘South Africa is one of the most popular destinations for medical tourism’
Meeting your potential patients online
- By promoting your medical practice online, you can reach larger audience and more potential patients where they are spending their time – on the internet and social media.
- Access your patients easily, promoting your practice on social media makes things much more convenient for patients. The average individual today spends a vast amount of time on social media, using it as the preferred mode of conversation and contact.
LEAD GENERATION WEBSITES vs ‘BROCHURE WEBSITES’
To become effective lead generation websites the following 3 website design principles need focussed attention:
A.) CONTENT
Non-stop stream of patients
Create Search-Optimized Blog Content to attract organic traffic for your website gives you a non-stop stream of attention from people interested in your service (from all over the world).
Reduce patient questions upfront with quality content
Content on your service pages can decrease the amount of questions you get from patients ahead of time, but this content needs to be as legitimate and comprehensive as the expertise a patient receives in person.
Credible content
Google has implemented new algorithm updates that penalize health practitioners’ websites Google deems sub-par.
- Consumers are 60% more likely to trust physicians that are online verses those who are not.
- 81% of consumers consider a physician with an ACTIVE online presence to be more ‘cutting edge’.
B.) GUIDED USER ENGAGEMENT ON WEBSITE
Calls-to-action
The second most visited page behind the homepage on most small business sites is the about page, but it is also the most ignored. It is important to guide the userwith a call-to-action on every page.
Brochure website and patient engagement
Many practices present a “brochure” website, which provides sufficient information, but is usually a dead-end for patient engagement.
C.) OPT-IN List (Email Waiting List)
Retain website visitors
Don’t lose out on readers who found your content interesting but not quite ready to use your services? They’ll read the helpful article on your site, then click away, never to be heard from again. Unless you lead them to a friendly opt-in on your site that asks for their email. Once they’re on your email list, you can nurture them along until they are ready.
Don’t send prospective patients to your competitors
If you don’t guide your visitors, you throw away possible patients. If the only way to reach you is through a contact form, you give up 97% of the prospective patients who visit your site, to your competitors.
GROW YOUR MEDICAL PRACTICE
Digital marketing is essential for doctors who want to stay ahead of the competition and GROW THEIR MEDICAL PRACTICE.
DON’T WAIT.
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR GROWTH STRATEGY TODAY.
Click here to find out more about Vibe Marketing East Coast, or here to speak to one of the Vibe Marketing team.