The Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Medical Practices: How to Promote Your Medical Practice Effectively
Over recent years, healthcare has evolved and transformed into something that healthcare professionals are struggling to keep up with. Yes, medicine and technology have changed, but the way that patients find a new doctor, advanced practice provider, or other healthcare professional has done a complete 180.
Years ago, a medical practice could thrive and grow based solely on word-of-mouth referrals and advertisements in the local phone book. But now, it's not so simple.
As of 2020, 82.8% of patients use the internet to find a healthcare provider, and 83% of patients book their appointments online.¹
This may be hard to believe, but it goes to show how important marketing for medical practices is. And even if you already know this, you may be wondering: how can I do this?
Effective marketing strategies go far beyond just having a website. When a patient is looking for a new healthcare provider, patients want to see:
Who you are
What you can do for them
Content they relate to
A way to easily get in touch with you
But even if you somehow find the time to write something up and post it on your website, how do you know if potential patients are going to find it on the internet? After all, there are, 8.5 billion searches on Google each day.²
So how do you create a website that ranks well in Google, reflects who you are as a medical provider, while also relaying information that will connect with your patients?
Well, I'm going to attempt to offer some insight and clarity into the overwhelming world of medical marketing. I'll also explain just how a medical copywriter can help improve your practice's visibility, engage potential patients, and gain trust and authority in your field, which is vital to any medical practice.
What is Medical Practice Marketing?
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, it's important to review the basics of medical practice marketing. At the end of the day, marketing for your practice comes down to three things:
Connecting with current and potential patients in meaningful ways
Informing them of what services you provide
Providing them with the reasons to choose your practice over others
In order to accomplish these things, medical practice marketing goes beyond traditional advertising. Effective marketing makes your practice accessible. It simplifies how potential patients find the healthcare information they need and, ultimately, how they find you.
Why is Medical Practice Marketing Essential?
Remember that statistic about how the majority of patients use the internet to find and book appointments with a healthcare provider? This is why having an online presence is no longer optional - it's essential.
When you have a strong online presence and a website that's optimized for search engines (we'll get to that later), you'll appear front and center on Google for people searching for the healthcare services you offer.
But this is just the first step.
After a potential patient visits your website, what makes them want to take the next step and book an appointment with you?
Well, if you were searching for a new healthcare provider, wouldn't you want to go to someone that has demonstrated an understanding of some, if not all, of the medical conditions you have? And wouldn't you also want to go to someone that makes you feel reassured and comfortable?
These are all messages that can be conveyed through your website.
And don't worry. On top of caring for your patients, running your medical practice, and your life outside of work, no one expects you to spend hours and hours researching and writing the content for your website.
So, how exactly does a medical copywriter do that?
Medical copywriters, like myself, are trained, knowledgeable, and have experience implementing the best medical marketing strategies to help medical practices like yours grow and thrive.
Ways To Market Your Medical Practice With A Medical Copywriter
Today, your online presence is an extension of your practice's physical presence, and it's one that's essential when it comes to attracting new patients. And hiring a medical copywriter can help you do just that.
Through well-crafted blog posts, informative articles, patient success stories, and engaging website content, a medical copywriter can help your practice communicate its values, services, and expertise effectively. This not only aids in making your practice easier for potential patients to find but also in making it the preferred choice for their healthcare needs.
So how exactly can a medical writer make your practice website easier to find with an online search?
Improve Your SEO to Drive Traffic to Your Website
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not just a buzzword; it's an essential component of healthcare marketing. A medical copywriter specializing in SEO can elevate your practice's online visibility, ensuring that when potential patients search for healthcare information, your website emerges as a top contender. The magic of SEO lies in understanding what your prospective patients are searching for and optimizing your content to meet those queries head-on.
Tips for Optimizing Medical Content for Search Engines:
Keyword Research: Identify keywords that potential patients use to find services you offer. A medical copywriter can seamlessly integrate these into your web content, blogs, and articles.
Quality Content: High-quality, informative content not only satisfies search engines but also your readers. It should answer questions, provide value, and reflect the expertise of your practice.
Mobile Optimization: With more searches happening on mobile devices, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is crucial.
Local SEO: Optimize your website for local search results, as most patients in your area look for healthcare services within their vicinity.
Leveraging Social Media Marketing to Connect with Patients
Social media platforms offer a unique opportunity to engage with your community on a more personal level. With so many platforms out there to choose from, it's important to pick platforms where your target patients are the most active.
Content Ideas to Engage Your Audience:
Educational Posts: Share health tips, preventive care advice, and updates on medical advancements.
Behind-the-Scenes Glimpses: Humanize your practice by sharing day-to-day operations or spotlighting staff.
Patient Testimonials: With permission, share stories of patient success to build trust and credibility.
Content Marketing: Giving Patients the Information They Seek
Blogs written by a skilled medical copywriter are not just about SEO; they're a powerful tool to educate and engage your audience. Blogs are a great way to establish your practice as a thought leader in the healthcare industry, keeping you top of mind when it's time for a patient to choose a medical provider.
Ideas on how to create content that resonates with your target audience:
Break down complex medical topics into understandable, relatable content.
Highlight the latest healthcare trends and how your practice addresses them.
Answer common health questions, which can also improve your SEO rankings.
Email Marketing: Keeping in Touch with Your Patient Base
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to maintain and deepen relationships with your patients. Building a subscriber list from your current patients and potential patients allows you to directly communicate updates, news, and health tips.
How to Enhance Your Email Marketing:
Craft compelling subject lines that encourage open rates.
Develop informative and engaging content that provides value to your patients, keeping them informed and engaged.
Personalize content to address the needs and interests of your patient base.
The Importance of Hiring a Medical Copywriter
In the end, it's clear that when it comes to building a successful healthcare practice, marketing is a must. And with how complicated and time consuming it can be, hiring a medical copywriter can not only ease the process and come up with an effective strategy for your medical practice, but they can ensure that it works.
When it comes to medical marketing, the balance between providing accurate medical information and engaging content is where a medical copywriter shines. Here are just a few reasons why hiring a medical copywriter is a must if you want to grow your medical practice:
Expertise in Medical and Marketing Fields: Medical copywriters bring a unique blend of healthcare knowledge and marketing savvy, ensuring that the content is both medically accurate and tailored to marketing goals.
Enhancing Patient Understanding: They have the skill to break down complex medical terminologies into clear, understandable language, which makes it easier for patients to understand and ultimately act on.
SEO Proficiency: Their understanding of SEO best practices ensures that your content ranks well in search results, which brings more eyes to your practice.
Strategic Content Creation: A medical copywriter can strategically craft content that aligns with your marketing objectives, whether it’s to inform, engage, or convert readers into patients.
Consistency and Quality: Regularly producing high-quality content can be challenging and time-consuming. A medical copywriter ensures that your marketing materials consistently reflect the professionalism and excellence of your practice.
By integrating these marketing strategies with the help of a medical copywriter, you can significantly improve your practice's ability to attract and retain patients. And because digital marketing in healthcare is ever-evolving, you need someone that not only understands what patients seek but also has the ability to communicate that information effectively.
If you're looking to get more patients and grow your medical practice, having a medical copywriter on your team is a must - and I'd love to chat with you about how we'd make that happen together.
References:
1. All The Healthcare Marketing Statistics To Pay Close Attention To In 2023 – (digitalismedical.com)
2. How Many People Use Google? Statistics & Facts (2024) – (seo.ai)
