Whether you have a new practice or have been avoiding marketing online previously, it’s time to take advantage of internet marketing. Marketing your practice in today’s digital marketplace may seem overwhelming, but there are a few simple things you can do to get started.
1. Create a professional, educational website. Digital marketing for medical professionals is crucial in today’s healthcare marketplace. Your website is often a patient’s first impression of your practice, and it introduces your brand to them. Whether you're an orthopedic surgeon or a cosmetic surgery center, prospective patients are on the internet every day looking for the elective procedures that you offer. Thus, your website should be top priority. It should be professional, easy to navigate and provide detailed information of your services and procedures. Effective SEO (search engine optimization) will help drive traffic to your site.
2. Educate Through Blogs and Videos. Prospective patients are looking for information about their condition and treatment options. Keep them interested in your medical practice by providing fresh, relevant blog posts consistently. You can answer common patient questions, review the advantages of your surgery, or let patients know what to expect about a particular condition or treatment option. Video is a powerful tool, so you many want to try a vlog. Instead of writing an article, record a video and upload that to your website. You can also post it on your Youtube channel and even share on it on Twitter and Facebook.
3. Utilize Google's AdWords to target the right patients. It allows you to show ads only to those who search for terms you select. This is important because it allows you to avoid advertising to the public, which is often a waste of budget. Creating paid search campaigns in Google with terms like "knee replacement" and "surgery options". The more specific you can be, the better targeted your ads will be and higher your return on investment. You can also target specific locations in which you want to increase patients. This ad only appears when someone searches for "knee doctor in Dallas". This targeting ensures better qualified leads for your practice.
4. Get Social. With the power of social networking sites, you can build audiences, attract prospective patients, and get people talking about your practice. You can share success stories from your former patients, images of your practice and staff, interesting facts about the human body and healthcare. Posting videos or going Live will help your posts be shown to a broader audience.
The most important thing to remember is that consistency is key. A single blog post or occasionally posting on social media won't lead to a surge of new patients. Post content to your blog monthly and post to social media a few times per week. What will lead to new patients is sharing valuable content consistently over time. It’s a digital world now, and you need to part of it. Your Practice Online can help you with your e-marketing strategies so you can focus on your patients.
