What is healthcare marketing strategy?

Whether you run a solo practice, a small clinic, or a large healthcare organization with more than 100 employees, there's one thing you can't afford to ignore - a healthcare marketing strategy. And in a world that is increasingly connected online, digital marketing and online marketing should be your top choice among medical marketing strategies. Continue reading to learn the basics of developing a marketing plan for your healthcare practice, including attracting new patients, reputation management, and more.

Why is healthcare marketing important?

According to a study by GE Healthcare and Prophet on healthcare marketing trends, 8 out of 10 patients are dissatisfied with their healthcare experience. What's more, there is a large gap between what consumers believe they are getting and what healthcare providers and medical practices believe they are offering. Clearly, patient expectations have evolved substantially in the last couple of decades. Potential patients now have more options than ever before in how and where they get care. This means your marketing efforts and healthcare marketing plan are not jus an investment but an absolute necessity to reach your target audience. Word of mouth can only get you so far. Without an effective healthcare marketing strategy, your medical practice will likely see a slow down in growth and eventually reach a standstill.

What are the 4 types of marketing strategies in healthcare?

Broadly speaking, there are four types of strategies in healthcare marketing that healthcare practices should focus on.

Market penetration

This is a healthcare marketing strategy that focuses on selling current services to existing patients. The activities that dominate this marketing strategy include those that increase current patient loyalty and decrease the chances of losing patients to competitors. Market penetration also involves attracting new patients from competitors, increasing the frequency of services used, and converting non-users to users. For example, a campaign that says "It's not just for women" could help to expand usage of certain services by men that are traditionally popular with women.

Market development

This is a part of a healthcare marketing plan that promotes sales of your existing services in a new market. It can include entering a new international market or better matching your services to the local market. It is worth noting that expanding into a new market with existing healthcare services carries some risk because you do not know the market and the market does not know you. Also, the returns from market development are likely to take longer than market penetration. This is because it takes time to build awareness with prospective patients and initiate trials of healthcare services in a new market.

Product development

This is a medical marketing strategy designed to sell new healthcare services to existing patients. For example, a plastic surgeon may leverage their relationship with existing patients to sell non-surgical skin rejuvenation treatments. Once the new services have been developed, it is relatively easy to create awareness and interest because of your existing relationship with patients.

Diversification

A diversification strategy in healthcare digital marketing involves offering new services in new markets. It is akin to creating a completely new business. This is the riskiest healthcare marketing strategy in terms of returns and also the one likely to take the longest for a return on investment. An experienced marketing team can however develop marketing plans to help healthcare practices diversify into new markets.

What are digital healthcare marketing strategies?

Here are some top digital marketing strategies for doctors, dentists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons, and aestheticians.

Develop an effective healthcare website

From a patient's point of view, almost all healthcare websites look more or less the same, advertising the same services in pretty much the same way. A marketing strategy that takes the time to identify your patients' specific needs and offer solutions will yield strong results. Healthcare providers who address patients issues in a personalized manner are always going to be winners. Your goal should be to make it easy for patients to connect with you. This will put you heads and shoulders above your competition.

Your website should have a simple and classic layout and design with easy navigation, multiple ways to contact you, social media links, and an FAQ page, at the minimum. Making it easy for prospective patients to find you and talk to you, for example, by signing up for the MeTime app, can take your healthcare marketing strategy to a whole new level. The app improves user experience and makes it easy for patients to find what they're looking for, increasing your chances of converting them to new patients.

Use lead-generating SEO

Search engine optimization is one of the most important tools in the digital marketing arsenal for healthcare organizations. Local SEO regularly features in top healthcare marketing tips for a reason. Simply put, SEO allows prospective patients to find you on search engines instead of your competitors. But just getting people to visit your website from search results does not convert them into new patients for your practice.

To capture leads for your medical practice, you need targeted landing pages. A digital marketing agency can help you develop landing pages that include long-tail keywords related to searches by your target audience. Another highly effective marketing strategy is a lead magnet. It is an ethical way to get prospective patients to share their details with you, for example, by offering a free consultation or a discount for online appointment booking.

Bond with your target market

You may offer outstanding healthcare services, but to create a legion of loyal patients, you need to use a variety of healthcare marketing strategies to connect with your patients online. An easy way to do this is content marketing, for example, with a blog. Healthcare professionals can provide accurate and useful information to patients while also selling the services they offer by putting a positive spin on these treatments.

Healthcare companies should employ a variety of marketing campaigns, including patient experiences, staff contributions, patient feedback, and current topics of interest. It is also important that you promote your blog on all your social media platforms for greater engagement and the best healthcare marketing results.

Don't Ignore Online Reputation Management

Third-party endorsements are a key healthcare marketing strategy that your healthcare practice cannot afford to ignore. Patient testimonials, healthcare services reviews, and case studies can help build considerable online clout for your medical practice.

Gathering positive online reviews for Google My Business, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Yelp, and other authority sites should not be very difficult. You can encourage patients to write an online review through a followup e-mail, on your website, and on your social media pages. However, an equally important part of health marketing is taking the time each week to address negative reviews.

The takeaway

The healthcare industry is a highly competitive one. By leveraging the power of social media marketing and other effective healthcare marketing techniques, medical clinics can improve patient experience for current patients, convert potential patients to new patients, and greatly improve their patients healthcare by making it easy for them to access healthcare services.

MeTime makes it simple for prospective patients to connect with you. Whether it’s treatments for the face, body, skin, hair, teeth, or intimate areas, MeTime covers it all through an app with an exceptional user experience. You can match with patients who are looking for your healthcare services through the app, chat with prospective patients, review photos and preferences, and make suggestions for the best treatments.

MeTime is an efficient and cost-effective addition to your healthcare marketing strategies. Avoid expensive efforts that fail to drive clients to your medical practice. Simply join MeTime and start a conversation with potential patients today.

Join healthcare providers all over the country in using this leading-edge marketing tool. It’s free and easy to join, and once you do, you can start showcasing your services and talking directly to customers. There are various pricing plans to suit your healthcare organization. MeTime is one easy place for you to bring together multiple marketing initiatives.