19 Dec Healthcare Marketing Strategies: 5 Steps to Success
When it comes to healthcare marketing strategies, it pays to know your competition. You want to set yourself apart from what the other practices, business, organizations, etc. are doing, because you want to give people an incentive to walk through your doors or click on your website. We’ve compiled a 5-step plan that will kick-start your marketing plan and start building your credibility as a figure in your community — and with that credibility comes brand recognition, and with that recognition comes greater attention from new and prospective patients.
1. Do your research.
What healthcare marketing strategies are working for your competitors — and how can you use that to distinguish your practice? For instance, if your competitors have stolen the show with their print advertising (billboard ads, flyers, mailers), you can either do one of three things: Do nothing, do the same thing, or do something different. Your best results will result from doing something different. Have your competitors sought print ads in local publications, including newspapers and magazines? If so, have you looked into larger publications that might reach a greater audience? Or, alternately, where have your competitors focused less of their advertising efforts — and how can you make that realm your own?
2. Build your brand.
This one is a huge part of healthcare marketing strategies because, in many ways, it’s one of the easiest. Make sure your brand’s name and logo are prominently displayed and easily found on all of your publications, business cards, advertisements, website pages, and anything else your patients might see when they’re going about their daily routines. Your community will associate your logo with your brand, so if you have any concerns or doubts about its current effectiveness or lasting power, work with a professional graphic designer to create something that really shines — and then put it everywhere.
3. Get found online.
The next step in successful healthcare marketing strategies is this: Build a strong, user-friendly website, and present all the information your patients need to know. When people want to learn more about your practice, are you easily found online? Do you have a Facbeook, Twitter, Yelp, LinkedIn, and any other applicable social media profiles alongside your regular website? Are your hours and contact information easily located on all of your profiles, including Facebook and Twitter? This is an easy fix — make it easy for people to find you, and they will appreciate your foresight.
4. Convert website visitors into leads.
It’s one thing to have a highly trafficked website — it’s another thing to actually bring those people through your office door. To convert website visitors into leads, incorporate calls to action that connect your prospective patients with a real person from your practice. Your contact page should be easily located (if you haven’t gotten this already, make sure your website is user-friendly), and if you choose to use a fillable form, make sure someone returns queries in a timely and professional manner.
Additionally, you should showcase to your audience what makes your practice worth their time; doing this online is vital, but it’s also easy to leave with a bad first impression. Make sure all the text on your website is spelled and formatted correctly, ensure your services are prominently displayed so people know what you offer, and double-check to make sure that people can access your website via multiple platforms, including tablet and mobile.
5. Maintain your clientele.
The best healthcare marketing strategies incorporate ways to keep bringing patients back to your practice. What are you doing that helps make your audience feel like a part of your facility? If you’re maintaining a solid presence online, make sure you’re taking the time to answer question and comments on your profiles — people appreciate seeing businesses that take the time to answer their patients’ concerns. Take the extra time to check in with patients and see if they would like to have your practice do anything that makes them feel more comfortable — a water station, cell phone chargers, question-and-answer hour on Facebook, and whatever else. What matters is that you’re making your patients feel like they are important to your practice, and that is one of the best ways to maintain loyal clientele.
For more information about healthcare marketing strategies, contact The Healthcare Marketing Group today!
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