Many in the healthcare industry feel like “selling” shouldn’t be part of their jobs–it’s unnecessary and unbecoming. But as competition for patients becomes more intense, it has become abundantly clear that marketing is both essential and entirely acceptable.
Marketing galvanizes the loyalty of current patients and educates prospective patients about their healthcare options. It’s always been about connecting with your audience in the right place at the right time.
And today, the right place is on the internet and the right time is around the clock.
Understanding Healthcare digital marketing trends
Consider the following statistics from Pew Research:
- One in three adults in the United States say they have gone online to research medical conditions.
- Of everyone in the country who uses the internet, 72 percent say they have looked online for information about health issues or medical procedures within the last year.
- Nearly half (47 percent) of all internet users search for information about physicians online.
- Nearly 40 percent of all internet users search for information about hospitals, clinics and other healthcare providers.
These trends aren’t likely to change anytime soon, so if you want to connect with people in the right place at the right time (which you do), you’re going to want to be active in healthcare digital marketing.
While Twitter and Facebook are still incredibly effective ways to connect with patients and prospective patients, social messaging apps such as Snapchat, Messenger and WhatsApp are emerging as effective tools for reaching your audience.
Delivering content that your audience (and in the format they want) is incredibly important. That might explain the explosion of videos and even podcasts as a healthcare digital marketing tool.
According to data gathered by Insivia, online video will account for nearly 75 percent of all online traffic this year, 55 percent of people watch videos online every day, and using the word “video” in an email subject line increases open rates by nearly 20 percent.
Podcasts are another area worth exploring:
- 112 million Americans listened to a podcast last year.
- 67 million people in the United States listen to podcasts monthly
- Podcast listeners are growing in numbers.
The tangible benefits of healthcare digital marketing
Scope for targeted marketing
Healthcare digital marketing allows you to tailor messages for specific people based on demographics, area (local or national) and specific areas of interest.
Accurate monitoring of customer behavior
Digital marketing provides incredibly accurate analytics that let you track your actions people take in response to your messages and calls to action.
Room for flexibility while marketing
Healthcare digital marketing allows you the flexibility to quickly change your messages, respond to your audience’s questions, concerns and areas of interest, and refine your efforts to improve their effectiveness.
Enhanced reach and cost-effectiveness
Digital marketing can be incredibly cost-effective, allowing you to reach the large numbers of the right people, at the right place, with the right messages–for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.