Digital marketing offers numerous benefits for hospitals and healthcare providers. It has become essential for the healthcare industry to deploy marketing strategies that are cost-effective for new patient acquisition.
Hospitals have typically relied on traditional media such as, television, radio and print advertising, for engaging with their community to attract new patients. The problem with this advertising medium is that hospitals are spending money to reach a population based on geographic location only, not by what their needs are now (search intent). Deploying strategies such as search engine optimization (SEO) & paid advertising targets users by providing them with the information are actively seeking.
Advantages Of Digital Marketing For Hospitals:
New Patient Acquisition:
Digital marketing allows hospitals to reach new patients by promoting their services to individuals who are seeking them out. If a user needs to find a new primary care provider, they will turn to Google search to find a local provider.
Cost-Effective
Digital marketing is more cost-effective than traditional advertising methods. Advertisers can target their advertising dollars on clicks for the keywords they want to show up in search. Advertisers have the control of who sees their ad and who doesn’t. This saves hospitals advertising budget and increases efficiency across marketing channels.
Advanced Targeting
Digital marketing allows you to target potential patients based on what they are actively searching for. This precision helps you target the right audience at the right time and tailor your message to their needs.
For example, let’s look at the search phrase “Primary Care Doctor Nashville TN”
Hospitals and healthcare providers can target users based on their search phrase, geographic location, and craft their message to this audience that could potentially lead to a new patient.
Patient Engagement
Through digital marketing, hospitals and healthcare providers can target users with mobile applications and email marketing to engage with current and new patients. Mobile apps have enabled hospitals to improve patient engagement and communication.
Mobile Marketing
Mobile digital marketing allows you to optimize your website and content for mobile users, providing a seamless experience. Mobile marketing is growing faster than all other digital advertising formats in the US, as advertisers begin allocating dollars to catch the eye of a growing class of “mobile-first” users.
Enhanced Analytics
Analytics platforms such as Google Analytics 4 can provide valuable insights into your advertising campaigns. Hospitals can track the performance of their marketing efforts and adjust their strategies accordingly to align with conversion metrics.
Effective Digital Marketing Strategies For Hospitals
Paid Advertising
Every hospital should deploy paid search advertising to increase new patient acquisition. Paid advertising allows a hospital to display a search ad for their service to people who are actively searching for their service at that very moment.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the ongoing process of building website authority using content, backlinks, and other strategies. The more visibility a hospital’s web pages have in the search results, the more likely they will attract prospective patients.
Geo-Fencing
Geofencing is a location-based marketing service. Geofence technology uses a mobile device’s physical location to trigger targeted advertising based around a pre-defined geographical location. Geofencing helps hospitals target ads to a specific audience based off the user’s location. For example, if a hospital wants to promote its new Mobile app to its patients, it can geofence its building and target users who are within the fenced area. Geofencing can target down to the building level where Google can only use radius targeting (+1 mile) which is not cost-effective.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a core component to a hospital’s successful digital marketing strategy. Hospitals need content that resonates with their patient’s needs. The more engaging the website content is, the longer the user will stay on the hospital’s website. This increases the probability that the user will engage with the hospital and potentially become a patient.
Mobile App Marketing
Hospitals can’t just list their mobile app on the app stores and assume it will get downloaded. Mobile app advertising using search and targeted paid advertising can elevate a hospital’s mobile app and increase mobile app downloads.
Analytics
Analytics should show a hospital what their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities are. If a hospital cannot accurately measure whether their marketing and advertising is effective, how does it know if it’s really working? Analytics allows hospitals to accurately track where leads come from, which landing pages convert the most leads, which geographic areas are most popular.
Digital marketing is a powerful tool for hospitals and healthcare providers in engaging with current and potential new patients. If deployed properly, digital marketing can help acquire new patient acquisition and enhance overall patient engagement. Digital marketing can help ensure the hospital remains competitive in the digital age.
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