How to Master Healthcare Digital Marketing in Simple Steps

Step 1: Know Your Healthcare Audience

In 2023, McKinsey & Company, a business consultancy, confirmed that U.S. wellness spending was approaching half a trillion dollars. With this amount of money on the table, it benefits you to aim for the biggest slice of the pie. 

As such, finding your specific healthcare audience can help ensure you attract and treat those who can offer you the largest return on your efforts.

Some of the most common patient pain points often include issues such as:

• Healthcare access
• Appointment scheduling difficulties
• Treatment costs
• Healthcare insurance transparency
• Digital healthcare issues
• Long wait times

Communicating to the patient in a way that lets them know you can solve these issues means that you can appeal to their personal needs over other clinics.

Be aware, however, that some healthcare audiences have specific needs and concerns that you may not be able to cater to. 

When you dig deeper, the specific issues that different patients face mean you may need to be even more focused to help patients within that niche. 

When you have found one audience category, such as age, medical conditions, or new patients, document it and then look for another. 

You can then develop and release unique marketing for these groups or “personas,” using different language and tone for each to appeal to them.

This behavior is reinforced by research from Harvard Business School, which concludes that over two-thirds of consumers expect all online experiences to be more personalized. 

If you create a unique experience during marketing efforts, you can draw individuals you would not otherwise catch the eye of.

Step 2: Optimize for SEO in Healthcare

While it may seem like you need to pay for advertisements, SEO software creator Semrush confirms that organic search, or search-based site discovery, offers around 19x as many clicks as the top paid results.

When potential patients search for medical services in your area, you want your clinic to appear above your competition’s. 

To do this, you need to adjust your website to appear as an industry leader in your area. 

The 2024 Journal for Transport and Health states that people are generally unwilling to travel more than an hour to find healthcare. 

Offering yourself as a solution in your local area by encouraging search engines to list you when people perform location-based searches could thus significantly boost your local healthcare SEO.

Some of the ways you can do this include to:

• Discover “keywords” users search for when they are looking for services you provide
• Use these keywords in key areas so search engines learn the purpose of a page
• Research the keywords your competitor uses to see if you can do it better
• Use schema markup to teach search engines how to display your page
• Post valuable content that people in your area will come to your page for
  
  

However, it is crucial to understand that SEO for healthcare providers is a long-term strategy. 

You cannot expect it to suddenly cause growth as soon as you start using its tactics.

You can also set up and optimize your Google My Business profile to ensure local visibility.
Good feedback from individuals on Google Reviews then means that your site is well-considered by places like Google.

Step 3: Harness the Power of Social Media

Social media platforms are a vital part of digital marketing for healthcare in the modern day. They offer a direct line of communication with existing patients and, used appropriately, can foster trust from your community and bring in younger audiences.

Healthcare Video Marketing Screenshot Example

As 9 out of 10 businesses continue to trust video as a marketing tool, according to TechJury, it is commonly considered a method for quickly reaching potential customers. 

You can use video to humanize your healthcare offering, engaging with the community more personally. Online marketing for doctors includes using video for:

• Highlighting positive interactions with the community
• Debunking false healthcare trends
• Offering practical general health advice
• Informing patients of local health tips promptly
• Directly engaging with other local businesses who may be able to cross-promote you

The tone you need to take in such a platform must remain aligned with your audience’s preferences, as should the specific platform you use.

Otherwise, you may end up putting potential patients off what you offer.

Step 4: Craft Effective Email Marketing Campaigns

When you have patients’ email addresses, and they have confirmed they are comfortable receiving emails from you, you can use it as a channel to maintain contact with these individuals. 

Create email campaigns tailored to reflect specific patients’ needs and past interactions, offering relevant and engaging content that is useful for each person.

Some examples of email campaigns that may draw more patients to you include:

• Flu season vaccine information
• Appointment reminders
• Personalized check-up invitations
• Information about new services or treatments
• News related to specific illnesses or conditions

Many of these examples are personal, and others should only go to those individuals who will consider them valuable. 

For example, a childless patient who only comes in for check-ups will not want advice on keeping a baby safe when they sleep during winter.

Healthcare Email Marketing Inbox Example

Elevate Your Healthcare Digital Marketing with Neur

These healthcare marketing tips are essential to engaging with patients and ensuring they see what you offer. 

One of the primary ways of doing this is embracing specific audiences so that you can speak to their needs. However, this can be a lot of work.

If you need help with your healthcare digital marketing efforts, Neur has expertise in implementing digital marketing solutions for businesses like yours. 

We can boost the potential of your healthcare business and drive a higher ROI long into the future. So, contact us to discover how to streamline your marketing efforts today.