Editor’s Note: This guide is evolving. As web marketing changes and as we gain insight into offline channels, we will work towards making this the most comprehensive guide on how to market medical practices effectively. Bookmark this page and return soon for future updates).
1 in 20 searches on Google are related to health as more patients turn to the internet to research health care concerns and choose a provider more than ever. If you are a medical professional such as a general practitioner, pediatrician, or surgeon you may be wondering how to gain visibility and see an increase in patient acquisition.While word-of-mouth advertising used to be the golden standard for patient acquisition, it is more important than ever to have a strong digital presence and targeted marketing strategy to increase patient acquisition and retention for your practice.
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47% of internet users use search engines to find information about medical professionals before choosing a provider, so it is crucial that your practice is implementing a well-developed digital marketing strategy.At Med Aesthetics Group, we believe the key to medical marketing success is developing a plan specific to your practice that utilizes all of your digital channels like your website, advertising efforts, social media, and patient outreach mediums in the most effective way possible. Your competition is likely already utilizing both offline and offline channels, so it is important you develop your own marketing strategy so that your practice performs at its best.Read on to learn more about how to get started with your medical marketing plan.

It is important to evaluate the current state of your practice and where you want to be before developing your marketing plan. Are you content with the amount of patients you are seeing? Do you want to expand into a medical group or multiple practices? What resources is your competition utilizing? Questions such as these are important to ask yourself before embarking on your marketing campaign, as the goals for your practice should drive all of your marketing efforts.Furthermore, your practice and the experience you provide your patients with should always be the backbone of your marketing strategy. More and more potential patients are turning to review websites like Yelp, Google, Vitals, WebMD, or Healthgrades before choosing a provider.

In fact, 77% of patients using search engines to find a provider will look at online reviews before choosing a new physician. It is important that you provide your patients with a great experience so that they leave reviews on such platforms and refer their friends and family members to your practice. This will help to boost your online reputation and visibility and will help propel your other marketing efforts.

Is your practice not seeing the volume of patients it needs? One of the best ways to get immediate calls and bookings for your services is to launch a PPC campaign. By using targeted keywords through platforms like Google Ads, you can garner immediate visibility in the markets you want to get more patients from. When implemented strategically, pay-per-click marketing can be one of the most effective channels at increasing patient acquisition.In addition to paid search, it is important that your website ranks well organically. By optimizing your website using SEO best practices you can increase your rankings for the services your provide within your local market. To do so, it is important that your website is user-friendly, provides ample information about your practice, and has individual treatment pages that optimize for keywords your practice should be ranking for in your local market. Many physicians have also integrated a blog within their website to provide expert advice on healthcare, wellness, and common patient concerns. Adding a blog to your website can greatly enhance your SEO efforts and help with the overall ranking and search visibility of your site.

67% of Americans get news from social media and much of this news is health-centric. Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram are excellent mediums for medical professionals to gain visibility with patients by posting informational content about relevant healthcare topics. Using social channels to link back to areas of your website such as treatment pages or your blog can also be extremely beneficial in gaining visibility and increasing patient acquisition.Social media outlets like Facebook also give you the opportunity to advertise in a targeted way. After creating a page you can create an ad based on what demographic you want your ads to be seen by, so you can be sure that you are getting the patients you want.It is also important to optimize on other social platforms like LinkedIn by posting industry-relevant articles and content and engaging in discussion with other industry professionals. A well-targeted social media strategy can establish you as a leader and expert in your field.

Patient retention is just as important as patient acquisition, which is why the addition of direct channels like email and text marketing can be extremely beneficial to your marketing efforts. Both channels can allow you to remain relevant to patients you have already seen and can act as direct communication channels that allow you to share informational content, remind patients to visit, and share news about your practice.

You have a practice to run. Between treating patients, running your staff, and dealing with external issues like billing or insurance, running a marketing campaign for your practice can feel overwhelming. Med Aesthetics Group is here to help. We will evaluate your practice, develop a tailored marketing plan for you, and handle all of your marketing efforts including your website, PPC, social media, and email and text marketing efforts.

At Med Aesthetics Group we take practice’s to their potential. Our team is made up of experts in medical marketing who share the passion of your practice. To learn more about our unique marketing services and what we can do for your practice give us a call or book a free demo today!