To grow a healthcare organization, it’s important to stay updated on the top healthcare marketing strategies that are effective in the medical space right now. Identifying which marketing trend has the higher ROI can be frustrating because they are ever-evolving. When you finally adopt a trend, it may already be out of date. However, with the right healthcare marketing strategy, you can have a competitive advantage.
The following are seven healthcare marketing trends in the industry:
Trend #1: Use of Marketing Video Content
Video content marketing was introduced several years ago, but its adoption rate as a consistent marketing strategy in the healthcare sector has been slow. Video marketing is a powerful tool for bringing in potential patients. It allows them to have a look behind the curtain and develop a like, know and trust relationship with some of the doctors before setting foot in the hospital. Video content also allows a provider to be more consistent in their marketing communications.
It only takes 2-3 minutes to film a video on a smartphone, and if editing is necessary, it may only take 10-15 minutes. Compare this to writing a 1500 word blog post, which may take around 2-4 hours. With a streamlined process, video can be a great way of creating content nearly every time. Have a doctor give advice on FAQs, educational pieces, how-tos or talk about different topics in front of a camera, then broadcast it to your followers through social media platforms.
Trend #2: Patient Reviews
Patient reviews are one of the fastest-growing healthcare marketing trends today. Reviews play an important role in the reputation of a healthcare provider. In fact, most consumers trust online reviews just like they would personal recommendations. Before a potential patient books an appointment, it only takes them 1-6 reviews to form an opinion about your service. People are increasingly turning to online sources for reviews and research on the overall reputation of a certain practice and provider. For this reason, it’s important to focus your efforts on gaining control of the narrative.
Don’t hesitate to take corrective measures when necessary. Online reputation can make or break a business. If you provide the best services around, but your company doesn’t have a good reputation online, you’re unlikely to start conversations or keep an audience engaged. To attract new customers to your practice, trust is the single most critical factor. With a majority of users turning to the web to search for healthcare providers, you need to present yourself as a trusted brand.
Trend #3: Enhanced Utilization of Micro-Influencers
The easiest way to drive high levels of engagement and reach a new audience is by utilizing micro-influencers. This marketing trend is also known as influencer marketing. It’s the act of using someone else’s influence to promote your services or products to their audience. The key to making this marketing strategy a success is making sure the influencer’s audience lines up with your target demographic.
Trend #4: Content Marketing
After a well-designed medical website, the next most important thing is a content marketing program. When people think of content marketing, the first thing that comes to mind is blog posts. While they are a highly effective content marketing strategy, they’re not the only effective form. There are 40+ types of content you can create, and mixing them up will keep potential customers interested. Different forms of content have different levels of engagement and benefits. So, as much as your main focus may be on video and blog posts, mix them up frequently for the best results.
Trend #5: Mobile Responsive Websites
Without a mobile responsive website in 2021, you will not receive much organic traffic. On March 26, 2018, Google rolled out new algorithms in the form of mobile-first indexing, which only shows search results of a websites’ mobile version instead of the web version. A healthcare organization without a mobile-friendly website will be excluded from search results. All healthcare providers should ensure their marketing approach and company website is designed with a mobile-first approach.
Trend #6: Location-Based SEO
Location-based SEO is a great marketing strategy for healthcare providers operating a local brunch. There’s nothing that will support your marketing efforts better than geo-tagging your physical location in posts and location-based SEO. Creating location-specific content is a great way of reaching targeted users on a website or mobile apps. Healthcare marketers in 2021 are using long-tail SEO search terms to come up with content that resonates with potential customers and attracts qualified local traffic.
Trend #7: Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics
All expert healthcare providers should consider leveraging AI and advanced analytics techniques in their marketing strategies in 2021. Using simple tools like Google Search Console will help you understand consumer behaviour. You can learn a lot about your target audience by their behaviour, search terms, user activity and looking at user heat-maps to optimize your marketing campaigns.
An active and properly structured marketing strategy is important for a healthcare provider. In today’s ever-changing and developing industry, be open to new ideas if you want to stay ahead of the competition.
