New consumer priorities and competitive trends are changing the healthcare marketing industry.  Hospitals, practices and corporations have many things to consider in managing effective marketing strategies that meet patients’ needs.
 

Today healthcare consumers are thoroughly vetting providers online before scheduling an appointment.  Online reviews are often the first thing people are looking at and if they cannot find reviews, they may just find a different provider.  Implementing reputation management to respond to reviews and encourage more reviews is an important step for doctors to take in today’s consumer-friendly marketplace.  Making sure patients can easily book an appointment on your website, communicate with you via email or chat as well as access health records are also important.

Google is the most likely place where patients will search first to find a healthcare provider.  Search Engine Optimization and content marketing will help your organization appear higher in the results on Google.  By providing a better user experience on your website and having credible content that is verifiable you will be more easily found in searches on Google.

Sophisticated programmatic advertising is becoming critical for targeting the right people with the right message.  Geofencing to efficiently reach people in a specific location and doing social media, display retargeting, and search advertising can help deliver your message to the right audience at the right time.  Using custom landing pages enhances the results from these advertising messages. Patients want to find what they’re looking for quickly as they search for a specific service or specialty. Directing them to a page that addresses that specific search increases the chance of patient conversion by utilizing form fills, clear calls-to-action, efficient messaging.

Marketing automation is the last but not least important trend to contend within healthcare.  Software that helps in performing processes such as follow-up emails, digital ads, and social media posts has become a vital tool.  With automation, you can send emails that remind patients of appointments and provide helpful content for healthy lifestyles that keeps the provider top of mind