With winter fast approaching and the end of the year right on its heels, there’s no better time to start revamping your healthcare marketing strategy. After all, there are over 20,000 practicing physicians in the urgent care industry alone. When it comes to standing out from the crowd, a great marketing strategy could make the difference between gaining new patients and losing out to the other guys.
Luckily, there are a few primary trends that are expected to dominate the industry in 2020. Rely on these top trends to help guide your marketing process to new heights next year:
Organic Content Marketing
Nowadays, people care more about watching videos than reading an in-depth article. While creating a blog for SEO purposes is vital in engaging with your audience, creating videos should be at the forefront in 2020.
Video marketing is particularly viable because they’re easily shareable across social media platforms. Healthcare marketers regularly develop videos to promote their practice online. These specialists often focus on what makes your practice unique, including your commitment to your patients and the diversity among your employees. After all, a gender-diverse company is 15% more likely to outperform its competitors while ethnically-diverse companies are 35% more likely.
But a growing number of practices are supplying informational videos. Since the flu season has officially arrived, creating a video regarding preventative care is a topical choice with widespread appeal. When you craft videos in the future, make sure that they’re timely, relevant, and well-produced to gain more viewers.
This is especially relevant since up to 20% of internet users rely on ad blockers that prevent pop-ups from advertising on their computer but countless users rely on social media. Instead of funneling your money into expensive ad placements, relying on fresh content can put you ahead of the curve.
Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly
Now, more than ever, people are using their phones to search for products and services across the web. While you might think this is limited to in-app use, a growing number of people are accessing healthcare services from their smartphones. In fact, up to 52% of web traffic takes place on a mobile device. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly website, you could be losing countless potential patients to competitors.
This is because patients don’t want to wait for your website to load on their phone. Think of it as a crumbling pipeline: if the metal starts to corrode, water will slip through the cracks. Just like pipeline corrosion costs the U.S. economy almost $300 billion each year, a bad website will cost you, countless customers. While a few mobile users will make it to your website, there are many more than will back out at the first sign of trouble.
When you rely on a mobile-friendly website, your content will load faster and look better to the people who need your help. When they’re able to access vital information quickly, they will be more likely to call or book an appointment with your practice. That’s why it will take more than a great plumber to stop the leaks in your patient acquisition: when you want to craft a good mobile website, rely on digital marketing specialists you can count on to keep your pipeline running smoothly.
Ask For Online Reviews
Google loves it when practices have plenty of reviews to showcase its reputation. Unfortunately, most patients won’t leave a review on your practice’s website unless they’re asked. If a patient had a good experience at your practice, don’t hesitate to send them an automated review that, in turn, takes them to a review site to leave a comment.
This can take place directly on your site, or it can prompt them to leave a review on Google. Regardless, this offers your business the unique opportunity to reply to such comments on a platform that many people see. While great reviews are the main goal, negative reviews also open the door for communication. When potential patients see that you’re trying to rectify a bad situation with great customer service, this “poor” review can still work in your favor.
Update Your Signs
When was the last time you changed your business’ sign? While healthcare marketing has transitioned to online strategies, there’s still something to be said for print and on-site branding opportunities. Even if you haven’t updated your logo in recent years, buying a new sign to display an old brand can inspire onlookers to take a second glance at your business.
In fact, customers who live within a five-mile radius of your practice will see your building up to 60 times each month. Don’t blend in with the background: invest in a new sign to revitalize your business in 2020.
These are just some of the ways that you can help your practice stand out in 2020. Appealing to new patients can be hard, but these tips can help steer your practice in the right direction.
