There are approximately 400 million active websites on the Internet today – and that number grows by thousands each day. A business that does not have a digital marketing strategy is at a significant competitive disadvantage. The latest statistics show that around 81% of consumers will research a business prior to making a decision to employ their services or buy their products. These numbers should give medical practices food for thought – and emphasize the importance of a medical digital marketing strategy.
There are a number of different strategies to harness the power of digital marketing, but to simplify, a business has three avenues when it comes to harnessing the power of the Internet to reach more potential customers – or in the case of medical practices, patients. The first is to pay for digital advertising (‘paid’), the second is to use what are called ‘owned’ channels that are controlled by the concern (an example would be a website, and the third are ‘earned’ channels (social media is a great example) where your messaging and content is shared.
Each of these has the power to build brand identity, foster trust, and position the organization as an ‘expert’. In a highly competitive environment such as medical services, these components are essential in order to attract new patients and retain the loyalty of the existing patient base.
However, a medical digital marketing strategy can have a variety of other benefits.
U.S. Research has shown that around 59% of American’s in search of health-related information (and this includes service providers) will turn to the Internet to find information. If the medical practice does not have a well thought out digital marketing strategy they are simply missing out on the possibility of attracting some of the people in this demographic. A professionally designed website allows these consumers to learn more about the practice – and the more information they have the greater the chance that they will use the services on offer.
A great digital marketing strategy will enhance the reputation of the practice. For instance, a professional approach to the use of social media provides an opportunity to respond to current and potential patient inquiries in real-time. Great responses, given quickly build trust – and trust is one of the most valuable online currencies. Great content on social media (and on blogs) is shareable – and that sharing acts as a recommendation for others. In effect, great content has the ability to go viral – and that spreads the word about the professionalism of the practice.
In short, a practice that does not have a well-thought-out digital marketing strategy is at a significant competitive disadvantage.