Things like better wireless networks, virtual reality, and even the advent of AI allows us to connect like never before. It’s exciting times for the industry, which is why it pays to prepare for the latest marketing trends if you want to grow your practice.
That said, there are certain digital marketing tactics your patients are not going to like.
- Discounts and Services
While everyone likes a discount, the last thing patients want to see is a medical professional punting discounts or over-marketing services. It just becomes spam after a while. It’s also against the law and you could face a hefty penalty.
- Talking About Your Team
While it’s nice to get to know your doctors, that’s what your website’s About Us page is for. Patients are a lot more inclined toward the different services you offer and would rather hear about them (minus any tacky discounts) rather than receiving lists of your team’s achievements.
- Medical-Heavy Content
Your patients haven’t gone to medical school. While they rely on you for your knowledge and expertise, they don’t appreciate content that’s laden with medical terms. It just makes it difficult to understand your marketing material, and that means they might just click on to the next practice.
- Not Being Mobile Friendly
Mobile may have taken us by storm a few years ago now, but it still packs a powerful punch for digital marketing purposes. If you’re not offering mobile-optimized websites and marketing materials, you’re alienating your target audience. Mobile optimization is key for content and conversations, so keep it in mind when developing your practice’s digital marketing strategy.
- Generalizing
Your patients come to you for a reason. They have concerns and pain points, and it’s up to you to acquaint yourself with these and create marketing channels and materials that address those needs. The whole idea is to think from your patient’s perspective.
- Forgetting to Email Your Patients
While there’s plenty of buzz around marketing channels like social and mobile, your patients want to hear from you – in their inboxes. The lines between marketing and services are quick to blur but email still connects you to your patients. In fact, studies show that 91 percent of people like getting promotional emails (preferably personalized) from the providers they do business with. While some prefer monthly email communication, others are happy receiving weekly emails.
What’s beneficial about email marketing is that you acquire data across devices and channels for even better personalization rather than sending out general content.
- Neglecting Social Media
It’s a digital world, and if you’ve still not created profiles and engaged with patients on social media, you’re doing your practice an injustice. Social media marketing is key to your marketing strategy. Your patients do want to hear from you, and they’d like to engage personally with you, too. By liking, sharing, and commenting, you have the opportunity to connect with your patients on an interactive level and become part of their lives.
- Forcing Redundant Content on Your Patients
Gone are days of writing long-winded, sometimes useless content that your patients can find anywhere else. With Google’s constant algorithm updates, it’s more important than ever to present patients with unique and useful content that piques their interest.
How to Get It Right
Whether you run a small clinic, solo practice or a bustling medical office, your services are your products. In your case, word of mouth is only going to get you so far, and you’ll quickly find yourself at a stalemate.
To keep new patients flowing into your practice, you need a well-thought-out digital marketing strategy that addresses the above 8 tactics that your patients don’t want and gives them exactly what they do want.
Your starting block should an audit of what you offer. Take stock. Besides getting to know the business inside out, you’ll get a far better sense of which patients you need to target. In turn, this helps you create a patient persona – the focal point of your marketing endeavors.
Take a good look at your current patients. Who are they? What’s their income? How old are they?
Next, dig a little deeper. Consider why they choose you for their health concerns. How do they pay for their services? How did they find you to begin with?
It’s this kind of knowledge that will empower you to come up with a digital marketing strategy that does resonate with your patients, avoids the things they hate and helps get you the most return for your marketing budget.
Building Strong Relationships with Your Patients
One sure-fire way to make sure you understand what your patients do and don’t want in terms of marketing is to build a strong relationship with them through your urgent care facilities, treatment, staff, and follow up services.
Happy patients are the ones that refer you, read your emails, and interact with you on social media.
If you need a boost when it comes to getting out there and getting to know your patients and prospects, consider participating in workshops and seminars in the area so the people around you grow confident in both you and your practice.
It’s Okay to Ask for Professional Help
Your patients come to you when they need medical care because you’re the expert. But digital marketing may be a daunting minefield to you. That’s why it’s always okay to ask for professional help.
With an experienced hand leading you, you’re sure to significantly increase your chances of success and avoid scaring off patients with the wrong marketing tactics.
Let us help you get the leg up you need to boost your practice. We know you and your practice are different, which is why we’ll create a tailored digital marketing plan that suits you and speaks to your patients.
Ask for help today! Get in touch with Bob Mangat for your practice’s digital marketing needs and turn those “don’t” tactics into fruitful strategies.
