One size hardly ever fits all. This is never more true than in online advertising & marketing. What works well for a Corporate Lawyer wont always work for a Fitness Trainer. In this article we have detailed marketing strategies for medical practices to be successful advertising online.
The medical industry is very broad and depending on your field marketing and advertising online can look very different. We will keep it simple for the sake of brevity, but in a later article we will cover marketing for the medical industry in greater depth. From General Practitioners to Dentists, Naturopaths, Surgeons and Specialists the medical industry is diverse and extremely professional. When marketing for a medical care provider there isn’t a lot of room for error. It is important to double check everything for compliance & standards. Direct forms of marketing such as Search Engine Placement (PPC) work well across the board for medical marketing. When an individual visits a search engine to find a care provider, PPC Services can place your business in front of that user.
Other methods for marketing have proven to be successful in our experience such as Print Marketing (Mailers, Flyers, etc.), Social Media Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization. When marketing via print materials it is important to look clean and professional when representing a medical practice. Sending out coupons, promotional offers and general information via the mail can be beneficial for a number of different reasons. The person who receives the mailer may call and setup an appointment right away. They could also simply stick the flyer to their refrigerator or bulletin board. This works as a constant reminder to get that check up they need. Be careful not to present your specials as cheap, but rather as an affordable offer.
Social Networking
When utilizing social media to market a medical practice it is important to know yourself. The famous words of Confucious go something like, “You must know yourself, and know your enemy”. Many medical fields have difficulty attracting fans on social media sites like Facebook. For instance a dermatologist who specializes in uncomfortable skin conditions is going to have a hard time gaining a huge fan base because people don’t always want their friends knowing about their bad skin condition. Social Media sites should be used as a platform for promoting specials and engaging users when possible. Social Coupons like Groupon and Living Social can provide fodder for social networking websites like Facebook. They can also generate new patients and loyal repeat business.
SEO For Medical Practices
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for medical practices functions similarly to PPC for the end user. They use the search engine to find a service provider and they end up on your website. The difference is that with SEO your site appears in the natural/organic results instead of the Ad Space. Studies have found that users click on links in the organic results at a higher rate than the ad space. SEO is a long term investment and can yield a large amount of search volume if done properly over long periods of time. SEO can be very complicated. If attempted by an untrained individual there can be dire consequences. Also, there are many fly-by-night SEO companies who practice “Black Hat” SEO tactics which can be very bad for your online presence. At TME we perform only “White Hat” SEO and encourage all of our clients to be cautious when hiring SEO companies.
Successful marketing strategies for other medical industry related fields such as Medical Supplies, Equipment, and Pharmaceuticals can be achieved through similar methods. However, the primary method is usually a face to face method utilizing sales representatives on the ground, advertising for these medical specialty companies can be very lucrative. Specialists and other specific niche markets should utilize vocabulary and imagery that is specific to that specialty. For example specialty care providers such as Pediatricians, Midwiferies, and Birthing Centers should display pleasant pictures of children on their website and in their marketing efforts. A picture is worth a thousand words after all. Nowhere is that truer than in online advertising. For more information about Medical Marketing Online please contact us directly via email or phone at 1-877-340-6319. Also visit our Portfolio for more examples of our work featuring a Portland Family Dentistry and prominent Oregon Dermatologist.
Tags: marketing, Medical, SEO, Web Design