Many people believe that if you’re in the healthcare industry, then you must have an unlimited budget. But we know that’s not always the case. In this day and age – with information more instantaneous and accessible than ever – the competition is fierce and your goal is to reach potential patients successfully (and efficiently). While marketing online may seem like a daunting task with all the laws and regulations, digital advertising efforts can make or break your practice. Today’s patient is online. So in order to be a profitable service provider, your practice needs an online presence. Here are four budget-friendly marketing tips for healthcare providers:
- You need a website.
If your practice doesn’t have a website, you have some serious catching up to do. Just like your practice needs a physical office, it also needs some web real estate (and it doesn’t need to be expensive). Whether simple or elaborate, the best way to have a digital presence is to be yourself. The more personable you are online, the more patients will trust your services. Include staff photos, bios and even a blog with industry news. But there are more benefits to a website than marketing your approachability. It can also enhance your practice management – with admin time-savers like pre-appointment forms, insurance information, and contact fields. - Be an industry expert.
Every patient wants to see the expert, you just need to let them know who you are. The best way of doing this is by having a blog. Not only does it allow you to start a conversation, educate patients and keep readers updated on the latest industry news – but it’s also a way to pack your website full of SEO content. Boost your practice on search engines without paying a dime! Another way healthcare leaders can be heard is by guest blogging on other websites, ultimately linking readers back to you. - Get social.
It’s scary for practices to get on social media, but the truth is, that’s where the people are. To avoid compliance or legal issues, stick to sharing relevant content from trusted sources as well as original posts like links to your blog – but never about patients. And with so many social media platforms to choose from these days, we know it can be overwhelming. Get on one platform or all of them – just make sure you’re updating regularly. - Stay top of mind.
What do people check all day? Email. And since you already have access to your patients’ addresses, email marketing is the perfect way to stay top of mind. Appointment reminders, blog post round-ups, contests that drive patients to spread the word about your practice – periodic emails keep you relevant, streamline admin tasks and are a simple way to deliver creative marketing messages. And bonus, Universal Office’s recent MailChimp integration allows you to send email campaigns conveniently within your practice management system.
This adds yet another article to our series that provides healthcare providers with tips to enhance their practice through online marketing. Stay tuned for more posts as we explore this topic.
