In the healthcare industry, taking care of patients is the ultimate goal. However, in the digital age, healthcare providers often overlook key ways to achieve this goal. Your medical practice should consider how to serve patients through digital marketing techniques that leverage your practice as the authoritative answer for a patient’s medical questions. Below are some ways your medical firm can enhance the patient experience with digital marketing.
To improve your digital presence, you should optimize your website for mobile use. Your website’s code, navigation, and design must be mobile-friendly. This includes forms, images, and videos on each page. You can conveniently assess whether your website is mobile-friendly by navigating your site on your phone. Test out each page to see how potential patients experience your site.
Your website should provide valuable medical information to users through its pages, blog posts, videos, and testimonials. The content should describe all the services you provide so the user can assess whether your practice can help them. While quantity is important, so is quality. Your content should be expert, authoritative, and trustworthy, as this helps users make better decisions about their healthcare.
Providing ample and valuable content allows for a better user experience as well as helps the Google algorithm understand your site. The content you provide will affect your site’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO), ultimately determining where your website ranks on a user’s search engine results page.
To convert users into patients, provide multiple ways to schedule an appointment or consultation on your website. Give users a chance to choose which method of communication they prefer. This can include a click-to-call or click-to-text phone number, a click-to-email email address, and a traditional contact form. Provide links to any social media channels for additional points of contact or exploration.
Your site can also include a page that lists and provides access to all these contact methods.
Send automated reminders to patients about upcoming appointments or consultations. This not only helps decrease your number of no-shows or late cancellations, but it also shows patients that you are committed to their health. You can use SMS messaging, email messaging, phone calls, or a combination to remind your patients.
Deploying a chatbot on your website is another way to assist users, especially during hours when no one is in the office to answer a phone call. Chatbots have proven effective in the healthcare industry, as they can be programmed to answer specific health-related questions or navigate users to informative pages.
On top of optimizing your website, creating and perfecting your Google Business Profile (GBP) is another way to bring in patients and respond to their medical needs. Using a GBP allows you to manage how local clients view your practice. A GBP provides quick access to essential information, such as contact information, site links, photos, and reviews. It is recommended for you to create a GBP for each of your practice locations. Because these profiles often show up at the top of a Google user’s search engine results, your practice must consistently revisit its GBPs to ensure all information remains accurate and timely. Keep your GBPs up-to-date and accurate to increase conversions of internet users into your medical clients.
The opportunities for digital medical marketing are limitless. For more personalized advice on how your medical practice can utilize digital marketing to enhance your patients’ experience, call MedShark for a free consultation.