However, with the massive increase in internet users, digital marketing is now required in every industry. Doctors can use a variety of web marketing methods that can be planned after extensive research. As the healthcare business develops new technology on a daily basis, it is critical to inform the public about it. The value of internet marketing for doctors cannot be overstated. However, it might be a difficult task at times.
Marketing a doctor’s face in such a way that patients will trust it enough to come in for a visit. Only 4.3 percent of doctors and physicians use digital marketing methods to advertise themselves, according to Patient Gain. The number is unquestionably lower. There are many doctors available, but the patients are unaware. As a result, having an online presence is required in order to be recognised.
Let’s go through 10 effective digital marketing techniques for doctors and physicians.
1. An easy-to-use website
If you want to have an online presence, you must first create a website. Without a website, digital marketing is like a pizza without cheese. Yes, create a website that is so simple to navigate that whatever the patient is looking for may be found immediately. It doesn’t matter if you’re making an appointment, reading a blog, or learning about different medical conditions. Keep it with you at all times.
If you go to Dr. Batra’s website, you’ll see that everything is right on the top page. On the website, he has also integrated a live chat feature.
Provide the clinic’s actual address so that the patient may readily locate it.
2. Marketing via e-mail
Patients are constantly seeking information and advice. And email marketing is the ideal way to keep them up to date on a variety of topics. How valuable is it if a patient discovers a piece of information in their mailbox without having to hunt for it? Planning email newsletters twice a week, on the other hand, can yield positive outcomes for the doctor or physician.
Personalizing emails depending on the audience’s interests is also a good idea. As a result, they will always receive the most up-to-date information. Always plan ahead of time for email marketing efforts.
3. Facebook’s Influence
Any brand or person can use social media to market themselves. If a doctor enters the social media pool and makes a positive impact on the audience, there is a significant probability that he or she will receive referrals. Doctors can easily exchange information with their patients via Facebook. Facebook can be used to disseminate all of the clinic’s updates.
According to Infographics Archive, roughly 60% of social media users trust doctors’ posts and activity on social media more than any other group. As a doctor, you’ve already won half the battle when it comes to digital marketing.
A screenshot of Dr. Rahul Patil, a well-known heart surgeon in Pune, is seen below. He has kept up with his Facebook page in a professional manner. The page contains all of the most recent updates.
4. Produce your own videos
Doctors are always busy due to their work schedules. But in order to have a good reputation and a face value in the market, they have to use such tactics. Create videos that are engaging and informative. Audiences these days are turning towards visual content, so give them that. If for instance, an orthopaedic surgeon talks about bone health and share his or her expertise with the audience, the audience will find it interesting.
5. Encourage patient reviews
Patient feedback counts a lot. It helps in building trust among the patients. It is a usual practice of everyone to ask about a particular doctor before visiting them. They are doing what? They are taking reviews from the customers. So if as a doctor you are able to produce the reviews from your patients and put it on the website, then the prospective patients will be able to read and decide what to do.
Also, video recording of the reviews can create a powerful impact on the audience. If your patients are ready to face the camera and share their experience then you just have to shoot the video and put it on your website or YouTube or any social media channel.
6. Pay-Per-Click Ads
Being a doctor and your field is concerned, you can trust heavily on Google’s pay-per-click advertisements. It enables you to display ads only to those who are using the keywords that you have targeted. This allows you to avoid the general public and target the apt people.
Make sure to use the terminologies and search terms that your patients will use while searching.
7. Write blogs regularly
This acts as a bridge between you and your patients. Writing blogs on a regular basis can help in increasing the volume of patients. Create content that users want to read and they will share. Writing blogs is not about writing anything, write something related to recent updates in your expertise area.
You can also share various experiences of the patients that you have come across. If you are writing about some serious disease then make sure that you make it such that the patients won’t be scared or worried after reading it. Say if you are writing about cancer then make sure you mention keeping strong willpower to fight with it.
8. Local SEO and personal branding
It is necessary to have a strong local SEO as the people from your city will be searching for your clinic. So make sure that you have a Google My Business Page which has all the information right from address, contact number etc along with the reviews.
Also if you are working in a hospital then never forget to do the personal branding as people look for the doctor and not the hospital. That is secondary to them. Once people know about you then you will automatically start getting more patients.
9. Directory listings
It is important to have yourself listed in all the local directories like Justdial, Sulekha etc. but along with it, you should also be listed with medical directories like Practo, HealthGrades, DoctorsDig.com, BookofDoctors to name a few. This will not only help in building a good presence but you will be reachable from everywhere.
10. Event coverage
Doctors usually attend a lot of conferences but no one knows what they are about except the medical fraternity. Therefore as a doctor, it is your responsibility to let people know where you went. Therefore, provide proper coverage of the event or the conference through Facebook updates or blogs.
You can also start a Facebook live or Instagram live to give a direct message to the audience. Share the picture of the events on social media. This helps in building your reputation and trust among the audience. The audience also thinks that you are staying updated with the new technologies.
A strong digital marketing strategy for a doctor is well defined when all the above factors come in proper conjuncture. Marketing a hospital or a medical institution is different and branding a doctor is different. So the strategies also differ here. Therefore, with all the above pointers, if executed in a proper manner your medical practice will catch the attention of the audience and you will start receiving good leads.
In today’s time, digital marketing for doctors has become a must. Doctor’s are always short of time, so hire a good digital marketing agency. These agencies are good at creating online marketing strategies for doctors. Doctors are equal to God for the patients, so make sure you keep up the promise and work hard!
