Online & Offline Strategies That Lead to Medical Marketing Success

TV, print, and outdoor media still perform well in the healthcare industry for marketing purposes. At the same time, medical practices shouldn’t ignore the potential to connect with patients online. Ultimately, what any practice (no matter how big or small it may be) wants is to increase profits and visibility. The solution is to find a happy medium between online and offline efforts to enjoy medical marketing success. Here are some strategies that can achieve this goal.

Impactful Offline Content

With the healthcare industry, offline content can be just as effective as what’s done online. In fact, more than 80 percent of patients report using both offline and online resources. Whether it’s broadcast or print media, offline content that often produces positive results for healthcare providers includes:

• An emotional connection
• Informative, but not overly technical, content
• A focus on a specific target audience
• A clear, compelling call-to-action

Optimized Blogs and Websites

It’s estimated that 8 in 10 health-related inquires start with an online search. This is why offline content needs to be complemented with a strong online presence, especially if it’s an offline ad that inspires potential patients to check out a practice’s online content. Search engines primarily consider authority and relevance when ranking content. So, in order to show up prominently on results pages, a medical practice needs to have a website and blog that includes:

• Backlinks from trusted sources
• Content that responds to patients’ needs
• Relevant keywords and phrases naturally used within content
• Optimized titles, images, URLs, and meta descriptions
• Complementary images and videos to increase interest and inspire sharing

Engaging Social Media Content

Approximately 40 percent of potential patients say social media would affect their choice for a specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility. Even when a patient first comes across a particular healthcare provider offline, social media content is often what convinces them to actually make an appointment. What tends to work best on social media for healthcare providers is active engagement with followers that’s evidenced by responses to comments, along with an assortment of content that can include everything from fast facts and stimulating questions to useful tips on how to stay healthy.

Opting for a mix of offline and online marketing that includes email marketing, paid ads, targeted TV and radio ads, and mobile marketing doesn’t have to mean less accurate tracking of results for healthcare practices. With techniques such as vanity URLs, custom landing pages, and call tracking, Google Analytics can be used to effectively show results from print and TV ads in real-time reports. The same process can be applied to doctors’ cards available on reception desks, billboard ads, and radio campaigns. Stats from online tactics can be factored in to provide a complete picture of results.