A new year is upon us – and with it, new opportunities for your medical practice to thrive through new methods of patient acquisition and retention.
The challenge, however, is to compete in a crowded field where patient satisfaction and loyalty must constantly be earned. While old-school marketers continue to bombard consumers with advertisements for their services, technologies have changed – and in many cases, they’ve leveled the playing field.
It’s true that patients are more likely to remain loyal to your practice, and even recommend you to their friends and colleagues, if you consistently provide excellent healthcare and convenient access to medical attention. But in today’s advanced marketplace, the success of your practice may hinge on adding another dimension to your patient relationships: social strategies and internet technologies.
Patients are well aware of the fact that they have a wide selection of physicians to choose from. And if you’re going to garner your share of the clientele – and keep it – you need to think and act outside the traditional promotional marketing box. Savvy doctors with growing practices use the latest online technology to foster relationships with potential and current patients, and communicate with patients in their preferred channel.
In order to continue building and nurturing these relationships with patients, you must have a web presence that is current and provides relevant information to them. The trend has shifted away from phone calls to email, chat programs, and other forms of online communication – and this is now the most preferred means of communication.
So how do doctors leverage the various online tools to reach prospective and existing patients? Read on to learn about a few key strategies that will help you connect with patients even better than ever before.
Social Media Networking and Advertising to Promote Your Medical Practice
It is critical that you engage with patients on the platform they use the most. Leveraging social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter allows you to engage on a personal level and build trust. This can be done by providing informative and educational content, insights about your practice and your medical team, the medical conditions you treat, who you are as a healthcare professional, and why patients should choose you over the competition.
With an online marketing firm by your side and doing the work for you, you’ll be able to share new medical discoveries and establish credibility as an expert in your field. On your behalf, we will encourage patients to respond and take an active part in the online conversation. This gives them a reason to follow your practice and stay connected, therefore nurturing relationships – so you stay current and relevant in their eyes.
In addition, targeted ads can help foster your healthcare social media strategy. Social networking platforms have the demographic information of all of their users, so advertisers can dictate specific qualities they’re looking for in their target audience. Each user sees ads geared specifically for them, so the type of patient you’re looking for will see your ad.
AI Chat and Online Patient Education
Give patients 24/7 access to your practice and information about specific health conditions and treatments. Accommodate patients during and after office hours with AI (artificial intelligence) chat for your medical practice. Chatbots, as they are popularly known, are automated computer messaging programs designed to carry on a conversation, simulating how a real person would speak.
You can add artificial intelligence chat as a feature on your website to assist users – via instant messaging – by answering questions. Your chatbot can answer questions related to the patient’s appointment, let them book an appointment, provide office information, offer a symptom check, provide details on specific conditions, and much more.
AI chat for a medical practice can also link patients to a patient education library housed on your website. Using this virtual library, they can find instant information about conditions and treatments specific to your practice. Implementing this resource into your web strategy can save countless hours answering common questions, thereby freeing you and your office staff to focus your time on patient care.
Putting the Best Digital Face on Your Growing Practice
Providing all of these essential marketing strategies is a tall order for a busy medical practice. In order to implement them effectively and efficiently, rather than half-heartedly and possibly turning off potential patients in the process, it’s best to turn to an expert with many years of experience in medical marketing.
This is why you should consider outsourcing your digital marketing strategy to a proven leader in online marketing.
At iHealthSpot Interactive, we have our finger on the pulse of both the healthcare industry and the internet. Our team members are experts at providing effective digital marketing strategies for your medical practice, including social media management, medical website design and development, search engine optimization (SEO), and online reputation management.
We also offer an award-winning patient education library filled with medically reliable, easy-to-understand information developed and edited by doctors. And, this content is embedded directly into your website which makes it searchable!
Our experienced medical marketing team knows what it takes to put your website at the top of major search engines – and on your patients’ “Favorites” lists. Not only are our physician websites exciting and inspirational, but their market-focused content generates unmatched results.
To learn more about how our healthcare digital marketing company can help you build and maintain your patient relationships in 2020 and well beyond, call iHealthSpot Interactive today at (877) 709-0999. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you grow your practice in the new year.
