In the modern age of technology and increased digitization, marketing best practices have made an innovative turn. To keep up with these constant changes, businesses have had to alter their strategic approach to enhance their consumer base and rise above the competition. Medical professionals are no different in depending on cutting-edge online marketing techniques to develop their practices. If you are a doctor interested in using digital marketing to grow your practice, but you have no idea where to start, you are not alone. Here at Crystal Clear Digital Marketing, we aim to multiply your patient base by leaps and bounds by wielding sharp SEO strategies, using effective email marketing practices, and offering blogging, social media, and content creation, among other services. With nearly twenty years in the digital marketing business and a multitude of satisfied clients served, we consider it a privilege to use our expertise to meet your diverse needs.
What is Digital Marketing?
Nowadays, having an online presence is the only way to comprehensively and effectively build your business. With this being the case, the competition is steep. Digital marketing, in its simplest form, is the act of marketing a business, product, or service online. It exists to connect a specific consumer base with individuals or businesses who can meet their needs.
Primary Types and Techniques
Digital marketing encompasses a host of marketing techniques, including digital advertising, social media management, specials, email marketing, and more. Any online medium that markets and enhances a brand or business falls under this online marketing sphere of influence.
If you are a doctor interested in growing your medical practice, there are key digital marketing methods you should know about. The first is search engine optimization, known as SEO for short. This is the process of using keywords or key phrases on your website, blog, or other digital mediums to increase your ranking when consumers conduct relevant searches online. The higher your page appears in those search results, the more likely it is the searcher will be drawn to your website and services.
Another important type of relevant digital marketing type if you are a doctor trying to grow your practice is content marketing. This involves the creation of content through articles, blog posts, and infographics to enhance your brand, increase website traffic, and grow your patient base.
The social media sphere is more important than ever for achieving optimal marketing results as users constantly flip and click through various pages at an impressive rate per day. An effective social media marketing strategy for a doctor’s practice will include platforms like Facebook and Twitter to increase web traffic and form new patient leads.
The pay-per-click method, known as PPC for short, is the act of increasing your website visits by paying for advertising placement. You can pay to be ranked at a certain spot in search engine results, which will increase your likelihood of getting clicks to your website and growing your patient base.
If you are a doctor, email marketing is a fantastic way to grow your practice with promotional materials, blog posts, newsletters, and patient introductory emails, to name some examples. Our seasoned professionals are adept in using each of these techniques and more to create an effective combination that succeeds and exceeds expectations.
How Can Digital Marketing Help Grow My Practice?
Now that you have an initial understanding of online marketing itself, it is important for you as a doctor to recognize how it can help grow your practice in a concrete, effective way. It cannot be stressed enough how important SEO is to enhance your patient base.
Most people conduct online searches for doctors or practices before choosing one to book an appointment with. There are countless other doctors and practices out there, many of which might offer the same services that you do.
This is where the impressive impact of SEO in digital marketing comes into play. By correctly optimizing the keywords on your website, your page will rank much higher in a potential patient’s relevant search results, increasing the likelihood of you getting an appointment booked. Your website, blog, and other web presences must have a combination of adequate phraseology, programming structure, link usage, and created content to incorporate SEO effectively.
Immediate Results for Long-Term Gains
The power of digital marketing for a doctor trying to grow his or her practice is found in the results, both short-term and long-term. In the immediate sense, techniques like email marketing and content creation will quickly drive patients to your website. This can lead to long-lasting patient relationships and grow your business considerably.
The fluid nature of digital marketing allows you to plan for the future. Techniques like SEO reap greater results in the long-run but are wholly effective and crucial to growing your practice. Our experts use a combination of these methods, meaning you should see fast results leading to long-terms gains, driving patient relationships for years to come.
Enhance Your Social Media Presence
One of the first digital marketing strategies you need to grow your practice is to enhance your social media presence. Social media is one of the greatest influencers of the digital age, and it is not going anywhere. If you do not have a following, you will need to grow one. If you already have a following, this must be nurtured and developed.
The patients of today mostly use the internet to decide which physician to choose. Social media is a key way to capitalize on this, not only by having relevant posts, but also by sharing articles and interesting medical tips, just to name a few examples.
Manage Your Web Listings
If you are a doctor seeking to grow your practice through digital marketing, you must have solid, verified Google listings regarding the business and practitioner. This is imperative as it ensures patients can contact you with ease and verify your presence online. You must have all relevant listings and directories verified and accurate to avoid having a sporadic web presence.
Reviews are Key
Never underestimate the power of reviews. As a doctor trying to grow your practice, your ability to do so depends on the outcomes you provide for patients. An efficient digital marketing strategy uses reviews from mediums like Google and Facebook to grow your patient base and increase awareness of your practice. There is nothing like varied, positive reviews from past and current patients to drive a hesitant potential patient to pick up the phone and make an appointment.
The Power of a Professional Website
In order for your practice to grow, you must have a professional website that offers value to online visitors and is aesthetically appealing. It should include everything from testimonials and key questions and answers to photos and information regarding your office. A mediocre website will appear dated and unappealing and do little for you as a doctor to gain new patients.
Optimize Keyword Usage
We have already discussed the importance of SEO, but it is worth noting briefly again. You will not receive website visits and as a result, gain new patients, if your web pages do not use the proper keywords. No one will find your practice if it is ranked low on the search results. Your website needs to be updated consistently with content and keywords to continue to increase consumer traffic and keep those appointments coming.
Influence Through Email Marketing
Undoubtedly, email marketing is one of the most effective and long-lasting digital marketing techniques if you are trying to grow your practice. It is a great way to stay in touch with past and current patients, send out appointment reminders, and keep patients up-to-date on any new information.
Emails could include regular newsletters, links to blog posts, and medical tips. This keeps your practice on a patient’s mind while providing them with something of interest.
Let Us Help
If you are feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the possibilities afforded to doctors via digital marketing, set your mind at ease. We are here to help. Our marketing professionals at Crystal Clear Digital Marketing do the work of growing your business and driving website traffic through online marketing for you, so you can focus on providing the best quality of care to your patients. Contact us today to speak with one of our team members and set a new standard of success for your medical practice!
