Content Marketing for Healthcare
In 2020, physicians have been faced with many new challenges in attracting new patients, regardless of their specialty. But there is one reality: you have a specific audience and that audience is looking online to educate themselves. Approximately 7% of Google’s total daily searches are health-related, equaling about 70,000 searches per minute.
If you don’t have the right content to get in front of those potential patients searching for medical information, you are missing out on connecting with new patients and practice growth; that’s where content marketing comes in. Content marketing doesn’t just mean blogging anymore, although that is a critical part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.
The Importance of Content Marketing for Physicians
As a general rule, organic content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing and can generate three times as many leads. Organic content marketing doesn’t use a pay-per-click or ad spend budget as with demand generation marketing tactics when you want to attract patients to your practice. Think of it like a race – outbound marketing is a sprint whereas content marketing is more of a marathon.
Content marketing is not only one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies, but also one of the best ways for quality lead generation to engage an audience.
Because content marketing isn’t just about blogging, what else falls under the category of a content marketing strategy?
SEO & Local SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the way your content gets found online. Keywords that are specific to your specialty rank on Google depending on what people are searching for. For example – if you are a pain management physician, someone may search for “How to Relieve Arthritis Pain.” Using keywords, or a keyphrase, like arthritis pain, can help you get found online. SEO tools help determine the difficulty of ranking for that keyphrase and you can be more strategic about the phrases you want to be visible for. Essentially, you have influence over what your practice is known for online.
Google combs through every site and scans sites for keywords to categorize the site as a medical practice or healthcare facility.
Universal keywords about the conditions and treatments you offer help you get found online, but more importantly, use words that are specific to your region. There has been a 500% increase in “near me” searches on Google. Local convenience plays an enormous role in a medical practice’s growth and success. Most people, when presented with choices, will choose a doctor who is closest.
Incorporate local SEO into your web copy and content marketing strategy through the use of long-tail key phrases that resonate with your target audience. For example: if a pain management practice is in Dallas, Texas, it’s best to use topics and titles that use keywords like: “pain management doctor in dallas” or “chronic pain relief in dallas.”
An easy way to incorporate keywords in a natural way is to answer questions that patients have about their health or services you provide. Thing of the basic “who, what, where, why, and how” when creating content. Topics that feature your physicians, talk about the specific treatments you provide, who is a candidate for each treatment, and what patients can expect when coming into your practice are very effective for physicians.
Social Media
When you publish a blog post, don’t forget to share it to social media channels too. Combining the two is the most effective way of increasing reach and generating leads at a very low cost. Medical practices are seeing an increase in social media engagement, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before practices were shifting to a digital platform, 32% of people in the U.S. use social media to post about their healthcare and medical experiences. People are very willing to share information that is educational and useful. Be sure to post content and practice information that is shareable and relevant.
It is estimated that by 2021, 3.1 billion users will be on social media. What this means for doctors is that their practices need to be visible and active on social media.
Email Marketing
Traditionally an “older” method of marketing, email is not dead. In fact, creating content that is actionable is one of the most effective marketing techniques. Email marketing is actionable because the user has to, in fact, take action one way or the other. The email will sit in their inbox until they physically click on it. If you are known for providing relevant, useful information, your patients will be very willing to open an email.
74% of marketers claim that email is the most effective distribution channel for new content. When a blog post is published, create an automated email that will be sent to your patients. This will deliver fresh, original content to their inbox without them having to search for it. This should be part of an automated sequence of educational emails. People gravitate towards ease and convenience. By putting useful and educational information right at their fingertips, your practice is ensuring patient loyalty and success.
Content marketing can be a significant undertaking when starting out. Valet Health offers cohesive content marketing services that align with your other digital marketing program tactics. Our team of medical writers utilize best practice SEO techniques based keyword research, both on- and off-page optimization tactics. We work with your practice to create original content to attract quality traffic and new patient referrals with proof of measurable program ROI. Connect with us and ask our team about LiftOff!