Currently, more than 70% of journalists use social networks to disseminate their content. Health companies should use these crucial data for online marketing strategies. Social media, to cover the sector’s media and publications about their services and advances in health.
Also, in 82% of cases, Google states that users search for comments, comparisons, and/or experiences.
Why do they patients/clients do this? They look for testimonials and recommendations about doctors, institutions certified by the Ministry of Health, specialists, and clinics near their geographic area. Where do they look for this information? In social media, blogs, and forums, long before deciding where to go.
Digital marketing is an excellent opportunity to boost the health sector’s value. Bringing them closer and closer to potential clients by providing them with the quality information they seek.
The digital society and the rapid advance of technologies make online marketing in the healthcare industry practically necessary for health professionals. In other words, “if you’re not on the internet, your business doesn’t exist!”
Forget about traditional marketing practices. Forget about conventional marketing practices. Here are 3 of many things digital marketing can do for the healthcare industry to keep up with the new consumer:
Content marketing
Once the buyer persona has been created, it is time to think about creating content and establishing dissemination channels. There are many consultations about symptoms, treatments, and exercises in the healthcare industry and practices that can be done, either for health or trends. For this, the most used formats are short videos, diagnoses, answers to frequent consultations of a sector, or demonstration sessions of some industries such as Pilates and physiotherapy. You can also create infographic content or articles where such content is detailed.
The idea is to create content in a blog from which content is released for social networks, known in digital marketing as a cross-channel strategy. That is, I can create an article on my website, about the correct brushing of teeth, in the case of dentists.
Web Design for Growth
In the 21st century, the calling card of brands is the website. Do not forget that many users make health inquiries using mobile phones, so it is convenient for the site to be optimized for this device (Mobile First).
You must try to respond to the problems and queries that users have previously identified in the buyer person or the market research. Creating guides and articles on how to react to specific symptomatology or video tips effectively increases your notoriety as a brand. Considerably increase the number of users who visit your website and want to be your followers on social networks.
The website must contain detailed information on health professionals who work with the brand, and their credentials. Explain how to use, but above all, offer the possibility that the user can tell us how you can help them. There should always be forms or comment boxes enabled to promote bidirectionality, as this is what web 2.0 consists of. This way, you abandon digital egocentricity and become part of the personalized solution.
Communication and Interaction with Social Media
The best way to gain client/patient trust and create a quality audience with digital marketing in the healthcare industry is social media. Channels such as Facebook allow us to talk and obtain precious information about what people are looking for and market trends. Precisely, 40% of users claim to feel affected by what they read on social networks about health. Most of this content is made by other users who have experienced a similar experience and comment on it on their social profiles; they are called prosumers.
For all this, it is vital in this health industry to have a presence in those channels your audience is. Timely information will show a greater predisposition to acquire that professional’s services. Or you can upload mentions or awards that you have received for your work and gain more authority.
Creating discussion forums, showing proper and effective procedures or methods, or sharing your patients’ stories and experiences are the best ways to use social media.