The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way the healthcare industry operates. In the post-pandemic era, healthcare providers have started leveraging the power of the internet. The global healthcare e-commerce market is anticipated to grow from $309.62 billion to $366.94 in 2023 at a CAGR of 18.5%.
With the industry all set to thrive in the next six months, marketing your hospital business has become more important than ever.
Hospital marketing may sound like an easy feat, but it’s nothing short of challenging in reality. That’s because people don’t visit hospitals every day. Only when there’s a medical emergency will someone drop by your hospital.
Furthermore, the presence of huge conglomerates makes it difficult for hospital owners to market their hospitals. But it’s 2023, and we are living in a digital age. Today, there is no shortage of marketing strategies when it comes to hospital marketing.
Having said that, this guide will let out the four most powerful strategies for increasing your patient base.
#1 Create a Patient-Centric Website
Many healthcare business owners think a website isn’t important for their business. If you think the same, we’d urge you to think again. Without a website, your hospital is missing out on a lot of potential patients who are searching for your business online.
In today’s times, where people use the internet to search for everything, your hospital needs a website more than ever.
Whether a medical group or a private practitioner, your website should be useful and informative. Many patients will experience your brand for the first time. Therefore, it’s important to create the right image from the get-go.
Optimize your website for desktop, but don’t forget to make it mobile-friendly. Findings suggest that 76% of people who perform a “near me” search on mobile phones visit the business within 24 hours. If you don’t optimize your site for mobile phones, you’ll miss out on a lot of patients.
Additionally, your website’s interface should be intuitive and easy to navigate. Also, displaying contact information isn’t enough. You must include multiple options through which patients can get in touch with you without much hassle. Your website should also have an FAQ section answering common questions.
#2 Keep It Local
Most of your target audience isn’t across the city or the country. Instead, they are near you. For this reason, it’s important to focus on local SEO. Make sure your business crops up when people search for “hospitals near me.” Otherwise, capturing leads will become problematic.
Your website will capture leads only when people will find you when searching for hospitals. Do keyword research. Tools like BuzzSumo, SEMrush, and MOZ will help you figure out the keywords your target audience uses to search for you.
Also, keep tabs on your competitors to find out what they are doing to rank high on the SERPs. Devise a plan and curate content using the keywords your target audience rely to search for you. This will help you rank high on the SERPs.
SEO Inc. advises businesses to optimize their sites for local voice search. This will increase your likelihood of appearing on the voice search results page.
When it comes to voice search SEO, readability matters. In regard to voice search, pages with a high readability score rank better than those with low scores. Make sure your content is well-structured and easy to understand. It’s a good idea to consult with an SEO service to ensure your website is properly optimized for voice search.
You should also register your hospital on “Google Business Profile.” This will increase your business’ visibility.
#3 Engage With Your Target Audience on Social Media
Maintaining a social media presence for hospital owners is as important as it is for other businesses. Though free, social media platforms can take your business to new heights free of cost.
A recent survey reveals that 4.88 billion people actively used at least one social media platform in July 2023. Your business will benefit a lot if you capture the attention of half of the social media users.
Do not commit the mistake of using social media to promote your products or services. Instead, use the platform to engage with your target audience. Focus on delivering informative health-related content. If you are successful in doing so, patients will visit your business automatically.
#4 Gather Customer Reviews
Did you know that many people trust recommendations from friends and family instead of advertising when it comes to hospitals? That is why we ask you to gather customer reviews.
When your existing patients will sing you praise, people will come to your hospital without any second thought. Starting a referral program is a great way to encourage your patients to leave reviews for your hospital or recommend it to your social circle.
The Key Takeaway
Capturing leads is difficult for every business, and hospitals are no exception. Due to top-notch services, your existing customers will walk in and out of your hospital’s door. But it’s difficult to make new patients walk into your hospital. But with these four actionable tips, attracting your potential patients’ attention won’t be challenging.
Amid all this, focus on content marketing because publishing informative content is the smartest way to attract new patients. Investing in video marketing will also help improve your hospital’s bottom line. Finally, improve your hospital’s quality of service so that your existing patients can market your brand. After all, nothing’s quite like word-of-mouth marketing.
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