How Digital Marketing Agencies can Increase Medical Private Practice Patients

Reading Time: 7 minutes
Emma Gasko
By Emma Gasko

May 2, 2017

Maintaining a strong group practice list while delving into online patient generation tactics is complex. In the world of private medical practice marketing, there is a competitive hyperextended reach for online dominance where doctors can rank organically placing themselves in the spotlight to attract new patients. Yet all too often their manpower and marketing dollars go to waste, as their expertise is in making medical diagnoses and not creating digital marketing strategies to convert new patients. When working with a digital marketing agency specializing in medical private practices, physicians are able to:

  • Gain the public’s trust
  • Establish their knowledge
  • Showcase their bedside manner
  • Increase patient rosters
  • Increase marketing flow within their group practice list
  • Increase office ROI

In recent years, many healthcare professionals have come to realize the important role digital marketing agencies can play in helping them achieve these goals. Since SEO agencies for medical practices already know the market, they have the best technical tools available to run an effective campaign. Furthermore, these agencies already know industry compliance laws and therefore are educated when it comes to knowing what claims can and cannot be made on healthcare and medical industry websites. If your practice is seeking a greater online presence to attract new patients, here are some reasons why private practice marketing can lead to increased patient numbers.

seo agencies

Agencies Deliver Emotional Media

Possessing a strong understanding of the market, digital marketing agencies can also help with developing emotional media. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, over 90 percent of patients use online sources for research. Digital marketers delve deep into social data to understand how target audiences approach and engage healthcare subjects at an emotional level, and use that data to create online personas and models to appeal to the masses. By working with digital marketing professionals who understand how to tap patient emotions, your profile will come across in a positive and attractive manner.

seo for private practices

Blogging for Patients at a Human and SEO Level is Agency Every-Day Work

To get the most bang for your buck in private medical practice marketing, it’s crucial to understand the role SEO plays in attracting new patients. In 2016 77 percent of people searching for a new doctor turned to Google looking for an ideal physician. That year Google implemented machine learning and artificial intelligence into its core algorithm as a way to help online searchers find more precise matches to their queries. In order to appease Google bots to get your website to rank highly in the SERPs, and in order to move human readers and convert them into patients, your content must be deeply technical, but also brimming with emotion to capture readers and inspire them. To be successful at this, you’ll need to create relevant content that can be easily found by those searching for information, and this is where expert digital marketing agencies can make your medical practice the local giant in your community.

Digital Marketing Experts Enhance Social Media

With the prevalence of Facebook and Twitter in today’s society, social media now plays an increasingly important role in marketing medical private practices. In a recent survey, 41 percent of people stated they would choose a healthcare provider based on their social media site, and 72 percent of new patients said that doctor reviews in social media helped them make an informed decision. Digital marketing agencies don’t just post doctor reviews and beautify social landing pages; they also engage in advanced growth hacking strategies designed to help medical practices connect with industry influencers where online users go through a process of being converted into new patients.

seo for doctor offices

Digital Marketers are Pay-Per-Click Advertising Masters

By using paid ads through Google Adwords or Facebook Local Awareness Ads, you’ll have a time-saving and cost-effective way to gain patients, referrals, and recognition. A great way to control your advertising budget, digital marketing agencies can manage your PPC campaigns and use raw data to ensure your spend and converted client numbers made sense. With 81 percent of people clicking on sponsored links during their search, it’s a great option to use.

The Best Agencies have a 20% or Greater Open Rate in Email Marketing

Still an effective way to communicate with patients, targeted email marketing campaigns are extremely cost-effective and profitable. On average for every one dollar spent on these campaigns to generate leads, $44.25 is the average return on investment. Because of this, more than 62 percent of physicians prefer this form of communication with patients over other methods such as direct mail, in-person visits, or phone conversations. Especially effective for reaching people who use their mobile devices for communication, it’s quickly growing in popularity. The best digital marketing agencies have turned email marketing into a science, and boast impressive click rates. Be sure to partner with an agency that takes it a step further, and offers full-blown inbound marketing for medical practices.

medical marketing

SEO Agencies Know Mobile Marketing

Since your consumers are constantly on the go, emphasizing mobile marketing for your medical private practice can be a goldmine. By becoming a mobile-savvy practice, you’ll reach your target market and increase patient numbers. In some instances, implementing a click-to-call campaign can result in a 42 percent increase in calls from potential patients inquiring about your services. In many campaigns, having potential patients fill out an online form requesting a free consultation proved most effective. In order to achieve these points and many more, your site must be truly mobile friendly, and optimized to reach organic search queries–an area where SEO agencies excel.

Agencies Make the Most of Your Video Marketing

While techniques such as SEO for private medical practices are important and effective, it’s important to note video marketing should also play a large role in your campaign. With YouTube and other video sites always being viewed, it’s an excellent chance to provide information to patients as well as show off your fun side. By creating these videos and then posting links to them on social media sites and your website, chances are high you will see an influx of new patients.

By working with a top digital marketing agency, you can implement many of these strategies at a high level and watch your patient roster increase steadily in an agile growth manner.
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