As a part of an industry undergoing rapid changes, healthcare organizations have become extremely agile at adapting to marketing trends.
While earlier it was possible to bypass digital marketing in favour of traditional methods, today doing so will cost your company dearly.
Over the past few years, digital marketing has become indispensable for the success of many businesses in the healthcare industry.
This blog will discuss the contribution of digital marketing in the healthcare industry, its importance and its benefits.
- What is Digital Marketing?
- Healthcare Digital Marketing: The Past, The Present, The Future
- Importance of Digital Marketing for the Healthcare Industry
- Benefits of Digital Marketing for the Healthcare Industry
- Implementing Digital Marketing for Healthcare Businesses
What is Digital Marketing?
These days, digital marketing is a new trend making its way from industry to industry. Almost every sector in the business arena is putting their best foot forward to perfect their digital marketing activities.
However, many marketing amateurs are still unclear about what digital marketing entails.
In essence, digital marketing is any marketing activity that utilizes online mediums to promote a brand to viewers. Businesses use digital marketing mediums like social media, email, search engines and websites to reach prospective and current customers.
Digital Marketing in the Healthcare Industry: The Past, The Present, The Future
As we now know what digital marketing entails, the question becomes “What is the relevance of digital marketing in the healthcare industry?”
The Past
As the Internet became prevalent in the mid-1990s, it directly altered marketing in the healthcare industry. At this time, industry-leading healthcare companies began creating simple websites to strengthen their online presence.
The Present
With time digital marketing has become widely adopted by virtually every sector of the healthcare industry. Today, healthcare digital marketing can be found through various digital marketing mediums on the Internet. Some most prevalent digital marketing mediums in the healthcare industry are content marketing, search engine marketing, social media marketing and digital paid to advertise. As for social media, studies show that 41% of consumers say that content on social media networks has influenced their choice in a hospital or treatment centre. These popular healthcare marketing mediums provide patients with the liberty to gather information about businesses effortlessly through the internet.
The Future
Traditional marketing methods like print advertising, broadcast advertising, billboard advertising are slowly losing their dominance. The digital world, however, is increasing in size year over year. Computers, tablets and phones are now becoming part of the daily routine for a majority of people. Patients expect to find results regarding their healthcare needs on digital platforms. In order to attract and retain these digital prospects, healthcare companies must rework and revamp their marketing strategies. It is for this reason that digital marketing is conquering all industries.
The last few years have witnessed an exponential rise in the arena of digital marketing. It has become a vital part of the marketing strategies formulated by businesses in almost every industry. With time, digital marketing in the healthcare industry will become increasingly indispensable for each company.
The Importance of Digital Marketing in the Healthcare Industry
The rapid growth of technology in the last few decades has opened the floodgates for digital marketing in the healthcare sector. There has been a recent trend shift with several businesses bidding adieu to traditional marketing and opting for digital marketing strategies.
According to reports, 80% of internet users claim to have searched online for information related to medical procedures and health issues, over a one year period. This hints at the vast potential possessed by digital marketing to transform the healthcare industry. Due to trends like these, an increasing number of healthcare providers are making use of digital marketing to promote their business.
Benefits of Digital Marketing in the Healthcare Industry
Here are some of the major benefits that can be availed through digital marketing in the healthcare industry:
Strengthen Relationships
Another great perk of digital marketing is that it enhances the course of communication between the healthcare brand and the patient. Through digital marketing mediums, healthcare providers can receive and provide information to their patients which enables bilateral communication between both parties. This encourages a stronger relationship which is likely to generate long term results.
Reduce Marketing Budget
Although some healthcare firms may have big marketing budgets, it is not usually the case for most small and medium healthcare businesses. Digital marketing helps brands save big on their marketing cost and encourages a high return on investment. Marketing through digital marketing mediums such as social media, email and search engines is much more affordable than traditional mediums such as television, newspaper and billboards.
Target Marketing Efforts
Businesses in the healthcare industry are often aware of the demographic they want to reach in their marketing campaign. The question is, how does one find this audience and how to target them effectively. Availing digital marketing can help healthcare companies overcome this challenge. It allows companies to target their marketing activities much more precisely than traditional marketing.
Improve Brand Metrics
With the health trade becoming hypercompetitive, having a strong brand helps healthcare businesses differentiate themselves from competitors. Digital marketing can allow a company to improve its brand metrics such as brand awareness, brand reputation, brand perception and more. Thus, having stronger brand metrics encourages customer purchase and long-term success.
Optimize Customer Experience
Healthcare digital marketing helps maximize convenience and efficiency for patients. Patients are able to easily access healthcare providers’ information to facilitate their overall service experience. Healthcare providers can improve pre-purchase, purchase and post-purchase experience by providing their patients with valuable information on the Internet.
Personalize Marketing Activity
Health is an extremely personalized subject and marketers know that consumers prefer a personalized approach. An individual can seek medical care for general wellness as well as for a life-threatening disease. For this reason, a generic approach can be a total failure. Digital marketing can help healthcare providers reach out to their patients in a personalized manner to answer their specific needs.
Flexible Marketing Campaign
Digital marketing allows healthcare companies to make use of several marketing mediums to best align with their client’s interests. The variety of options makes for a flexible marketing campaign that incorporates many marketing mediums. These marketing mediums can also easily be modified, refined and updated to improve marketing with time.
Every day, an increasing number of people are exploring the digital marketplace in search of their desired product. In such a setting, even if a company has already invested in traditional media, it needs to consider embracing digital marketing in the strategy for better leads and profit.
Investing in Digital Marketing for Your Healthcare Business
Success in marketing begins not just with a good plan but also with great implementation. There are two main ways in which digital marketing can be implemented in a healthcare business – by the company itself or by hiring a digital marketing agency.
If a business has the required resources and knowledge, they can implement digital marketing by themselves. If this is not the case, it is recommended to opt for professional help from a digital marketing agency. Digital marketing agencies help companies strategize, implement and maintain strong digital marketing activities within their business.
When choosing a digital marketing agency consider searching for agencies that have:
- Experience working with various healthcare companies;
- Basic knowledge about the healthcare industry or;
- Specialized in the healthcare industry
Regardless of the route you decide to take, with online ad spending expected to reach $3.1 billion in 2020 in the healthcare industry alone, it’s imperative your company invests in digital marketing sooner rather than later.
