As the world around us keeps evolving, so does the need to stay updated with the changing world. Smartphones and the internet have brought the entire world to our fingertips. The basic needs and wants of the people are getting fulfilled at the click of a button. This new world has given rise to a generation that is prone to ill-health. Ironically, people are looking up to their smartphones to relieve them of these ailments. In such a world, Hospitals and healthcare professionals need to have a digital presence and maintain it diligently.
Let’s have a look at how online presence can prove beneficial for Hospitals and healthcare professionals:
1. Increases the reach of your services:
The healthcare industry is becoming highly competitive. People are also more aware of what kind of services they want from the hospital. In order to retain a good number of patients, it is important to increase the reach and spread awareness of your services. According to Google, more than 40% of people made appointments either online or after taking the number from websites. This just goes on to show that people look online to research about the hospital or clinic before making up their minds to visit it. It is therefore imperative for Hospitals to have an online marketing plan.
2. Helpful in creating a Brand:
Websites and social media platforms have become cost-effective tools to market your services and create a brand. Because of the wider reach of the audience and the ease it provides, social media platforms are the go-to option, even for the healthcare industry, to reach the maximum number of people. It is a cost-effective branding solution as compared to TV, radio and print commercials.
3. Best way to interact with people:
As opposed to TV, print or other media of communication, Online marketing provides an unfiltered two-way communication between the seeker and service provider. It is an excellent tool for generating awareness about your expertise & quality of your services, addressing the grievances of your patients, tackling generic problems faced by the community or even collecting inputs from people who have used your medical services and improving your services according to the needs and demands.
4. Builds Loyalty and Makes you trustworthy:
People looking for a particular medical service tend to visit online communities and social media platforms since they have become the go-to place where people can discuss the services provided to them. They also refer to online reviews and testimonials to make an informed decision. In a survey conducted by INC, 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
5. Targeted Marketing Strategy:
Marketing your services to a pool of people who don’t need them is a total waste of time, effort and money. With digital marketing, targeting a concentrated pool of relevant people seeking services similar to your offerings is more beneficial than loosely advertising to all. Several digital marketing tools like content marketing, blogs, videos, PPC advertising are highly effective and are extremely cost-effective. These specialized services take some amount of effort which can be delegated to digital marketing firms like Docstokes.
6. Power of SEO:
With Targeted marketing, you reach out to the relevant audiences, but what if people are searching for the services you provide? With SEO practices working in your favour, your services will be visible to every individual looking for your medical expertise. SEO allows your services to be found higher in the search results by people when they put in a particular service as their keyword. This way you are visible to those who are looking for you. Firms like Docstokes specialize in targeting the keywords and optimizing your page for SEO.
7. No Misinformation:
The amount of misinformation floating around is immeasurable. Misinformation not only harms your services and reputation but also results in fewer turnouts for your hospital. Therefore, it is crucial to curb it at its source. Having a conversation online with prospective consumers and refuting misinformation on a public platform ensures that the correct message is sent to the thousands of people reading your inputs.
If you are a healthcare professional, you know that the one thing everyone in this industry lacks is TIME. And online visibility takes time. A lot of time. While maintaining an online presence may be time-consuming but it has its multiple rewards.
With patience and consistency, building a brand online will reap substantial benefits. Reach out to digital marketing experts in case this seems too overwhelming. For, having even a small presence online is better than having none at all.
IF YOU ARE DOCTOR OR HOSPITAL, want to grow your presence online we at DocStokes Run by The Doctors For The Doctors are experts in Healthcare Digital Marketing & Branding.
