When it comes to online marketing, healthcare isn’t on the early adopter list as an industry. Many reasons for that, it is a heavily regulated industry that dictates how patient information is used and stored; the fear of non-compliance can be daunting. However traditional marketing, especially in a global economy, isn’t your go-to channel as a healthcare marketer. In the healthcare space, we have tech-savvy patients, health care providers, medical insurance companies, medical device manufacturers. Digital marketing is the ideal solution to send the right message to the right audience at the right time.
The MENA consumer is among the most connected and digitally savvy in the world. The UAE and KSA have some of the highest levels of the Internet, smartphone, and social media penetrations globally, while Egypt has one of the highest levels of time spent online.
Sources: World Bank; We Are Social; eMarketer, Baidn Analysis
According to a Think with Google study, 84% of patients use both online and offline sources for hospital research. Likewise, search drives nearly 3x as many visitors to hospital sites compared to non-search visitors, and 44% of patients who research hospitals on a mobile device scheduled an appointment.
The digital strategy of your brand should comprise of the following three key elements.
1) A Responsive Website
According to the same Think with Google study, about one-third of patients use mobile devices or tablets on a daily basis for research and/or to book appointments. Physicians routinely use them in-office to help their patients learn about procedures and medications, as well as to access information instantly, no matter their location. With the ever-increasing rate of mobile web usage compared to desktop usage, healthcare organizations should consider the benefits of adopting responsive website design.
2) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
It is crucial that your organization develops a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that allows you to be found when a potential customer conducts an online search.
Research keywords to find the ones that patients, physicians, and healthcare professionals might be using to search for your organization or services like yours.
3) Content Marketing
The right content will help your healthcare brands attract new leads. From blog posts to social media updates, videos, ebooks, webinars and more, you need to publish content that will get you found online using the same search engines and social media channels that your target audience uses to learn about the healthcare services and products they use.
Content Marketing, when done correctly, will improve your search engine rankings and drive new traffic to your website, as well as nurture and nudge leads throughout the sales funnel, hopefully encouraging them to visit your practice or hospital for their healthcare needs or to purchase insurance or medical equipment.
By implementing these three keys to digital marketing in healthcare, you’ll be ready to outshine the competition online!