Marketing Tips For Doctors – For the first time in perhaps ever, doctors are learning how to be business owners and marketing experts. That’s right, doctors can no longer focus on just medicine if they want to work for themselves. They have to build their practice through a strong online presence where new patients can search for them, and existing ones can access important information that they need.
The fact is that most medical professionals are unsure how to market their services because they have different rules when it comes to what they are allowed to advertise. The main factor in this process is understanding what services you offer. That will heavily influence the marketing options you have before you. For example, a foot doctor can easily advertise their services while a plastic surgeon has to be careful what they advertise.
The Reason Doctors Have To Market Now
The real reason doctors are marketing now more than ever is because of their competition for the patients who need care. While you work in healthcare, you do still run a business and you need to get customers in. Those customers are people who are in need of healthcare and are looking for the same services you offer. You need to know where they look and how to make sure they call you.
Marketing Tips For Doctors
The fact is that there are many challenges when it comes to marketing for doctors and again, the services you offer are going to play a big role in what you can do and not just from a legal standpoint. Let’s use the example of a plastic surgeon versus a dermatologist. The plastic surgeon may see an average cost per lead to be in the thousands of dollars while the dermatologist, using similar marketing tips, sees their cost per lead under $100. Here’s why and how you should market yourself:
- Google my business: One of the easiest ways to generate traffic to your site as well as your practice is to list yourself with Google my business. They simply send a card to your office, and you can list yourself under a variety of medical services, provide important information about your business and updates on how people can contact you. It’s a great way to generate free traffic and you even get monthly reports on traffic and calls generated.
- Google: In addition to my business options, you also have the option of optimizing your site. In marketing, SEO is a great way to get on page one for important keywords. If you are offering skincare services, you may consider keywords like dermatologist near me, dermatology near me and so forth.
- Social media marketing: While you may not see direct sign ups, a great and affordable way to advertise your services is by using social media. Depending on what you are offering, you can target an audience that is most likely to require your service. For example, if you are a physical therapist, you can target people between the ages of 35 and 55 who are athletic.
- Pay per click: Getting back to Google, you can start to get an idea that there are so many ways to market your services. If you are able to generate immediate leads on Google via pay per click, you should consider it. Remember, do not just focus on the big-ticket items. You would be amazed how someone coming in for a small service may be a great patient and customer for years.
Doctors who are trying to market their services need to make sure that they are thinking like a customer and patient, not just looking at themselves as a business owner or medical professional. People are accustomed to being referred to medical professionals. If they are looking online, it’s because they either do not have available options or they are not aware of what service they need. Consider this when you are creating your marketing strategy.
What Do Patients Look For?
The best way to generate online interest is to look for what patients look for when they are online. As they look for a new doctor, they are looking for specific types of information that will influence their decision. It’s your responsibility to make sure that your practice is not only on these platforms, but also providing the information the patient needs. Here are some examples:
- Reviews: One of the first things a patient will look at are reviews. This is also one of the biggest mistakes doctors make. Because they have a good relationship with their patients, they think that their online reviews are solid. The fact is many have poor reviews because of their front staff. This is where communication and customer service are essential as they create more negative reviews than poor patient care.
- Location: People appreciate the fact that they can go to see a specialist near their work or their home or on the way to either. The fact is that people often select service providers based on their location, especially if they have to do the traveling. If you are located in a popular or easy to get to area, make sure you are advertising that.
- Insurance: A great way people can select a doctor is to contact their insurance provider and see which ones are within network. However, it’s also up to you to showcase which coverage options you accept or if you provide services for a specific price. This can help people browsing for information know immediately if they can afford your help and if they can, you immediately go up in consideration with them.
- Communication: One of the biggest annoyances patients have with medical professionals is the need for consultations. Yes, these are important from a business and care perspective. However, if they can be avoiding with a simple phone call, try to offer that option. It builds trust in the patient and improves the chances of them referring business to you.
You should research the different restrictions that are there for marketing the services you offer as a doctor. These tips will help most fields, but you can also get an idea of what to do when you research your competition. Look at where they are listed, if they are producing content and more. This will give you a great idea as to whether or not you will see results from your own marketing efforts and what you should invest time and money in. Be sure to focus on a positive and friendly brand, especially if there is a lot of competition in your area.