Medical practices and professionals need to try their best to stay one step ahead and keep up with both competitors and patient needs. One of the best times to do so is at the beginning of a new year. With so many professionally analyzed predictions about future healthcare marketing trends floating around, now is the time to look to the year ahead and start planning out marketing strategies and tactics.
Here are some of the top predictions for healthcare marketing in 2019:
Younger Patients Want Convenience
Today’s’ younger generations want what they want when they want it. This “need it now” mentality definitely extends to their health. Younger patients have been born and raised in a world of digital access and convenience. Medical practices and organizations need to adapt or risk losing patients to more digitally accessible providers. Small changes will make a big impact: patient portal, online appointment scheduling, text message reminders, easy access to medical records and prescription information, etc.
Online Reviews Still Hold Weight
Plain and simple – patients are going to leave reviews of your office online. It is in your best interest to be proactive about it by being open and encouraging about reviews (whether they be positive or negative). Medical professionals NEED reviews because they are the best way to show professionalism, trustworthiness, and legitimacy to potential new patients. Doctors and practices with little to no online reviews can easily get passed over. With an increased emphasis on online reviews in 2019, your best form of protection is to implement a reputation management program and to encourage happy patients to speak out for your brand.
Reputation Websites Matter
In 2019, healthcare-specific websites are making it even easier to feel confident about finding a local doctor, and patients are soon to catch on. More and more patients are self-referring through healthcare-focused websites such as ZocDoc and WebMD. Through doctor profiles and patient reviews, providers can promote their services and make it easy for new patients to schedule appointments.
Landing Pages Drive Conversion
For medical professionals and practices, landing pages are a highly successful tool in converting visitors to patients. While your website is vital for search engine rankings and branding purposes, individual landing pages work as a primary driver of new patients in combination with paid search advertisements and digital ads. Well-designed landing pages encourage visitors to become patients with clear calls-to-action, targeted messaging, and few on-site distractions.
Facebook Gets More Expensive
With the high amount of competition out there, Facebook advertising is an excellent way to stand out and reach prospective patients. So far, ad prices on the platform have remained relatively low compared to other social sites. However, with more and more big brands advertising in the social media space, the cost of advertising on Facebook will continue to rise throughout the year. If you’re considering running Facebook ads in 2019, it’s best to get started sooner rather than later. Running a well-thought-out campaign targeted towards your most qualified potential patients is one of the best way to see ROI.
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