In every industry, digital marketing has become a vital part of their success. Unlike other industries, the healthcare industry was pretty slow in adopting digitalization due to lack of government regulations and the way you see healthcare (as a service than a business). Relying on experts in medical SEO is now necessary for your healthcare marketing as the COVID-19 has changed the situation. To provide healthcare services in a more flexible way, the government relaxed regulations and started providing essential services to those in need. This persuaded the healthcare industry to go digital and adapt to new challenges using technology.
According to rapidboostmarketing, healthcare businesses have faced a 50% decrease in revenue due to the COVID-19 impact. In 2021, the main concern of healthcare providers will be to revamp their brands and recover the lost revenue exhausted during the epidemic. So, healthcare practices realize that they must have a marketing strategy to attract and retain patients. By increasing online engagement and optimizing your brand presence, you can boost your healthcare brand’s growth.
To recover from the onslaught of the virus and to make your digital marketing efforts effective post-COVID-19, you have to replace your old strategies with the new trends emerging in healthcare marketing. Here are some top marketing trends to consider to achieve better growth and stand ahead in the 2021 healthcare marketplace:
- Patient Retention is a Top Priority: Patient retention is always and will remain a top priority. Many healthcare practices had their loyal patients with them during the COVID-19 situation. It is because these smart practices used powerful marketing tools such as social media and video marketing to keep their practices afloat. Due to this, patients remembered them in spite of not being able to go out physically and book their services. With their online presence, they are keeping their patients engaged with the brand and have also highlighted the safety measures they have in place to keep their patients safe the second they opened. It is crucial to use strategic content marketing to retain the patients during this shutdown and for your continued growth and success.
- The Demand of Quality Social Media Content is High: Like every other industry, social media promotion has become a powerful strategy for healthcare marketing. For instance, in the case of plastic surgery practices, new patients on social media want to see your posts showing your treatment processes and results, like before and after pictures, and patient video testimonials. However, people are getting tired with repetitive content appearing on their feeds with a clear-defined sales promotion goal. What people look for is a credible brand that genuinely cares about them. Your patients want to see you, not some fake image you downloaded online. Publishing things like stock images, unless they are customized for your brand, will lower your brand’s online credibility. Healthcare providers should make use of the social media platform with a pure concern of sharing valuable information on health to followers. New patients will engage with healthcare practices with which they feel emotionally connected. You can establish an emotional connection with your target audience through surveys or testimonials. In 2021, social media content marketing will continue to be a trend in healthcare marketing, but the frequency of quality content publishing will make all the difference.
- Effective Patient Communication will be Trending: It is very important for hospitals and healthcare organizations to check whether the patient gets better care in a timely manner. So, effective patient communication is a critical component. Not only today, but also in 2021 healthcare, patients want to get the best care with complete safety as the COVID-19 situation could continue through the beginning of 2021 also. So, to perform effective patient communication, whether it is sharing of medical records with other doctors or treatment records with patients or any other information regarding any disease symptoms, treatment, etc., communication should be trustworthy and useful. Healthcare marketers can offer the best services from subject matter experts with the healthcare organizations and make that content obtainable to their patient communities through different communication channels.
- Captivating Videos and Healthcare news help Attract Patients: Sharing valuable content will educate your patients and create trust in your healthcare products/services. Everyone is posting healthcare-related videos, product demos, etc. but what does your patient need at a particular moment? Understand it and identify the common questions that your patients ask and then deliver them the right content. Good, relevant video content will help you rank well in Google. So, get ready for 2021, and create valuable content, captivating videos, and attractive images about your healthcare services to support your overall healthcare content marketing strategy. It will help you attract more readers and reach more people.
Source: @hopkinsmedicine on Instagram
- Brand Reputation Remains Key: Patients only go with brands. When a patient hears your treatment plans or about your healthcare software features for the first time, they will immediately search the web about your organization to know more about you. What they get to see in the search results is essentially their first and the best impression. So, for healthcare success, online brand reputation is crucial. To achieve a good online reputation, expand your social media presence, ask for customer reviews that will help you do better, and showcase your customer testimonials that show your achievements.
- Telemedicine will become more Prevalent: The COVID-19 situation has forced many changes, the resurgence of telemedicine (telehealth) options being one of them. While some appointments still need in-person visits, telemedicine appointments are helpful and suitable for visits that don’t require a face-to-face examination. It reduces exposure and spread of the disease by keeping both patients and doctors safe. Telemedicine also gives doctors a way to see and check people with COVID-19 symptoms without direct exposure. Telemedicine will not replace traditional healthcare, but it is predicted that telemedicine appointments will become more common and crucial for specific market segments.
Healthcare marketing trends are guaranteed to change throughout the year, but your patients always need the same thing, that is, a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable, genuinely helpful, and produces great results. The thing that has changed is how people find and build trust with healthcare providers. To make it possible, the effective implementation of the above-mentioned strategies is required. A reliable SEO company can help healthcare organizations and medical practices implement these strategies and stay ahead of the competition.
