Though the medical industry is a billion dollar business, it is still important for doctors and medical facilities to continue to reach the general population.
Just like any business structure, medical facilities rely on funds from insurance companies and patients to stay afloat.
As such, patient retention and reach are of the utmost importance.
Keeping patients satisfied and bringing in new patients is the only way for medical practices to survive the competition. If you’ve found that your patient reach has slowed or become stagnant, implementing changes and new marketing strategies is always advised.
Developing an Online Presence
In this technological age, the average person uses the Internet as a means for learning more about their health.
Whether they are looking to be informed about an existing condition, learn about signs of potential medical conditions or to find a healthcare professional to receive treatment and care from, chances are this will all be done with the help of the Internet. As a result, it’s essential medical facilities develop a strong online presence.
Through developing this strong online presence, Internet users become familiar with medical professionals and facilities, thus opening the door for new relationships and potential new business. Below, are just a few examples of how medical professionals are staying connected and develop their brand through Internet marketing strategies.
1. Social Media
Social media has far surpassed the idea of simply being a platform for friends and family members to keep in touch. Businesses of all types have begun using social media as a means to develop their brand and reach the masses. Medical professionals and facilities can also utilize social media to their advantage.
By setting up an efficient social media page, medical facilities can easily share pertinent information, connect with members of their community, and interact with existing patients.
Through cultivating stronger relationships with the online community, medical facilities essentially make a name for themselves as authoritative figures within the medical community.
Social media users ideally become comfortable with a particular medical resource and feel more compelled to visit.
2. Website Creation
If you’re a medical facility without a website, this is something you really need to invest in sooner rather than later. With an average of one in three Americans searching the Internet for medical information and resources, you could improve your customer reach and thus improve your business.
Having a website loaded with tons of information in medical jargon is not going to suffice. It is imperative that when creating a website for your medical facility, the terminology used is easily understood by your target audience (the patients).
The easier the information is to understand and access, the more likely potential patients are to utilize your website as a valid medical resource. Ideally a highly optimized website will also improve your web presence, thus increasing your chances of being noticed by potential patients.
3. Medical Profiles
As consumers rely more on the Internet and reviews to determine which medical practices they will consider, creating an online medical profile just makes sense. Healthgrades, an online medical resource used by millions, is such an example.
Medical professionals have the ability to create a profile that can display things that include educational and professional experience, quality of their healthcare facilities, and, more importantly, patient experience.
Such a profile can help both established and new medical professionals reach millions of potential customers in their area.
SolutionReach, a company specializing in cloud-based medical solutions for doctors and patients, has recently partnered with Healthgrades, thus giving all medical professionals (including out of network and independent doctors) the ability to promote their services.
The Healthgrades Premium Profile through Solutionreach is noted as ranking at the top of search engine results through Google when it comes to consumer reviews. Not only will factual and positive information about your practice rank high, but it will also provide you with an authoritative source to point to if you are looking to mend or improve your online reputation.
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Long gone are the days where potential patients just come walking through the door because you’re a local doctor. In the age where information technology reigns, more and more patients are looking to the Internet to learn about medical professionals and weighing their options accordingly.
If you’re looking for ways to improve the number of patients in your medical practice, implementing some of the methods described above is ideal. Each of these methods helps to improve your online presence, brand, and eventually the success of your business.
(Photo by DarkoStojanovic/ CC BY)
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