Digital media has become an indispensable part of our lives. It has transformed the healthcare industry, changing the way patients interact with healthcare providers, and the way they seek medical care and health information. In the healthcare sector, digital marketing is slowly replacing traditional marketing methods such as print marketing and television.
In today’s blog post, we discuss the importance of digital marketing in the healthcare industry. Also, we will look into the benefits of healthcare digital marketing from the perspectives of a healthcare company and patient.
Digital marketing is imperative for healthcare providers and companies
Regardless of industry, digital marketing should now be part of the overall marketing strategy. This is especially true for the healthcare industry, which has seen an evolution of consumer behavior over the last decade. In the digital age, patients are highly reliant on the internet and digital media when it comes to health care decisions. For instance:
- When patients feel that something is not right, they turn to the ubiquitous ‘Dr Google’ – Googling their symptoms and making a preliminary diagnosis. Around 86 percent of patients conduct a health-related prior to scheduling a doctor’s appointment. When looking for a healthcare facility, 94 percent of prospective patients do research on its reputation.
- For many patients, social media is their primary source of information (not just for supplementary information) when selecting a healthcare facility. Around 41 percent of patients say that social media has an impact on their choice of healthcare providers.
Furthermore, research has shown that
- 43 percent of all hospital visits comes from search engines like Google
- Over 80 percent of health information seekers will click on an ad
- 54 percent of patients visited health insurance company websites
- 50 percent of patients used health information websites (e.g. WebMD)
- 26 percent of patients read consumer-generated reviews
These findings point to the fact that digital matters – patients who seek medical care will undergo a digital journey, which presents immense opportunities for effective marketing. Without an effective digital marketing strategy, healthcare providers and companies will miss out on potential leads and sales as well as exposure to a wider audience.
What are the benefits of digital marketing?
For healthcare industry players, digital marketing allows for direct interaction with end users. Healthcare institutions are able to respond to their audience’s concerns and questions directly, and fine-tune their marketing strategies as needed to improve their effectiveness. In a way, it provides more room for flexibility than traditional marketing methods.
It is also more cost-effective, allowing healthcare companies and institutions to reach a wider audience for a fraction of the cost of conventional marketing. Through healthcare digital marketing, it is possible to create highly-tailored content for the target audience based on areas of interest as well as demographics.
From patients’ perspective, digital marketing provides easy ways to access healthcare information, which empowers them to take charge of their own health and make informed health care decisions.
Cerebellar: An expert in healthcare digital marketing
If you own an aesthetic clinic, dental clinic, medical practice, wellness centre, hospital or any other healthcare-related business, we can help you get started with digital marketing. Having considerable expertise in medical-oriented digital marketing, our highly experienced medical writers and social media experts can help you develop a comprehensive digital content strategy and take you business to new heights.
You may learn more about our services here. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or queries.
