Healthcare marketing trends are constantly evolving and in 2023 there are strategies you can start implementing today to stay ahead of the game and more competitive online. When we look back at 2022, what most businesses realized was the importance of healthcare marketing online and the areas they needed to improve in order to keep their patients loyal and engaged with their brand.
In 2023 healthcare marketing is all about meeting your patient's needs by adapting your previous marketing strategies for more online innovation, authentic communication, and accessibility. Online marketing is a fast-paced, ever-changing field, and healthcare marketing trends are evolving right along with it. In 2023, healthcare practices need to be more innovative, authentic, and authoritative in order to attract new patients and re-engage old ones.
So let's get right to it, here are the top 5 healthcare marketing trends that will be most effective in delivering results in 2023 and beyond.
1. Patient Engagement is a Top Priority
Here's the thing, most healthcare practices that thrived last year amplified their online communication to patients to encourage patient loyalty through patient retention strategies like live Q&As, video interviews, etc.
These smart healthcare practices used online marketing platforms like social media and email marketing to keep their practice 'top of mind' so that patients remembered them. Patient engagement has always been important but this year, you'll find that the practices that excel competitively on digital platforms are the ones that invest in online patient communication strategies that encourage patient engagement.
Prioritizing patient engagement through content marketing has been proven to be quite profitable for healthcare practices in the past and will remain true this year and in the years to come.
Of course, patient retention is generally the goal of acquiring any new patient, but what we've learned from the pandemic year is that -- this year patient engagement is no longer a necessity, it is extremely vital because most businesses were able to keep their doors open primarily because of retained customers they kept loyal through online engagement.
2. Patient Referral Marketing is Essential in 2023
There's nothing more valuable than a happy patient, who shares their experience with friends and family through referrals and word of mouth marketing. As you know well, it costs more to acquire a new patient than it does to retain an existing one.
In fact, it’s anywhere from 5-25 times more costly.
Crazy right?
This year, consider investing in patient rewards campaigns. They are historically successful in driving return business to your healthcare practice and patients continue to seek them out for all of their purchases. If you aren't already, it's time to include patient rewards campaigns in your 2023 healthcare marketing strategy.
Here are a few takeaway tips:
For Social Media Campaigns - Target your most loyal patients with exclusive discounts to stay top of mind when they need your services again.
For Email Marketing Campaigns - Once you’ve developed your first patient retention campaign, try tweaking it and targeting special deals to your inactive sales leads. Everyone’s inundated with emails these days. Make your email list feel like they have access to an exclusive deal and I promise you’ll see consistent engagement.
If you need more help, schedule a free consultation with us.
3. Authentic Social Media Content is in High Demand
Content marketing has become one of the most powerful online marketing strategies available today, and not only has it been proven to be very effective but it is also the most affordable marketing strategy for healthcare businesses.
Current and potential patients are no longer turning to websites to find brands but instead are looking at their social media profiles because they are updated more frequently. Patients look for content that highlights your work, process, and patient's results; they also look for credible content like before-and-after pictures and patient video testimonials.
In the past social media was plagued by repetitive, sales-y content like promotional ads that got little to no engagement online, however, in 2023 healthcare practices will adjust their strategies for more authentic social media content that appeals to their ideal audience and ultimately drives better results.
The solution is social media authenticity and the frequency of quality content publishing.
The age of stock photos has died, especially in healthcare. Stock photos lack authenticity and potential patients cannot relate to them in any way. Your patients want to see you, your team, and your practice... not fake images that misrepresent your brand. Stock images can discourage patient trust in your brand and lower your credibility based on how superficial they tend to be. If you want to see how stock images are truly hurting your healthcare practice then check out this blog post.
Create content that is a true reflection of the high-quality in-person experience at your healthcare practice. Show more than just what you do, but use content marketing to let potential patients understand who you are and why they should choose you.
New patients will engage with healthcare practices that they feel emotionally connected to online. And with social media algorithms constantly evolving, they are getting better at identifying the content that users want to see.
In 2023, social media content marketing will continue to be a trend in healthcare marketing, but authentic social media content will make all the difference.
It's time to invest in creating quality content. In 2023, healthcare practices need to harness the power of captivating content mediums like video content, to attract new patients.
Sharing valuable and captivating content consistently builds trust, and credibility and in time your content will convert your audience into new patients ultimately increasing revenue at your healthcare practice.
If you aren't sure where to start or how to create an effective healthcare content marketing strategy, here are a few questions to consider:
What are the common questions that your patients ask? (try answering them on social media)
What pitfalls can you help your patients avoid in choosing the right provider or deciding to have a procedure?
Now you can build a solid healthcare content marketing strategy around similar questions and provide answers to those questions with informative medical videos, and digital graphics that will build their trust in your healthcare practice.
In order to use content to strategically connect with your patients, it is important to provide the content that they’re looking for and share it with them frequently and consistently.
A general rule is to create content that is:
Valuable
Memorable
But if you want to produce content that truly converts, grab this free downloadable content marketing guide that we've created to help you get started.
4. Healthcare Videos - The Secret to Online Patient Growth
In 2022 video content will no longer be a luxury, but a necessity for effective healthcare marketing. At our agency alone, we've seen tremendous success from our clients that have invested in our video production and social media marketing services. In fact, here are 10 reasons why you need to invest in video marketing for your practice.
Patients love to research healthcare practices before committing to a new procedure or treatment, and medical video content is the perfect and most authentic way to demonstrate your skills, your culture, and the results that your healthcare practice has achieved for similar patients.
But there's more.
Did you know that optimized video content can boost your website to the first page of Google?
Just look at one of our clients who ranked on the first page of YouTube for the search "emsculpt before and after" in just 3 months of being on YouTube.
In some cases, optimized video content can make a website 53 times more likely to show up on the first page of search engines.
Let's be honest...
Would you rather click on a text result on google search or a video result that provides a visual response to your search query?
Let's face it.
Videos are proven to attract new patients, and we have the results to prove it.
The more your new patients can see, the more they’ll believe and they will feel more willing to invest in your services.
5. Eye-Catching Visuals are a Must-Have
Let's be honest. Attention spans are short these days.
Your audience is inundated with tantalizing headlines and visuals all created to make them click, sign up, or follow.
So the question is, how can you stand out and make unique content that is captivating?
Visually appealing content is the key to standing out in a crowded digital space. Branded infographics, gifs, and videos are all excellent ways to quickly convey a message and leave a lasting impression of your healthcare practice.
If you create a lot of written content definitely consider the visual layout of text-heavy content.
Use these techniques to make your long-form written content more visually appealing:
Make sure your written content is easily scannable with headlines and short paragraphs.
Use bulleted lists (like this one!) to highlight key points.
Break up sections with images that guide the reader’s eye through your content.
This will keep you one step ahead in the healthcare marketing arena in 2023, where everyone’s competing for audience engagement online.
In 2023 Healthcare Marketing Will Continue to Evolve
Online marketing is a fast-paced, ever-changing field, and medical brands need to stay on top of these trends in 2023. In 2023, healthcare practices need to be more innovative, authentic, and authoritative in order to attract new patients and re-engage old ones.
Healthcare marketing trends are guaranteed to change throughout the year, but patients still want the same things they always have: to find a healthcare provider who’s knowledgeable, genuinely helpful, and produces great results.
What’s changed is how patients find and build trust with those healthcare providers.
Practices that effectively implement these healthcare marketing trends in 2023 will be ahead of the curve.
Are you ready to get your healthcare marketing efforts up to speed for 2023 and beyond?
It's time to start dominating my friend, this is your year.
Do you need help putting these tips into action?
Our team of content strategists, content creators, and creative marketers would love to help. Book your free virtual consultation with us at any time.
Comentarios