Why Do Healthcare Companies Need Digital Marketing?
In today’s world, digital marketing is a critical asset for all companies, and the healthcare industry is no exception.
By Caroline Czap
Most everyone has gone through the experience of getting sick and automatically googling the symptoms in order to figure out what is wrong with them. Most of the time when this happens you get some obscure website that will come up with drastic conclusions, like a cough and a stuffed up nose means you have a terminal illness. Even though these websites are not accurate, why do they often come up as a top result when you research your symptoms? Why wouldn’t a healthcare organization or facility be the first result? These are some of the many reasons why it is critical for digital marketing tools like search engine optimization and social media platforms to be a priority in the healthcare field.
Some of the major reasons why credible health websites do not come up is that they do not spend time on the search engine optimization (SEO) of their websites, and do not spend the amount of time and energy on social media as other companies do. By taking the time to improve their digital presence both through their website and through their social media, healthcare companies can become more accessible to their current and potential patients.
SEO in the Healthcare Field
While in the past search engine optimization was not an important aspect to pay attention to for hospitals and healthcare facilities, it is now more important than ever if these companies want to grab the attention of their patients. According to Google Trends, the search term “Health Care Facilities Near Me” has been increasing since 2004, which implies that people are more willing to search for a new and better facility rather than staying with the same one their entire lives. This makes digital SEO critical for healthcare companies to stand out among their competition, and be one of the first results people see when they are searching for a new facility.
https://trends.google.com/trends/
SEO is a great and simple way to increase your online traffic, and grab the attention of current and new patients. By making small changes to a website such as, making it mobile friendly, decreasing the loading time, and correctly linking different pages using keywords,search engines like Google will prioritize your website and articles over competitors websites, making you more visible and useful to consumers. So, if patients are searching for a new facility, these changes can place your website as one of the top results on Google.
Social Media and United’s “WeDareYou” campaign
Another digital marketing resource that these organizations can utilize are social media platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Staying active on these sites can make it easier for patients to learn more about the brand, and to potentially get a quick response to questions that are asked through direct messaging. Also by utilizing these sites that generate lots of traffic, companies can make their brand more recognizable among their target audience, and catch the attention of potential patients through social media campaigns.
https://twitter.com/UHC
One example of this is when United Healthcare created a campaign using the hashtag “#WeDareYou” on their various social media accounts. This campaign involved United “daring” their audience to make one change that would result in them living a healthier life, and then posting a picture of that change on social media and tagging United. These dares were not only related to benefiting your physical health, but mental health as well. One of the activities participants were dared to take part in was yoga, which is both beneficial for physical and mental health. United also offered online games to act as mental exercises to help with things like concentration.
Through simple changes like making a website more mobile friendly, and taking the time to think of a campaign around a hashtag, healthcare organizations are able to greatly increase their online presence and become more visible to both current and potential patients. Just by taking advantage of this new form of marketing, and learning how to incorporate it before your competition does, you can make your brand greatly stand out in the healthcare industry. Digital marketing makes a big impact on all businesses, and the healthcare industry is no exception to this.