Medical Marketing Services That Get Results For Your Ambulatory Care Practice
By Hibu |
You compete with ambulatory care centers large and small in your city. It’s a dog-eat-dog world — and getting your medical practice’s name out there is a must. But how do you plunge into marketing when you’re already running extra-long shifts just to do your job?
Online medical marketing services are the answer for ambulatory care practices like yours.
The time to get your name on the digital map is now, considering the industry’s global market size should reach $5.5 billion by 2030. That holds true whether you’re in a:
- Ambulatory surgery center
- Urgent care clinic
- Diagnostic testing facility
- Rehabilitation service
- Other outpatient service
Here’s what you can do to stand out everywhere patients look for you online.
[Related: There's Just Not Enough Time in the Day for Marketing]
Business listings management
Set your practice up for search results success. Nearly 60% of potential patients use search engines to look for healthcare information and services. That’s where your optimized business profiles come in.
Claim or update your Google Business Profile (GBP) as well as any listings for your practice on Yahoo, Yelp and Bing. Fill out all the data you can. Make sure each listing is as complete as possible. Every piece of information means something to a potential patient, from your basic contact info to your Q&A to staff photos.
Business listing management services can keep your information is consistent across the web. That’s crucial in ambulatory medical marketing, where patients must trust the care you provide instantly. At least 62% of patients lose trust in a provider when they see incorrect or mismatched information.
Pro tip: Check how your ambulatory care business listings look right now
[Related: 9 Tips To Generate Organic Visits for Your Google Business Profile]
A website that works for you
When it comes to a website that looks professional and makes patients trust their care to you, building your own website won’t do. There are simply too many skill sets to master and variables to consider, from mobile-friendliness and voice search compatibility to usability and HIPAA compliance.
Plus, what outpatient care provider has the time to painstakingly build a high-performance website?
Find trustworthy medical marketing companies that know the ropes, and ask them about how they build medical websites. A new or revamped website is more than worth the investment. It’s also the core of your ambulatory care marketing, serving as the destination for your advertising and the place where you’ll capture leads and conversions.
The ideal site for a medical care provider engages potential patients and makes a great first impression with key elements:
- Contact information
- Hours of operation
- Scheduling options
- Credentials, including bios for doctors and nurses
- Patient testimonials and reviews
- Treatment plans
A digital marketing company will know know what can make your ambulatory care website work wonders.
Pro tip: Get your free digital marketing score (it's like a credit score for your marketing)
[Related: Hibu Podcast: What Makes a Good Local Business Website?]
Medical search engine optimization (SEO) expertise
Most medical practitioners know that local SEO helps your practice rank higher in the search results on Google, Bing and Yahoo.
But how does local medical SEO work? That’s a complex answer, but in short, SEO specialists optimize all your online listings and properties...research your practice...and plant high-opportunity keywords and phrases on your website and in other content you publish online.
SEO also involves link building and schema markup. It takes time to master — and it’s how your practice gets in front of more patients.
Four in five searches have local intent, meaning people are searching for an available nearby service. And 76% of those people visit an establishment within one day. Local SEO helps put your practice in front of those patients at the right time.
Invest in partnering with medical SEO specialists who are dedicated to helping your ambulatory care practice rank higher. You’re far more likely to appear when patients pick up the phone and search or ask their voice assistant for “[medical services] near me.”
[Related: Does SEO Matter for Your Local Business’s Website?]
An active social media presence
On the topic of meeting your patients where they’re at, make sure your practice is using social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram.
Social media profiles can distinguish your practice from others while letting you interact with both current and potential patients. Let’s say you’re one practice among many competing hospital outpatient departments (a common issue). Social media lets you set your practice apart by:
- Answering patient questions
- Showing off your facilities
- Profiling your staff
- Highlighting health conditions
- Outlining your exact medical services
- Explaining the latest healthcare research
The list goes on — you can discuss and describe whatever you do in the ambulatory care setting (within HIPAA guidelines, of course!).
Social media ads can help you target and retarget the people who see your posts and people like them. Your average patient spends up to 3 hours on social media every day…ads let you reach them (and reach them again through retargeting) when and where they’re a captive audience.
[Related: Social Media Management Tips for Small Businesses]
Targeted pay-per-click (PPC) and display ads
PPC ads, like Google search or display ads, can capture attention for your practice too.
Also known as “search marketing,” PPC ads are particularly useful when you work in an outpatient setting. Potential patients often want — or need — care fast (think urgent care centers). The instant visibility PPC ads provide goes a long way and can give you a competitive advantage.
PPC display ads with clickable visuals (what used to be called "banner ads") can target patients on their favorite sites and apps too.
Both PPC and display ads have one primary goal — to drive clicks to your website to grow your practice. They work, and they’re cost effective:
- 84% of businesses report good returns with search ads
- Display ads account for about 30% of all digital ad spend
Partner with an expert medical marketing partner to create and manage your search ads and display ads. They’ll put together targeted campaigns specific to your ambulatory care practice, budget and goals.
[Related: Podcast: Hibu + Amazon Ads]
Review and reputation management
You probably read enough online reviews to know that you have to focus on your ambulatory care practice’s reviews and reputation. These factors are crucial parts of smart medical marketing services. Your online reviews and reputation build trust with future patients by highlighting your proven track record.
Essentially everyone looks at reviews and forums before stepping foot in a business, healthcare or otherwise. But patient safety enters the picture in marketing for medical practices. Your reviews and star ratings can make or break whether a patient schedules an appointment.
Keep this in mind as you request and post patient reviews and testimonials across your digital channels. Try to garner reviews noting the excellence of your ambulatory care facilities, your staff and the medical services they provide.
Your online reputation is your entire online first impression, from your business listings to your reviews to your responses. And one bad apple can spoil the bunch. Reputation management means you correct, protect and control how your ambulatory care practice’s “look” influences visitors.
Partner with an experienced medical marketing company to help you generate positive reviews and make the most out of negative ones. After all, your reputation hinges on the 99.9% of people who check reviews.
[Related: Five Reasons Why Reputation Management Is Crucial for Your Local Business]
Get real results with Hibu's medical marketing services
Marketing doesn’t have to be a pain for your ambulatory care practice. We take medical marketing services off your hands and integrate them to work better together at Hibu.
We’re experienced in marketing for medical services, from outpatient care to primary care to other specialized care providers. And we’re happy to tailor our solutions specifically for your ambulatory care practice.
Let’s get your digital marketing efforts on their feet. Fill out our Get Started form or call us at 877-237-6120. Your consultation is free!
