Over the last few years, we’ve seen a big shift in the way that health consumers prefer to receive their information. From the declining reach of organic social media efforts to the drive for video marketing to take centre stage, as technology changes and moves through its lifecycle, so does consumer behaviour. Here are five tips based on trends we’ve been noticing that you should pay attention to as a clinic owner or director.
It’s more important than ever to prioritise relating to your patients
Historically, limited online information, or even a limited ability to ‘feel’ what it would be like to be a client of a clinic, meant that health consumers often made their decisions based on price, location and appointment availability. Now, there’s a lot more information out there – and a lot more choice. Consumers are opting to choose clinics and practitioners that they relate to, and that they can really sense are a right fit for them, as opposed to largely being led by the convenience factor. This means that your marketing content should be personalised, real and human-centred. It should tell a story, not just lay out medical information that can easily be found anywhere else. Your message should be about working with the patient in their health journey to address their unique needs, fears, concerns and goals. It also means demonstrating why and how you add value to your patients’ lives in ways beyond simply providing a base service.Transparency is considered a part of an honest and humble practice
Traditionally, some clinics were advised by their marketing mentors to avoid adding pricing to their website or to other avenues. The goal here was so that a patient would have to call to get information about pricing, and thus start a conversation and engage with the admin team that would be well-versed in persuading them to book an appointment. Today, transparency is more important – and the prospective patient appreciates the reduction in effort on their part – if they even get that far. Having transparent pricing information enables the prospective patient to weigh this up relative to the other information on your site, including the expertise of your staff, particularly if they have areas of special interest that match with their needs. They can then make a decision which they feel is well-informed – and for most, this does not mean going with the cheapest option. If three local clinics display pricing and you don’t, chances are you may not even get a phone call to discuss, and they may just pick from the three transparent options. Transparency extends far beyond pricing too. It’s about knowing what to expect from their appointments, having their FAQs answered on your website or on any marketing content you produce without leaving them wondering or having them have to call to ask. The fewer questions left unanswered, the greater your transparency – and the greater the customer confidence when booking with you.Less “hacks”, more genuine SEO work
With every year, it becomes more apparent that Google is actively working on getting rid of any “hacks” or tricks people may use to “boost your listing to the top page of google in 3 days” – and instead rewards genuine efforts in your clinic’s SEO work. Simply, this means shortcuts are only getting you penalised, and real work is key. The thing is – putting in genuine SEO work doesn’t need to be complicated. It can look like answering common genuine questions that are often searched like “why do my ears ring when I lie down at night?” – and using a genuine SEO strategy within these marketing pieces to drive leads. Time to throw out the hacks and ditch any “gurus” promising you overnight results, and instead take the time and effort (or hire someone to) so you can see genuine results that support your business in the long run.Take social proof seriously
Word-of-mouth referrals are still one of the strongest sources of leads to a clinic. The difference in 2023 is that if you don’t personally know someone that can make a recommendation for you – you can go online and find it via social proof. Social proof can come in the form of Google reviews, reviews on a product your clinic sells, photos on your social media that shows genuine experiences and how others are trusting you with their health – and much more. While health professionals genuinely can’t list testimonials on their website related to health and medical services, they generally can have them about their facilities or the care they received in a “genuine, friendly staff” sense. You can also create a feeling of social proof from the imagery and the tone of voice on your website and social media channels. So take the time to ensure these are sending the right message.Analytics are more advanced than ever – leverage this
Finally, one of the best things that has come with all the digital advancements is that analytics software and tools are more advanced than ever. And we’re not talking about ones that you must subscribe to at hundreds of dollars per month – even the combination of your free Google Analytics and Google Search Console can provide you with in-depth free data about the kinds of people being drawn in to you online through every marketing method you have, what they’re looking for to find you (and so perhaps what information is missing from your site), how each page is performing and what could be improved on – you can even get heat maps that show you where a person’s attention goes on your page, and then use this to guide your next website update. Simply put, you don’t have to guess anything anymore when it comes to your marketing plan or what your customers want – all the information is available to you and in most cases, for free. Make sure your clinic is leveraging it.HealthNow: Your Free Effective Marketing Avenue
While updating your marketing strategy for 2023 and implementing new practices, don’t forget to take advantage of existing marketing avenues that are free, easy and a massive value-add for your business – like HealthNow. With HealthNow, you can:-
- Gain more clients – users are able to search for health providers offering the HealthNow payment platform through the app
- Offer a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) alternative – HealthNow first built its reputation by being the world’s first health-specific BNPL platform at no cost to health consumers. This means that clients can access the health services they need and split the cost of the payments over up to twelve weeks, while the clinic gets paid in full on the day.
- Build loyalty through access – allowing clients to see you when they may not have been able to previously afford the upfront costs
- Accept employer aid payments – from a wide range of organisations paying funds into their employees’ digital health wallets to be spent on health and medical costs exclusively with HealthNow
