The Failure to Plan is the Biggest Mistake in Online Healthcare Marketing
Without a doubt, the failure to plan is cardinal sin #1 when it comes to online healthcare marketing. A solid strategy is THE backbone of any marketing plan. In an article featured in Forbes, Martha Madero Gonzalez states that sound online marketing strategies give you purpose and direction. You better understand your current and potential clients’ needs and wants.
Ultimately, you must think of your practice as a business. With this mindset, you clearly define your core competencies, areas of growth, and you have a firm grasp on your budget and financial forecast. Before you spend time and money on your healthcare marketing, have a roadmap to guide your way.
Failure to Understand Your Competition
Another common mistake made in online healthcare marketing is failing to understand your competition. No matter the specialty, the race to the top is fierce. This is especially true if facilities perform more than one service. While you may think your main competition are the heavy hitters in your field, you are being short-sided. What about the providers in your back yard?
Step back and take a look at your competition. Are there services comparable to yours in quality, or are they better? What are they doing to get new patients? What does their website and social media look like? Proper online healthcare marketing requires you to do you diligent research of those who are competing for the same populations you are serving.
Do You Think You Are Too Good for Marketing?
Another big mistake made in digital marketing is the mindset that you are “too good”. In the past, the popularity of one’s practice resting largely on the quality of service. While that still holds true, word-of-mouth alone doesn’t go as far as it used to. In the internet age, you need to utilize healthcare marketing to spread the word about your practice.
Not only is it important to draw new patients, digital marketing is also crucial in keeping your current patients. With each day, more and more people are searching the internet to find services and resources. Most importantly, people are becoming more empowered to pick their providers. If you think you are “too good” for internet marketing, you may find yourself falling behind.
The Biggest Mistakes in Online Healthcare Marketing Are Based on Fear
When it comes to it, the biggest mistakes in online marketing center on fear and uncertainty. There are several reasons that can explain this hesitancy. Internal decisions to the changing landscape of healthcare–these factors cause doctors and other practitioners not to take the chance on online marketing.
For some, they may have tried to market their practice online, but entrusted their time and money to an SEO company that failed to deliver. The time and money spent on failed healthcare marketing is deflating and makes practices gun shy about revisiting the idea. While these feelings are justified, finding the right company to provide online marketing can build your practice and business the right way.
The best digital marketing companies take the time to understand your practice. With diligent research and effective marketing strategies, you will see your business grow in the long run.
It’s Not A Sprint
In general, we are a society with a mindset of “we want it now”. We crave immediate results from initial efforts, and anything less is a disappointment. In the world of online healthcare marketing, this is a cardinal sin. You may be tempted to throw money and time into a short-term marketing strategy, only to abandon it when the desired results fail to materialize.
Effective online healthcare marketing is seen as a marathon and not a sprint. Results simply don’t happen overnight–it takes time to develop and grow. Instead of spending your marketing budget all at once, spend less and spread it out. Give your marketing campaigns time to mature. If changes are needed, make subtle adjustments.
Keep at it and keep your name out there.
Too Much Emphasis on Organic Growth
Let’s revisit the point made earlier about being “too good” for marketing. Many times, practitioners may feel they don’t need marketing help because they firmly believe in the organic growth made possible by word-of-mouth. If the quality and care is good, people will refer others to said services–easy enough, right?
To a certain degree that is true. However, what happens if you lose a few referrals along the way? What if a competing practice or two move into the area?
Without taking those factors into consideration, the organic growth you counted on to maintain your practice starts to dry up. At that point, you must consider online marketing to become competitive or run the risk of losing business to the point of closing.
Understanding Your Target Market
Another one of the big mistakes in online healthcare marketing is the failure in understanding your target market. While you may know the demographics of the patients you serve, are you thinking about others that may benefit from your services. If you are in the sports medicine field, shouldn’t you be trying to reach those in need of orthopedic surgery or similar specialties?
You must realize that the people who are looking for care may not be the ones that need it. Sound online healthcare marketing strategies take into account all possible markets for your services.
Contact Stodzy Internet Marketing Right Now
It can be easy to fall victim to mistakes in online healthcare marketing. Whether you are new to the game or have tried online marketing in the past with limited success, it is important to have experience on your side.
Stodzy Internet Marketing has built its reputation on providing all of our clients effective online healthcare marketing strategies that are proven to work. We have helped countless healthcare practices in South Florida and nationwide achieve measurable growth. Stodzy takes the time to understand you and your practice. We conduct exhaustive research in finding the strategies that work best for you.
Give us a call today and set up your complimentary evaluation.
