By 2028, the healthcare industry is estimated to reach $665.37 billion. The industry is propelled by technology, innovation, and changing demographics that will transform the way healthcare is delivered, as well as elevate patient outcomes. If healthcare providers want to make a lasting impression on clients and win long-term trust, there needs to be an increased focus on personalized patient experiences and enhanced patient engagement. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of digital marketing for the health and wellness industry, and highlight eight of the biggest healthcare marketing trends of 2024 that will change the way the industry functions.
1. Personalized patient experience
The cookie-cutter healthcare marketing approach has officially come to an end. In a global survey, three-quarters of the respondents revealed that they were looking for personalized healthcare services. While industry experts are doing what it takes to offer tailored care programs to patients, health and wellness marketing agencies are focusing on targeting patients with personalized marketing content and targeted advertisements.
66% of internet users look online for information about a specific disease or medical problem.
Without a customized marketing strategy, it will become impossible to reach out to and convert such a huge audience that’s otherwise served to you on a platter.
Check out our blog on ways to get on the path of creating tailored marketing programs.
2. Original & high-quality content
In a world of AI-generated content, it can be a challenge to stand out from the crowd. Creating mass volumes of me-too content will have zero impact from an SEO perspective. What will truly work is high-quality, original content.
Website content that follows the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) model will get a significant impetus in its search engine rankings. This style of content gets a winning pass from Google based on factors like the credibility of the page, author, and website. Showcase your experience, unique expertise, reputation, and authority in the healthcare industry, and build trust with factual information and a technically sound and secure web platform to score high in search engine rankings and get several steps closer to your audience.
Create content that leaves a significant impact on the reader’s life by being user-friendly and offering value and credibility.
3. An airtight SEO strategy
Sometimes, even with the best and most authoritative content and tailored solutions, search engines and their evolving algorithms can cause unexpected pushdowns in rankings. However, with a robust and adaptable SEO strategy, these challenges can be promptly faced and kept under control.
An airtight SEO strategy combines several factors that work together like interlocking gears, twisting, and turning towards a common goal. These include, but are not limited to:
- Target keywords on the most important pages of your website
- Reviews on social media and Google Business Profile
- Healthcare blog that provides value to potential patients
- Optimized site HTML tags
- Interlinking your web pages to move traffic within your website
- Local SEO to rank higher for searches in a particular area
- Technically sound website
- User experience (UX)
- Regular tracking and analysis
Only an experienced health and wellness marketing agency with industry experience can accomplish these and other essential SEO activities consistently.
4. Voice search
Here are some interesting voice search stats that you need your eyes on right now:
- 51% of people use voice search for health and wellness. (US)
- 48% of voice search is for personalized tips and information.
- 28% of people doing voice searches do so looking for doctors, 24% for dentists.
- 27% of people use voice search on mobile.
- 63% of people in the age group of 35 to 54 years use smartphones for voice search.
- Voice search technology is easily adopted by people aged between 18 to 24 years.
The voice search trend is catching on. As Gen Z grows older, their familiarity with voice searches and reliance will increase. Hence, your healthcare business must optimize for voice searches, which are more conversational, unlike typed searches.
First, your healthcare website must align with natural language queries. Second, your website should be optimized for mobile as most voice searches are done on a mobile device, such as a smartphone. Don’t forget to optimize for voice-activated devices as well, as they are increasingly penetrating households.
5. Social media & video
Another ‘aftermath’ of AI-generated content explosion is how social media has become a measuring stick for search engines to gauge the authority of a healthcare provider.
Make sure your healthcare business has an active social media profile with a good follower count and engagement. Put effort into creating insightful and engaging content. Your brand’s executive leaders should be active on LinkedIn and nurture quality contacts. Your thoughtful and helpful content should win the trust of social users and attract meaningful engagement.
Focusing on video content is also essential as it’s rapidly becoming the preferred medium for many users. Short-form videos and astute ad spends on video platforms can make waves in your digital marketing efforts. Whether it’s a virtual tour of your healthcare center’s premises, a patient testimonial, a medical practitioner’s perspective on procedures, illnesses, medication, or wellness tips, videos have the power to attract more eyeballs and engagement.
6. Bridge the patient education gap with AR and VR
Modern-day patients believe only what they experience. With virtual reality and augmented reality, patients can be educated about medical conditions and related treatments and procedures to make them more confident about what to expect from their healthcare provider. Using interactive tools to comprehend complex medical topics can open up patients’ minds and offer comfort during stressful situations.
7. Virtual interactions & telehealth
Since the days of COVID-19, virtual interactions and telehealth have become prevalent. This is good news, as it takes the pressure off the healthcare infrastructure, allowing more patients to consult their doctors from the comfort of their homes, consequently reducing risks of spreading infections, and saving time.
Offsite medical and wellness consultations are anticipated to become more prevalent, and digital marketers will advise you to focus on facilitating them and promoting online health assessments and therapy sessions. Leveraging digital consultations will improve patients’ access to healthcare and enable early diagnoses and treatment.
8. AI chatbots
Another extension of offsite interactions, albeit non-human, is AI chatbots. From handling online appointment bookings, answering patient queries, and offering general information, chatbots minimize human interactions for mundane administrative tasks, allowing healthcare staff to focus on essential duties. Chatbots can also work round the clock, thereby reducing human workload, eliminating errors, and improving patient satisfaction.
Chatbots can also collect and analyze customer data, providing insights into customer behavior and preferences, based on which your digital marketing campaigns can be strengthened.
Hire an Expert
Digital marketing is crucial for the healthcare industry. Read our blog on the Role Of Digital Marketing In the Healthcare Industry.
The trends mentioned in this blog will shape the healthcare industry, putting innovations and patient convenience before everything else. If your healthcare organization wants to reach more patients, you must create a digital ecosystem that informs potential patients of your existence, experience, expertise, and authoritativeness.
With digital marketing, you can bridge the gap between your healthcare business and your patients. Fresh Mind Ideas, a digital marketing agency in Bangalore, can help you stay on top of digital trends and improve your digital presence with tools and software that help your patients and grow your business.
Do you need help with your branding/marketing/ web development/animated videos? Get in touch.
