The Indian Healthcare industry reached a value of US$ 372 billion in 2022. By 2024, the sector has become one of the largest employers in the country. With its massive pool of well-trained professionals and cost-competitive treatments, India is now a huge market for medical tourism.
Currently, India has an estimated 70,000 hospitals, of which 63% are privatized. There are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission as of June 2022.
Essentially, this translates to thick competition in the healthcare industry, meaning if your healthcare organization or medical practice is not on the digital platform, you might be missing out on growing your business. You not only have an Indian population to cater to but there is also medical tourism to leverage.
It’s not enough that you depend on traditional marketing methods to meet your business goals. Did you know that a whopping 82.8% of patients use search engines to find a healthcare provider? And when they search for a doctor, 56% tend to consult three different online sources! Clearly, healthcare digital marketing has the potential to take your practice to the online world, where the majority of the world is. So, if you ask us whether digital marketing is important for doctors, hospitals, and health clinics, the answer is a resounding ‘yes!’
Read our blog: How to Choose the Best Digital Marketing Company
The rise of the internet and the proliferation of digital tools have transformed the way patients search for healthcare services, making it crucial for healthcare providers to adopt digital marketing strategies. Let’s look at the reasons why digital marketing is essential for doctors, hospitals, and clinics.
1. Enhance Online Visibility
We mentioned earlier that a majority of people are looking for information on healthcare providers on the Internet. Leveraging digital marketing strategies, especially search engine optimization (SEO), will ensure that your website appears prominently in search results. This increased online visibility will help you reach people who are actively searching for healthcare services.
How to enhance your online visibility
The first step is to optimize your website with the right keywords. It’s also important to update your website’s content as often as possible by sharing blog posts and the latest information from the medical and healthcare field to keep your content refreshing and valuable.
Another crucial step is to have a consistent social media presence. Choose relevant social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, etc. to build patient engagement. Share valuable content, update patients on new services, and interact with the community to build trust and establish yourself as a thought leader in the healthcare industry.
2. Run Targeted Marketing Campaigns
Experienced digital marketers use specialized tools to target potential patients based on demographics, location, interests, and even specific health conditions. For instance, at Fresh Mind Ideas, we run highly targeted campaigns that ensure marketing efforts reach the right audience. Precision targeting maximizes the return on investment (ROI); basically, your marketing budgets are used effectively.
How to target accurately
Making sure that communication is personalized helps reach out to individual patient needs and preferences. This is a great tactic to enhance patient satisfaction and loyalty, making them feel more valued.
3. Leverage Cost-effective Marketing
Traditional marketing has always been expensive; think print ads, TV commercials, and billboards. Online advertising, on the other hand, allows for more cost-effective budgeting. In fact, with cost-per-click or impression, the costs go down further in comparison to traditional methods. Even if you are a small-scale clinic, digital advertising is an affordable way to reach your target audience.
Measurable results you cannot ignore
Unlike traditional advertising, digital marketing allows you to track and measure campaign performance in real time. For example, Google Analytics provides detailed insights into website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates. If a digital campaign doesn’t seem to give you the desired results, you can alter strategies and apply further optimization techniques till you get better results!
4. Build Trust and Credibility
With traditional marketing strategies, it’s impossible to know what kind of impact you’ve made on your audience. However, digital marketing not only allows you to track sentiments; it also helps you grow from just being a recognizable brand to one that is trusted.
How to build credibility
You can educate the community about the latest advancements in the healthcare field through blogs, videos, articles, and other valuable and informative content. This is also an astute way to exhibit your knowledge and drive organic traffic to your website.
Another way is to share online reviews and testimonials from satisfied patients. When potential patients read these reviews, it will help them make informed decisions. In addition, this builds a strong online reputation and will help people choose you over other healthcare professionals/providers.
5. Improve Patient Experience
Going digital is more than about marketing your healthcare business. It can be applied to enhance patient experience as well. Use the digital platform to make healthcare more accessible through your brand for potential patients.
How to use the digital platform for patient experience enhancement
Promote online services such as appointment booking, telemedicine consultations, and patient portals, allowing patients to save time and your staff to improve efficiency. This also ensures that patients have a higher satisfaction rate.
You could also provide educational resources such as symptom checkers, health blogs, and FAQ sections so that patients have more control over their health-related decisions. Educated patients are more likely to engage in preventive care and adhere to treatment plans, leading to better health outcomes.
You Need a Professional Digital Marketer
Mayo Clinic, Apollo Hospitals, and Fortis Healthcare are some examples of medical institutions that have leveraged digital marketing to enhance their presence, engage patients, and establish themselves as leaders in healthcare.
It’s unlikely that you already haven’t tried your hand at digital marketing management; however, this is a job for a professional. Managing your digital presence in-house may seem like a convenient option, but the real results may be elusive unless you’ve got a skilled team that knows digital marketing best practices inside out! The quality of content, consistency, and tailored strategies are a must when you want your healthcare brand to accomplish a trusted online reputation.
Hire an Expert
Find your digital marketing partner at Fresh Mind Ideas, one of India’s leading branding and digital marketing agency for hospitals. We’ve worked with healthcare brands, helping them create a consistent digital presence, including social media. Our strategies are a combination of tried and tested methods and new-age ideas that will guarantee you achieve online visibility, brand credibility, and patient loyalty.
Embark on a successful partnership with Trivandrum’s best digital marketing agency and propel your healthcare brand to new digital heights.
If you need help with your branding/marketing/web development/animated videos, get in touch.
