Tips for Specialized Healthcare Practices to Effectively Advertise Themselves

Patti Mills

Patti Mills About The Author

January 21, 2021 at 4:00 PM

Tips for Specialized Healthcare Practices to Effectively Advertise Themselves

It can feel like an uphill struggle to market a healthcare practice, particularly during these times as practices compete for attention and brand recognition. However, this doesn't mean you have to get lost in the mix. If you want to break through all of the noise in this industry and effectively advertise your specialized healthcare practice, there are strategies you can use to stand apart.

You may be wondering, "How do I advertise my medical practice?" The following healthcare advertising tips can help you develop a successful campaign.

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Targeted Digital Ads

It's important to use targeted digital ads to connect services you offer with your ideal audience. A dental office will use different tactics or digital channels compared to a family physician's marketing strategy.  

Tips for Specialized Healthcare Practices to Effectively Advertise ThemselvesWith digital ads, you can highlight testimonials and patient transformations to build trust among prospects and encourage more people to visit your practice. People often trust businesses endorsed through testimonials and reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family. You could create a video ad that features a testimonial from a satisfied patient, along with before and after photos that show the results of a particular treatment.

When determining where your audience is located, think about the social media platforms they use most frequently, along with the ways they interact with their favorite brands. Keep in mind that 73% of consumers research products or services prior to purchasing, so you need to make sure your brand connects with them early on. Knowing where your audience spends their time and reaching them with your ads can help increase the chances that they'll choose your practice over competitors.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is another excellent way to connect with your audiences, as around 21.33% of emails are opened in the dental, healthcare and medical industries. In addition to this open rate, they experience a click rate of about 2.5%. You can use email marketing to send reminders to past patients to schedule new appointments. At the same time, send emails to prospective patients who have shown interest and had consultations in the past but never followed through. 

Depending on your practice, your email campaign can offer discounts, bundles or free consultations that appeal to new patients and bring past patients back.

OTT & TV

Specialized healthcare practices can also use over-the-top (OTT) and TV advertising to attract new patients. While you can have commercials running on local TV stations that connect with linear TV viewers, you can also run OTT ads that appear in front of people who are streaming online videos. One of the key differences between TV healthcare advertising and OTT ads is the length of each ad. While commercials tend to be shorter and appear in longer breaks, OTT ads tend to be longer at around 30 seconds per ad.

TV advertising is still relevant and will remain so, but around 52% of adults over 18 in the US use at least one OTT service, and many older audiences also watch OTT content. The best way to maximize your reach is to use both channels to your advantage. In commercials and TV ads, you can show your practice/office, detail results and introduce your staff. 
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Optimize Your Website for Patient Experience

People who encounter your ads should also be further encouraged when they visit your website. If you want to make sure your website serves as a useful online hub for your practice, you need to take steps to optimize it. Make sure the website is mobile-friendly and optimized for smartphones and tablets. You should also make treatments and services visible to your audiences. Include detailed descriptions of your services, practice, and approach, along with "what to expect" sections. The more transparent you are, the more trust you'll build.

Check Your Provider Profile Listings

Tips for Specialized Healthcare Practices to Effectively Advertise ThemselvesYour practice’s provider profile listings should be uniform across all platforms. If your listings are consistent, this signals to Google that the information is accurate. Review all listings, especially if you make any changes to your medical practice, from moving to a new office to changing phone numbers. If Google perceives all information as accurate, it will be more likely to display your contact details over your competition.

Use Local SEO

Medical practices are localized, which is why good local SEO is crucial. With local SEO, you can attract patients in your immediate area who may not have known about you before searching online. For instance, if you want to target a specific area, you can create location pages that people might find when performing a Google search, which can complement local digital, OTT, and TV ads. If you have practices in multiple locations, optimized location pages can also provide details specific to each location, such as services offered, contact details, directions, and staff information.

Community Engagement and Sponsorship Opportunities

Tips for Specialized Healthcare Practices to Effectively Advertise ThemselvesSpecialized healthcare practices can also seek unique sponsorship opportunities that show them providing services to the community they serve, whether it's a non-profit or for-profit organization. Hosting community events or sponsoring charity events are some of the ways local practices can get involved and gain the trust of people in their communities.

Media Partner

Creating a full-fledged healthcare advertising campaign can be daunting, especially if you're inexperienced with marketing and trying to compete with many well-established practices. Working with a media partner can help you develop an effective campaign that yields the best results. With the right partner behind your healthcare advertising, you'll be able to focus on screening and caring for current patients while attracting new ones through highly effective marketing efforts.

With a campaign that includes targeted ads, email marketing, a well-optimized website, good local SEO practices and accurate listings, you can connect with your audiences via every channel. If you need some assistance with developing and managing a comprehensive campaign, a media partner can be the key to helping your practice succeed.

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