Everyone lacks time. In the computer-age, we also expect a frictionless, often non-human experience performing mundane life administration. We use the internet as our augmented intelligence – our research resource at the tip of our fingers able to answer or find the solution to any question. Access to information that is able to assist our decision making has never been more readily available.
In this paradigm, a third pillar of referrals has emerged for doctors – online. Word-of-mouth and GP referrals are no longer the only two sources of work for doctors. It is now commonplace for a patient to Google their symptoms, with surprising accuracy, and identify their condition. It is also common for a patient to specialist-shop too, filtering possible doctors based on perceived level of experience, relevant expertise, and location.
For specialist, surgeons, physicians, GPs and doctors working in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or any major city of Australia, you should be aware that not only do GPs refer patients – so can your website. A doctor’s website is now a ‘digital shopfront’. For many potential patients, the website will be the first, and sadly sometimes last impression they make of you. Doctors working in private practice need to be aware that their website demands equivalent quality to their private consulting room fitout for similar reasons. Going “cheap” is not the look you want representing you.
But many doctors are so focussed on medicine, they often do not have a good eye for business or design methodology, so they fall victim to generic marketing firms that do not specialise in the medical area and deliver sub-standard results.
Here is a shortlist of digital medical marketing must-haves a doctor needs to achieve in order to be competitive online and generate the maximum number of patients:
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1. Professional & Unique Website
Do not settle with a cookie-cutter template website that makes you look identical to your peers. Such websites are the norm from large medical website resellers. Remember, patients will be opening 3-5 specialist’s websites to choose their candidate. Be unique! Always request a “custom-design”, “responsive” (works across all devices) website by a genuine boutique web-developer.
Source: pointsgroup
2. A Professional Portrait Photo
A picture says a thousand words. A lot of patients make their mind up almost entirely on the picture. Spend the money getting a professional photograph that will represent you for a decade. This is not as expensive as you might assume.
3. Google Reviews From Patients
At the time of writing this article, AHPRA allows Google reviews. Simply because AHPRA understands that the doctor is unable to stop patients from writing Google reviews. These reviews are very powerful and certainly persuade potential patients who are searching Google for local specialists. It is worth screening your patients and selecting those that have had a good outcome with you and requesting they leave you a review, advises Medsolve, a marketing agency that specializes in helping doctors make their mark online.
4. Google Ads, SEO and Facebook Ads
Once you have the first two steps in place, you are now ready to invest in yourself to capture more patient leads. Google Ads are extremely effective (even if slightly undesirable) simply because the data shows that > 50% of people using mobile phones above the age of 45 do not even realise they are clicking an ad, and approximately 70% of everybody uses a mobile phone to search Google. This is significant. Google SEO is also important and occasionally (depending on your vocation) Facebook Ads might be helpful.
Source: digitalrepublik
5. A Professional Video
We evolved to use all our senses and nothing substitutes quite like meeting someone. Given this is impractical for a doctor to meet everyone, a video bridges the gap. In the modern age of Facebook and YouTube, people expect video. People hate reading! And if your website constitutes a giant wall of text, you can be guaranteed the viewers will disengage. A video shot by a professional videographer and scripted is a big asset to any doctors’ website. Type of videos include an overview video where the doctor can introduce themselves, their training and their fellowships, and even areas of research. The video can include footage of the doctor operating or consulting with patients and can really help the doctor cultivate a connection with the potential patient watching.
6. GP Meetings
Taking some time to personally visit at least 10 GPs per year in-between patients is a very effective strategy. A lot of GPs refer to specialists they have never met and their relationship is not as tight as you might think. Take the time to visit the private-billing medical centres and introduce yourself. And send your top referring GPs a bottle of wine at Christmas tiem!
Source: definitivehc
7. Use a Specialist Medical Marketing Agency
Medical marketing is a highly specialised field of marketing that requires advanced knowledge of the differing medical and surgical vocations, private health industry dynamics, supply and demand of local competitors and the doctor’s unique approach to medicine and surgery. It is beyond the realm of generic marketing agencies and the experience of many doctors is that they waste their budget getting no results as the generic marketing agency necessarily has to travel along the learning curve.
If you wish to improve or establish your digital presence, or any other areas of medical marketing, why not contact a medical marketing agency that is focused solely to doctors and the medical industry.
