Being Creative in Healthcare Marketing
The primary purpose of marketing your healthcare practice is to set yourself and your practice apart. When it comes to healthcare marketing, you want to be a trustworthy informational source that your patients look to for healthcare guidance, not just a physician they see annually or only as needed. Your long term goal should be patient retention and referral growth.
While most businesses gravitate towards traditional marketing strategies like newsletters, billboards, radio, commercials, and print, we encourage you to be creative and try something new!
Here are a few ways to market your practice in a creative way to stand out:
Start A Podcast
Audio content, such as podcasts, are more accessible for users. They can listen and learn about you and your medical specialty while they’re working, exercising, or driving.
Within the past year, podcasting has grown significantly. According to a study conducted by Edison Research in 2019, 51% of Americans listen to podcasts, 32% have listened in the past month, and 22% within the last week. That’s a huge audience! Many people are using podcasts to broadcast their knowledge about an array of topics - from nutrition, stories of conquering cancer, managed healthcare, nursing, and pediatrics.
Creating a podcast is a free way of marketing your practice. The population of podcasters in the medical field is still small so now is a great time to start. When you publish your podcast on platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, or Stitcher, you have the potential to reach thousands of listeners. This type of organic exposure can help you increase your reach and build your audience.
Create Live Video Content
These days, creating video content for your business has become easier and easier. You do not need fancy lighting, cameras, or equipment - you can simply create video content from your mobile phone! Platforms like Facebook Live and Instagram Live give you instant access to an audience who can then ask questions creating engagement and dialogue. Those watching your live stream can like, comment, and share as your show is taking place. You can even engage with your audience in real-time. Reaching people in real-time is a great way to engage with your audience and patients!
Dr. Brad Goodman, a physiatrist located in Birmingham, Alabama, uses Facebook Live to host his live show, DocTalk Live. Dr. Goodman’s mission is to help patients better understand health and medicine. He even invites his peers in the medical industry to join his live streams to provide information about health topics such as COVID-19, pain management, neurosurgery, and much more.
Before you start your live stream, have a set plan of what you are going to be sharing with your audience. Statistics show that Facebook users watch live videos for 3x longer than a pre-recorded video. Holding your audience’s attention and keeping them engaged is important. The goal is to have them return to your next live stream! Like Dr. Goodman, you want to use your live videos to be a resource of trustworthy and accurate medical information, that’s easy to process.
Want to start creating video content for your healthcare practice, but not sure how? We’re here to help! Contact us today and we’ll help you create a content marketing plan unique to you and your practice.