As the pandemic continues to surge across the country, the idea of returning to pre-COVID-19 conditions is looking less and less plausible. This realization has caused many organizations to pivot and transform their business model to reflect these changes. Your hospital or healthcare facility is no different. You now take center stage, informing and educating patients and individuals on virus recommendations, guidelines, and safety procedures. Your healthcare marketing during COVID-19 may begin to suffer, and that’s where we come in. While we can’t be with you on the front line during the pandemic, we can be here to support you with our healthcare advertising services during this time. The experts at beMarketing are sharing how to adjust your healthcare marketing strategy during COVID-19.
5 Strategies for Effective Healthcare Marketing
If you’re struggling to adapt your healthcare marketing during COVID-19, the hive is here to help. We’ve prepared our beVitals™ for professionals like you. With our unique plan, we’ve prescribed the perfect dose of digital marketing strategies that will inject your healthcare business with the results you want. For healthcare professionals big and small, here are 5 strategies to implement during this time of uncertainty.
Update Existing Campaigns to Reflect Current Circumstances
If you haven’t taken the time to look at your existing advertising campaigns, now is the perfect opportunity to review them. If you’re running PPC campaigns, make sure the messaging is current and reflects the actual operations of your healthcare facility during the pandemic. Your print or direct mailers may already be in your patients’ mailboxes, which is fine. Keep in mind a lot of patients are still working from home and spending more time indoors, so directing your messaging towards telehealth services is a smart approach. Take this time to double back and refocus to ensure your patients are receiving the correct and most current information.
Adapt Your Keywords to Current Search Trends
By now, you know that keywords are an incredibly important resource in your marketing efforts. To stay on top of current healthcare search trends, it’s important to adapt your keywords. While ‘COVID-19” and “coronavirus” are still relevant queries, many users are searching for more generic keywords. When gathering your keyword data, using a tool like Google Trends can be helpful to understand how and what people are searching for relating to healthcare over a given time. Reviewing reports and search queries on Google Analytics weekly can help you develop a smart strategy that best suits your patients’ wants and needs.
Meet the Increasing Demand for Health Information
Your patients are looking to you for the most recent and relevant information about the virus. From proper handwashing techniques to exercising at home, your healthcare facility should serve as a beacon of awareness during the pandemic. A recent study by NRC found that people viewed hospital and health system websites as the most trusted source of information on COVID-19. Creating relevant and informative content shows your patients you care and that you’re the go-to healthcare facility in your area.
Update Local Listings
Have your hours of operation changed due to the pandemic? Is your office closed and you’re only offering telehealth services? If so, it’s important to update your local listings like Google My Business (GMB), Facebook, and Yelp with these changes. GMB now offers you the ability to add links to your local listing about specific COVID-19 information. This is a great way to update your patients on how your facility is handling the pandemic and provide telehealth information.
Engage Patients Where They Live and Work
To make your healthcare facility more accessible, it’s a smart idea to bring it to where your patients are hanging out—online! With more and more people staying home, they’re relying heavily on social media for everything. This is your chance to creatively connect with your largely home-based patients. Answer questions, offer informative webinars, provide relevant infographics, and continue educating patients about various topics. This helps retain the conversation between your current and new patients and keeps your healthcare system alive.
At beMarketing, we are the premier healthcare digital marketing agency in the Greater Philadelphia area. When your facility utilizes our healthcare advertising services, we can prescribe the most comprehensive marketing methods that fit the bill for your healthcare system. We know this is a difficult time for everyone, and that’s why we’re here to help with our smart healthcare marketing strategies to ensure your organization adapts to the ever-changing pandemic environment. If you’re ready to transform your business model, contact our team today to get started.
