Do you use leeches in your clinic?
Of course not, that was a medical myth that is no longer practiced. There are better ways to treat patients now than there were over 100 years ago.
The same is true about marketing. The landscape of digital marketing in healthcare changes rapidly and, most likely, you still believe (and invest) in one or more of the myths below. At best, these myths aren’t working any longer for you, and at worst, they are impacting you negatively and causing you to lose patients.
Let’s fix that!
Below, I’ve tackled 12 of the most prominent online marketing myths that keep medical practices in a rut instead of growing.
Myth #1: Participating in events that require face time should be your marketing bread and butter.
Reality: Community health fairs have their place when it comes to connecting with consumers. Don’t stop doing these things but think long and hard about committing a majority of your marketing budget to events like these. Consumers want to know your practice online, and it is here where you can offer a connection that can be reinforced in every post, every blog and at every touch point along the way. For example, close to 60 percent of “…consumers’ decisions to receive treatment at a healthcare facility are strongly influenced by that provider’s social media connections,” according to a study posted by Evariant. With data like this, a social media presence matters to consumers and can be obtained remarkably well through means other than live events.
Myth #2: Digital marketing is a quick fix.
Reality: Setting up a digital marketing roadmap and then implementing that roadmap takes time, effort and a balanced dose of reality. If you just redid your website, don’t expect your practice to double in size in the next few months. It will take time, multiple efforts spread across many channels and continual tweaks to increase engagement. Let this engagement happen organically and through paid channels.
Build the marketing framework, invest money into it and trust the team you put in place to be a good steward of your marketing budget. Invest time in meeting with your marketing team to talk about data wins, new opportunities and progress across channels. Ask them challenging questions. But also realize that if you hired them to do a job, you can entrust them with that responsibility.
Just make sure to give them the appropriate portion of your overall gross income to do something worthwhile to make successful gains. The more you want to do with less money, typically the longer it will take to get results. For instance, Neil Patel’s own research suggests that “…at least 12 quality posts per month can start generating results within six to nine months…” but this type of volume is not something every business can strive for, at least initially.
Small businesses may be more apt to pay a skilled copywriter to write two to four posts a month, which takes longer to build momentum. Instead of feeling defeated that you cannot throw the money you want to into marketing, do something now with at minimum two percent of your gross income and continue to increase this budget accordingly. Results take time and money, and there’s no way around this.
Want to find out about other marketing myths? Read the full guest post at ReferralMD
12 Myths You Need to Stop Believing About Digital Marketing That Keep Your Practice Stuck in the 90s
At Baker Labs, we are big believers in the power of using inbound marketing and content to help our clients reach their revenue goals. We use a variety of digital strategies, from complex to simple, to help your medical practice grow.
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