Regardless of what type of business you run in today’s market, one thing is certain – marketing is king. In the healthcare industry, nearly 25 percent of all businesses fail within the first two years and 40 percent by year five.

While the healthcare industry boasts slightly better numbers than other businesses, the risks are still high. That’s why your healthcare marketing strategy is so important to the success of your business.

You must show people that you exist in their community. They need to know who you are, where you’re located, and most importantly, what you have to offer.

Keep reading for some helpful insight into healthcare marketing. Learn how to make an impact and get your name out into the community.

1. Make Your Website User-Friendly

First, you must embrace the digital world of marketing. You may not be good at it or even know where to start, but it’s vital to your operation.

People are very cautious about who they trust with their health. They will conduct hours of independent research before deciding on which facility to use as their primary care center. If you don’t have an online presence, they’ll never even know you exist.

Start by building a user-friendly website that’s clean and visually appealing. It also needs to run smoothly and quickly – people are used to immediate gratification when it comes to the internet and will expect nothing less from your website. Finally, make sure it’s intuitive and easy to navigate, as well as being optimized for mobile devices.

If you don’t know how to create a website, hire the job out. This is one area you should definitely invest money into perfecting, as the website will be the virtual face of your company.

2. Perfect Your SEO Strategy

One of the most important healthcare marketing strategies that tie directly into your website is SEO marketing. SEO or search engine optimization refers to the algorithm used by various search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo!) to find relevant information based on a user’s keyword search. How well you’ve established your SEO determines how quickly and easily a user will find your website.

You can boost your SEO rating by including a blog on your site full of informative and relevant articles. You also need to use keywords in these articles that users would use to search. Include internal links leading to other pages of your website as well as external links leading to source pages for statistics and other data.

Next, make sure all of the different forms of media (headers, images, videos, photos) are embedded with metadata. And finally, ensure you have your contact information and address listed in at least one location on your site.

3. Team Up With a Local Charity

Another strong healthcare marketing tactic entails getting involved in your community for the greater good (with the added bonus of publicity for your business).

Connect with a local charity and plan a fundraising event for it. This could be anything from a 5k race, silent auction, art gala, concert, etc.

Reach out to other local businesses to gather sponsors to increase funds for the event. These funds can go towards entertainment, food, venue costs, etc.

Next, start building hype around the event months in advance through social media, the radio, newspapers, etc. Make sure the charity organization and other sponsors are doing the same. You want to get as many people in the community attending as possible.

4. Get Your Name Out in the Community

There are more ways to get your name out in the community than hosting charity events, however. A key to success is brand recognition and familiarity. Your business must be well-known in your city.

This healthcare marketing technique requires using some good old-fashioned advertising. Take out ads in the newspaper, pay for airtime on local radio stations, create a TV commercial, and send out fliers using a direct mailing company.

The more people hear, see, and read about your name, the more your healthcare business will become a staple of the community.

5. Post Reviews and Testimonials

As we suggested above, people do extensive research when it comes to choosing a healthcare provider. This is a good thing, of course, for the patient. However, you can also use this to your advantage.

On your website, social media accounts, and through reviewing entities (Yelp, Google), post reviews and testimonials of past patients and/or clients. Let their positive experiences do the advertising for you. Not only is this free advertising, but it’s also incredibly compelling.

Reviews and testimonials are huge for your business.

6. Maintain an Active Presence on Social Media

Social media is a major component of our modern existence. With billions of users worldwide, it’s also a great platform for marketing. You can use social media to build a following, advertise, post information, and more.

However, you can’t just create an account, let it sit, and expect it to generate business for you. You have to have an active presence.

Post engaging content (articles, pictures, video, memes). Give people a reason to follow you and engage with your posts by liking, sharing, commenting, etc. Additionally, think outside of the box by running competitions, raffles, and giveaways that encourage people to spread your name and bring you more followers.

7. Build Affiliate Relationships With Local Businesses

Finally, as a healthcare provider, you’re in a unique position that grants you a whole wide world of affiliate partnerships. Reach out to other local businesses with whom you think you can build mutually beneficial relationships. This could be a natural supplement company, a fitness center, or an insurance company to whom you give health insurance leads.

The key is to find businesses that deal with similar aspects of consumerism. You send business their way and vice versa. You can offer a commission to the businesses for any clients you get or advertise for them in your facility, etc.

Looking for More on Healthcare Marketing?

The world of healthcare marketing is vast and varied. There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong method of advertising. It ultimately comes down to your business, your targeted audience, and what skills you bring to the table.