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For medical professionals who maintain longstanding relationships with their patients – and whom they often recruit via insurer networks – one might ask:  why should a medical practice engage in digital marketing?

With the costs of running a practice increasing exponentially, especially with investments needed in EMRs and cutting-edge diagnostic technology, medical practices might struggle with investing resources in intangibles like a website, blog, Facebook page, and the like.

However, a medical practice should absolutely consider maintaining a website and engaging in multiple digital marketing strategies.  The ability to present thought leadership and increase the likelihood of getting found by prospective patients are proof of the positive outcomes of a robust digital marketing program.

A Little Help from Friends
The good news is that several participants in the healthcare industry – from large hospitals to insurers to startups – have made it easier for doctors and other medical professionals to begin building their presence without having to start a website from scratch and hope patients find it.

Hospitals and healthcare systems, for example, maintain increasingly sophisticated digital presences, and often feature physicians on several of their webpages or microsites.  This could serve as a good first start for a doctor.

 
The website for Scottsdale Medical Center. 

Healthcare startup HealthTap, which started out as a Q&A site in which patients can ask a medical expert a question, and ZocDoc, an appointment-setting app, have created opportunities for physicians and other medical professionals to create their own personal pages and upload various digital assets.  

Physicians see the value of participating on these apps and networks when new patients discover their practice and make appointments.  Usually it takes one such conversion to get a doctor hooked.

 
The website for HealthTap, connecting patients with physicians and other medical experts.

Not Giving Away the Store
A huge concern with medical marketing is content:  what should a physician or medical expert broadcast online?  What would be considered appropriate or valuable – or legal?   

The idea of giving away advice, opinions, or perspectives via a public blog has been a tough decision for many professionals, not just physicians.  The basic rule of thumb:  if it wouldn’t be appropriate for a healthcare blog or the health channel of a major news site or portal, then don’t publish it.  

Finding the time to blog often proves to be difficult, as even CEOs and other business leaders are still figuring out how to engage in content marketing.

There, of course, exists the possibility of a reader – a current or prospective patient – taking the advice and simply not scheduling an office visit.   

But the good news is that as content builds, the site is being optimized for search, and after a few months, the doctor can enjoy higher discovery, more clickthroughs, and multiple inquiries on the Contact page.  

Joining the Conversation
Thought leadership is what separates one expert from another online, and in the competitive medical industry, a highly regarded blog can make all the difference.

As individuals consume the Web with more specific intent, users are increasingly typing in longer phrases, questions, and search strings.  A medical practice’s blog that can anticipate and address such expected medical questions, or specific medical terms, acronyms, conditions, symptoms, or medications, is sure to get found more quickly.

These thought leadership efforts can be amplified by syndicating the content with links published to the practice’s social channels, like Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, and any email newsletters or alerts distributed by the practice.

Final Thought:  A medical practice should have a digital presence for several reasons, perhaps starting as a page on an existing healthcare social network and eventually building to a robust, standalone presence.  The key is to present compelling thought leadership and engage in proper search engine marketing.  Getting found based on insights and expertise will serve the medical practice well.
 

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ChangeU: for your independent study…

ChangeU: independent study…
Healthcare Social Networks:  New Choices for Doctors, Patients
http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient-tools/healthcare-social-networks-new-choices-for-doctors-patients/d/d-id/1234884
A review of social networks for the medical community.

Social Media on HHS.gov
http://www.hhs.gov/web/socialmedia/
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ guidelines on social media usage.

3 Keys to Digital Marketing in Healthcare
http://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/digital-marketing-in-healthcare
Digital marketing insights from marketing software provider Hubspot.