Friday, August 6, 2021

Healthcare Marketing Trends - How Google Is Shifting The Way We Think About Health Care

 

In the next decade healthcare marketing will be about meeting patients' needs by evolving your current marketing strategies with more internet innovation, authenticity, accessibility and more. Healthcare marketing is an ever-changing, fast-paced field, and healthcare marketing trends continue to evolve right along with it. Marketing healthcare is an ever changing industry, in which one marketing trend may become the new standard, or the new norm, in another area. Just recently, a survey was conducted in which a majority of health marketers indicated they believed that incorporating social media would be the next "big thing" in healthcare marketing. This poll was taken only prior to the merger of two large, successful healthcare marketing companies. Since the merger, however, healthcare marketers have come to a new conclusion that the time is ripe for healthcare marketers to embrace the world of social media.

According to those that participate in digital healthcare marketing trends, this view is not based on sound reasoning. The primary reason behind this opinion is the growth of digital technology within the last five years. The second reason, and the one that is believed to be the primary reason for this opinion, is that most health care professionals agree that social media helps them connect with their customers and clients. Therefore, digital marketing companies that focus on Facebook and Twitter are often met with success. Those involved in digital marketing understand that Facebook is the top portal for connecting patients to their doctors. Doctors who use Facebook to connect with their patients are likely to use it when they need to "get their hands on" information regarding a particular disease.

 

If you take a look at the second piece of the mega-coalition that is comprised by Facebook and Twitter, you will see that the amount of mentions has nearly tripled on both these sites from 2021 through the first quarter of this year. This increase is directly linked to the massive amounts of money being spent by health care organizations in digital marketing. According to estimates, hospitals spent $6.1 billion dollars on Facebook and another $4.1 billion dollars on Twitter during the time period. These figures do not include money being spent by individual patients.

According to some of the healthcare marketing trends experts, this form of digital marketing has become a huge part of the healthcare advertising strategy. Because it takes so little effort on the part of the users, many patients and doctors alike, healthcare organizations can now connect with them on a more personal level. The healthcare marketing trends experts believe that this personal touch helps healthcare organizations build strong relationships with their patients. This type of connection allows them to offer online reviews and recommendations to patients, something that was traditionally difficult to achieve.

Some other healthcare marketers view the rise of social media like Facebook as a positive aspect of the current marketing campaign. In the past, healthcare marketers had to rely on newspapers, radio, television, fliers, and even the bulk of advertising to reach out to patients. But with social networking sites like Facebook, it is much easier for healthcare marketers to create relevant adverts that can be seen by patients. These online ads can link in real-time to a specific content - in the case of pandemic advertisements, this would include specific articles written about diseases or conditions being spread by the latest pandemic. The goal is to inform readers of news related to their condition.

Healthcare marketers also see this trend as an opportunity to build awareness and loyalty among their target audience. They use the social media platforms to promote their brands, build recognition of their professionals, collect contact information of patients and facilitate communication with them. But these platforms are also useful for healthcare businesses in promoting themselves. For example, a travel healthcare company that offers its services to travelers can use Facebook to build awareness about its services and connect with them through discussion boards on the site.

Another way in which the trends in online marketing are reshaping the healthcare industry is through the development of new digital technologies. Medical imaging has revolutionized the way in which healthcare providers to provide their services. This technology has enabled healthcare marketers to create a platform where patients can access all sorts of medical information, interact with experts and get better care at lower costs. It is only the next stage of development where this technology will be rolled out to patients and doctors themselves.

The Google Panda updates was one of the most aggressive responses to this rising tide of online marketing. This occurred just before the busiest season in the US, when many professionals were off sick or vacationing. It is estimated that a record number of patients went back to their doctor or hospital in the run up to the holiday season, seeking treatment for seasonal flu and other ailments. The higher number of return patients meant increased profits for healthcare companies and Google saw this opportunity as an opportunity to step into the ring with both feet and put Google Panda into place. While the update caused many websites to go temporarily offline, particularly in the UK, it did cause Google to make strong headway in its effort to fight the bad, online reputation of the healthcare industry and instill greater trust in the system by customers looking for a high quality service.