Quick tips for “traditional” online hospital marketing

[Christopher Boyer]

Looking for some quick ways to get the most out of your online marketing? First consider the ecology of online marketing, which is the intersection of Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization of your website and Social Media Optimization.

“Traditional” search engine marketing involves engaging end users who are searching with intent. These are patients that are actively on the path to purchase healthcare from your physicians and hospital. These patients use search engines to discover authoritative content and target their searches to specifically find healthcare to best suit their needs.

There are three simple tips that you can implement in your online marketing strategy to best capture these users:

Tip #1 - define the “www” of your website
Many hospital websites have done a good job revamping their "look and feel", and even have started to add transactional elements for patients (in an effort to add interactivity...perhaps as a trend to embrace "Web 2.0." However, most of them have lost sight of their website basics – the “www” of your hospital website.

1. Who
This refers who you are - not only the features of your hospital: your key service lines, your staff, your hours of operation, but also your role in the community, and who your key stakeholders are. Hospitals also need to find a compelling way to illustrate who you will be in the future, and the importance of this to the community you serve.

2. Why
People searching online are searching with intent, which means (in short) that when they are on your website, most web viewers are in the process of selecting your hospital over others. It's important to use your website to tell them why they should choose your hospital over others. Why are you different? Is it the quality of your staff, your technologies and procedures? Is it your accreditations and/or your third-party awards? By giving them a clear illustration as to why your hospital is different - or better - than others, is critical.

3. What
The one thing that is often overlooked is perhaps the most important - now that they know the “whos” and the “whys” of your hospital – is what do you want them to do? Consider this the business development portion of your site. What should they do to further engage with your hospital? Download additional brochures to share with their friends/family? Contact your physician referral line? Sign up for a community seminar or lecture? Hospitals that don't give web consumers a "call to action" are leaving potential revenue on the table. If people visiting your website can't find the answers to these three questions, you're not optimizing your online presence.

Once your hospital site has addressed the who, why and what, you are free to focus on other elements of your site.

Tip #2 - Use Search Engine Marketing that Matters
When using search engine marketing, your hospital must develop a campaign that is not only targeted but also very effective. Not only are you seeking a high-level of “click-throughs” more importantly, you are trying to attract patients to your services in order to develop a deeper relation with them.

Here are some tips to help you build a search engine marketing campaign that matters:
1. Be specific about what you are marketing. Know the difference between general branding and service line targeted marketing promotions.
2. Make the text of your ad campaign relevant. Be sure to have some of the keywords in your ad for what you are advertising. These will get better click-throughs because they are more relevant to the user. For example, if you are buying the term “joint pain”, make sure your ad contains that phrase. And don’t use the same exact ad for every key word you buy.
3. Use specific URL’s. Drive people deep into your website to a specific page that talks about what you are marketing. Don’t just use the home page or people will lose interest and leave your site.
4. Have a relevant landing page. If you are marketing a seminar on bariatric surgery, try to create a page dedicated to that only, rather than to the home page or the bariatric home page.
5. Manage your campaign. It can take several months to fully optimize a search engine marketing campaign. Don’t just outsource it to an agency. Stay on top of it, as much as daily at first to be sure you are getting the most for your money. Check the statistics on which ads people click through the most, pause or delete keywords that aren’t being clicked on and adjust spending as necessary to optimize click-throughs.
6. Consider “long-tailing” your ad campaign – develop ad campaigns around very specific procedures and treatments. The goal here is not to have high click-throughs, rather have very targeted patients click on your ads (as these patients “convert” more frequently).

When building a search engine marketing/adword campaign, you should spend time up front to ensure your efforts matter. The time will be worth it as you’ll see financial success from a well-crafted campaign.

Tip #3 - Your website is not enough
Let’s face it – your website is only one of the many sites interested consumers will go to, when researching your hospital. With the advent of mobile devices, location-based searching and “local SEO” there are more and more online resources available to help drive people to your hospital website.

Luckily, many of these sites allow for businesses to claim your listings for free, update incorrect contact information, and (most importantly) add links back to your main site. Often these sites also allow you to add additional information about your hospital (awards, key service lines, etc.).

Take time to claim your local Google, Bing, Yahoo and DexKnows hospital listings. Also, search third-party sites like Wikipedia (which contains listings of all US hospitals) and your HealthGrades hospital profile.

These quick and easy tips will improve your hospital’s online marketing strategies.

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