If your organization has committed to investing in a healthcare marketing strategy this year you’re in good company. Healthcare marketing done right can be an incredibly lucrative venture for healthcare facilities. Consider this, In 2021, healthcare digital ad spending increased by 18%, reaching $11.25 billion. This represents 6.9% of all US ad spending and that figure is projected to increase in 2022.

Your prospective patients are online.  Check out these statistics:

• There are over 1 billion health-related searches on Google daily.
• Health-related queries are one of the most popular subjects searched by internet users.
• More than half of smartphone owners use their phones to get information about health conditions. 

Yet for all the opportunity, millions in ad spend is wasted due to healthcare marketing fails that could easily be avoided with some advanced planning and due diligence. I share 7 of the biggest marketing mistakes here:

1. Omitting a healthcare patient reviews strategy:  Building trust with new prospective patients requires social proof and there is no better, quicker way to achieve this type of credibility than with satisfied patient reviews. This requires a cohesive strategy that can include the creation of profiles on local crowd-sourced review platforms like Google My Business and Yelp, to national platforms like Vitals, Healthgrades, and RateMDs amongst others. Generating positive reviews can be as simple as asking your patient directly after a medical visit, to the set up of email automation, text messaging, and/or social media outreach.  If you are working with an older client base, you may want to consider sending out a traditional mailer that includes step-by-step instructions.
2. Choosing the wrong ad types or platforms to advertise your healthcare facility: Even if you have successfully run Facebook ads in previous years, you may be unpleasantly surprised that your old targeting is no longer available. In the last few years, Meta (previously Facebook) has been whittling away at audience targeting due to restrictions around “sensitive issues” such as health conditions. In 2022 even more audience targeting will be removed making it tough for healthcare advertisers.  While Facebook ads can still be an effective marketing channel (their suggested focus is developing people-first ads and they share some great beginner resources). Google search ads remain the most efficient way to reach new potential patients. as they are built around immediate user intent (patients are actively Googling as opposed to passively seeing an ad).
3. Using pushy or “salesy” website/ad copy: A healthcare organization’s “voice”, from website and ad copy to article content and landing page copy requires authenticity and empathy that showcases the humanity of your staff and your medical approach.  Coined “empathetic marketing”, it really isn’t marketing at all but a patient-centric approach to healthcare that resonates across all of your digital assets.
4. Creating a one size fits all digital marketing strategy: Personalization is central to a successful medical marketing strategy and a one size fits all approach to digital marketing will cause friction and will reduce appointments booked.  For example, If your organization offers multiple healthcare services it is ineffective to send out an email blast that tries to appeal to everyone about every service area.  Instead create ads, emails, landing pages, and content that speak to the unique interests of the website visitor.   If browsing data shows that your users are visiting your site from a mobile device, ensure that your ads and landing pages are responsive and adaptive.   If you took the time to create a bilingual or multilingual website, ensure your marketing outreach corresponds in kind. If your healthcare facility appeals both to Millenials and Baby Boomers, offer corresponding ways to communicate with your organization i.e. Live chat, WhatsApp and social messaging for younger users and traditional email, simple contact forms, and “call-able” phone numbers for older users.
5. Setting up PPC campaigns without LegitScript: certification: To protect consumers, healthcare industries including drug and alcohol addiction treatment facilities, telemedicine, online pharmacies, CBD and supplement vendors are required to sign up and receive certification through LegitScript, a compliance organization that provides merchant and platform monitoring, for what Facebook and Google perceive as high-risk industries. You simply cannot move forward with any paid campaigns within these channels without LegitScript. 
6. Weak or no local SEO strategy: Organizations invest heavily in PPC campaigns for lead generation, with a cursory investment in on-page SEO.  However too often a local SEO strategy has not been put into place, and that’s a shame. Organic traffic from local SEO activities can reap high-quality leads.  Here are a few tips to get you started:  If you haven’t already, Claim your Google Business Profile, Google Maps Profile, and other relevant local listings like Yelp.  Curate blog and video content that focuses on relevant topics using local keywords.
7. Measuring leads and not patient bookings: If the kind of key performance indicators (KPIs) you are measuring is based on lead generation only, you are only measuring the first step in your patient’s journey.  It’s your marketing team’s responsibility to ensure that Google Analytics and custom conversion tracking are set up to follow the lead journey into your patient relationship management software.  Furthermore, collaboration with front desk staff or sales teams needs to be prioritized to evaluate lead data and ensure that leads are being secured into booked patients.

Learn more about how SunHouse Marketing’s award-winning healthcare marketing and lead generation services can you achieve your core revenue goals.