The year may be coming to a close, but it has not ended yet. This means you should lose no time creating a healthcare marketing strategy to finish the year strong. With 2023 on the horizon, you should consider what effective strategies have helped your brand thus far and improve what hasn’t to create a plan for the rest of the year. Healthcare is always evolving, meaning your strategy should too.
Although the year ends soon, there is no time to lag behind the competition. Your brand should go full throttle to the end of this year and into the next. This guide will provide you with essential information about what your plan should look like and the most current marketing trends, and how they may apply to your brand.
NewGen can help you with all your marketing needs, from content creation to revamping your website. We understand the importance of a solid healthcare marketing plan and are experts in creating, managing, and executing those plans. We consider the most up-to-date trends and implement them accordingly.
Upgrading Your Healthcare Marketing Plan
As you may be aware, there is not just one way to make your healthcare marketing effective, rather there are many layers to it. This shouldn’t discourage you and should have the opposite effect once you have gotten the basics and your brand begins to expand. The following is what you should consider applying to your healthcare marketing plan.
1. Constant Flow of Preparation
Any good plan requires a great deal of preparation. This could be researching what healthcare marketing trends are relevant in 2022 and how these trends will change going into 2023. You should generally have a well-rounded understanding of your brand’s market. Consider developing a deeper understanding of your patients, their needs, and how you can adhere to those needs. Being aware of the competitive landscape your brand will be able to better set realistic goals and means to reach those goals.
2. Realistic Goals
On the subject of realistic goals, without them, it’ll be near impossible to plan and allocate resources accordingly. In addition, realistic goals contribute to motivating your team whenever those goals are met. Your content creation should be a reflection of these goals. In addition, your projections should incorporate potential opportunities and risks based on your knowledge of market demand and the effectiveness of your marketing channels.
3. Customer Comes First
The first consideration of any healthcare marketing plan that should be made is that of the customer. Be wary that customer acquisition is just one part of a marketing strategy, but product development, customer onboarding, as well as customer service should also be included in the strategy. Consider your audience when it comes to the content creation process.
4. The Importance of Your Healthcare Message
It is all too easy to become engrossed in the business aspects of healthcare marketing, but it is essential that your message does not get lost in the process. You need a relevant, authentic message to back your strategy that is unique to your brand and stands out amongst your competition. Without it, your entire plan can fall through.
5. Be Flexible
This foundational aspect of healthcare marketing is often overlooked. It is vital to stick to the plan in place and have a backup and be flexible whenever mishaps occur. Every plan has risks and it is important to consider them. It can be difficult to adjust to unexpected circumstances if you have a rigid plan with large fixed costs like deposits or minimum spending requirements – such as changing market conditions or new competitors – that lock you into your plan. On the other end of the spectrum, if you cannot adjust your plan when necessary, it is possible to miss new opportunities.
Taking the Next Step in Healthcare Marketing
An understanding of the basics of a marketing plan should prompt you to take it to the next level. Having a foundation on which to build is vital to any plan but once that is achieved the next logical step to take is to refine it. The following aspects of a healthcare marketing plan you should consider are designed to expand and improve on your already existing plan.
1. Focus on Your Market
More often than not, brands tend to stretch themselves thin trying to make content for multiple audiences. This should never be the case for any brand. Consider your specific audience thaT makes the most logical sense to the services you provide and be sure to make content directed to that audience.
2. Focus On the Product
Although the patient should be considered first, it is important not to lose sight of the services and products you offer as those are just as important. Showcase what you can do while maintaining your mission clear to your patients.
3. Concrete, Measurable Specifics
When creating a marketing plan make it as detailed as possible. This way anyone within your team can look at the plan and know exactly what is needed to be done and when. The plan must measure results by tying them to activities and coming up with hard numbers. Your plan needs to be specific but not convoluted.
4. Responsibility and Accountability
Neither groups nor committees accomplish much. All parts of a marketing plan should be assigned to a specific person. Make sure someone is responsible for measuring the results of each task: Those executing plans must hold themselves accountable for measurable results. Marketing plans require commitment, not just involvement.
5. Reviews and Revisions
The process of planning is what makes a marketing plan a success, not just the plan itself. Static plans cannot keep up with the pace of change. In order to create a successful marketing plan, you must set goals, measure results, and track your progress. Revisions and reviews are required on a regular basis. It will do little good if you don’t execute your marketing plan.
Healthcare Marketing Trends of 2022
Understanding the trends of 2022 will further your understanding of what your plan should incorporate.
1. The Top Ranking Factor on Google is Reviews
Reviews are often a forgotten aspect of healthcare marketing but are extremely valuable. Online reviews have become as trusted as personal recommendations recently. Making them an important part of your healthcare marketing strategy. Consider implementing them into your content creation process by showcasing good reviews which will attract new patients.
2. Video Content: The Upcoming Form Of Content Creation
The progression of videos in the healthcare marketing scene as a viable source of content creation has been slow and steady but it approaching the threshold. Before ever stepping foot in the practice, a video can introduce potential patients “into the practice” and help them create a trusting relationship with the provider.
3. Prioritizing Local SEO
Local SEO can be tied back to your target audience. Your main target audience should be those in your local area in need of the service you provide, often categorized by age group. Therefore, to surpass the competition and drive new patients to your website, you must create a well-rounded local SEO for medical practices strategy.
4. Quality Content Marketing fuels organic Website Traffic
Blog posts are often associated with content marketing. Even though long-form blog posts are highly effective forms of content marketing, they are by no means the only ones. In fact, there is an overwhelming amount of different types of content, and the key is to have a good mixture. Diversifying your content types can allow your brand to expand organically.
5. Social media is where your patients are active
Many practices still feel that the platform wastes time and resources and doesn’t get the most out of it. It is, however, most likely the result of not implementing the appropriate content, time, and processes to engage potential patients. Patients’ use of social media to research providers or find recommendations is rising. As a result, social media should be an excellent resource for finding new patients.
6. Targeted Digital Advertising On The Rise
Healthcare marketers are becoming increasingly hyperfocused on who they advertise to as data on Google Ads, and Social Media Ads become more accessible. Your ads can now target the perfect patient type based on demographics and geofencing. Having a clear audience and targeting that audience through digital advertising is crucial to healthcare marketing in 2022 and going into 2023.
How NewGen Can Help
NewGen as a healthcare marketing agency is more than efficient in bridging the gap between patient experience and brand. NewGen can handle everything from website development to social media management for your brand. Brand engagement and growth are our top priorities. We are experts at healthcare marketing planning, considering all aspects that prove crucial to making an effective campaign. Among other things, we consider trends, audience, and services you provide to create a plan that’s right for your brand and the goals you wish to achieve.
If you have questions about NewGen and what we do, contact us!