Improving patient acquisition is vital for any medical marketing plan. Failing to comprehend how patients come to your practice can lead to a decline in business. If you’re seeking to enhance your strategy, this comprehensive guide will assist you in working backward, starting from the end and expanding to the initial touchpoints. Here are four effective ways to optimize your patient acquisition strategy.
1. Fine-Tune Your Website
Your website is the cornerstone of your online presence, making it the ideal starting point for boosting the number of patients visiting your practice. Since all your marketing efforts drive traffic back to your website, it is crucial to evaluate its effectiveness. Consider the following factors:
Content: Ensure your website provides the information patients are seeking. Leverage your knowledge about patients’ pain points, frequently asked questions, and motivations to create valuable content. Start by dedicating a page to each service you offer, addressing common queries. Additionally, consider incorporating a blog, case studies, testimonials, and an “About” page that includes your locations and business hours.
Conversion Elements: Audit your website’s conversion elements on your website to make sure they’re doing their jobs: converting patients. These may include contact forms, click-to-call buttons, and chat widgets. By making it easy for visitors to become patients, your website fulfills its primary objective.
Security: Prioritize website security by obtaining an SSL certificate for HTTPS web addresses. This not only safeguards your site against cyber threats but also improves user trust. Search engines also consider SSL certificates as a ranking factor, making website security essential.
2. Review Your Local Search Listings
Local search refers to searches for nearby businesses. Even if you’re not actively promoting your practice through local search, automated listings on search engines likely exist. These automatic listings often contain inaccurate information, which can negatively impact your search marketing efforts. Correcting inaccuracies is crucial for optimizing your local search presence. Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) details are accurate across the internet. This basic information should be consistent. To further differentiate yourself, provide additional information such as photos, descriptions, operating hours, website links, and actively manage your reviews.
3. Manage Your Reviews
Online reviews play a significant role in shaping people’s perceptions of products and services. Search engines also consider reviews as a ranking factor. Good reviews have a couple of things in common:
Quantity: Encourage your patients to leave reviews. Implement an automated system to request reviews effortlessly, minimizing manual effort on your part.
Sentiment: Pay attention to the overall sentiment of the reviews. Encourage positive reviews and promptly address any negative feedback. Demonstrating responsiveness showcases your commitment to patient satisfaction.
4. Harness the Power of Social Media
Social media profiles offer an excellent platform to communicate your practice’s identity and services. Building a business profile and engaging with patients directly can yield substantial benefits. Here are two things to consider:
Platform Selection: Choose popular and relevant social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to reach new markets effectively.
Engagement: Experiment with different types of posts to identify content that resonates with your audience. Encourage patients to follow your social media accounts to establish an initial follower base.
By implementing these strategies, you can significantly enhance your patient acquisition efforts and build a strong online presence for your practice.
We Can Help
MyAdvice has been helping medical practices with their patient acquisition strategies for more than 20 years. Contact one of our digital marketing experts for a complimentary consultation to see how we can help you today!
