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Why do dermatologists need digital marketing?
Digital marketing for dermatologists leads to patient referrals that will help you grow your business. Online marketing strategies such as social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, online reputation management, etc., can generate leads that could become paying patients who, in turn, could recommend your practice to acquaintances in the future.
If a dermatology marketing strategy does not include an effective digital marketing plan in 2022, then it needs to be revised. In this article, we will explore why digital marketing for dermatologists has become so vital to their growth and how you can boost long-term growth with an ROI-based digital marketing strategy for dermatologists.
The importance of digital marketing for dermatologists.
Studies reveal that 88% of people trust online reviews, and the percentage of people changing their minds after viewing online reviews is also increasing. So, no longer can dermatologists rely on referrals from physicians for continuous patient supply.
The changing consumer behavior whereby potential patients rely more on online reviews than the referral from their physician is becoming a headache for dermatologists. The appropriate digital marketing tools can help build trust in the practice that will convince patients that their physicians were right all along.
What does digital marketing for dermatologists include?
Small-to-medium medical practices usually ask this question: What does a good digital marketing campaign consist of? When asked what they think should be focused on, they will mention things such as social media marketing or advertising online.
The truth is that many moving parts should be synchronized in order to create a synergy that will bring the best ROI. Although it is possible to focus on certain elements, getting them all to work in unison is the optimal way to do it.
We will now examine the various elements of digital marketing for dermatologists.
Website Design
Without websites, there won’t be an internet. Just as vital as they are to the existence of the internet, so they are to your dermatology practice. And although you want a beautiful web design to keep visitors browsing for longer, aesthetics aren’t the only thing you need to focus on.
Web design goes beyond appearance. What would a pretty website matter if it appears on page 7 of search engine results? A recent study revealed that 98% of respondents do not browse past the first page of search engine results.
There is a myriad of functions that contribute to your website’s ranking. For starters, functionality plays a big role. If you have errors on your page or it is not mobile responsive, search engines frown and throws your site at the bottom of the pile.
Your website must be optimized to rank higher, and this is a daunting task that the individual can’t master overnight. This takes us to our next point, which is search engine optimization (SEO).
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Some of your patients might put makeup on to conceal a troubling skin condition, but without the proper diagnosis and prescribed treatment, the skin condition will persist. The same applies to your website. You can adorn it with beautiful aesthetics, but your website will continue to rank poorly without addressing SEO.
SEO is a wild horse that doesn’t like taming, and even experts struggle to master it as search engines’ algorithms constantly change, affecting what they are looking for on your website. As we mentioned, functionality plays a significant role, but then there is content, linking, keywords, speed, trust, and the list goes on.
The website is the anchor of digital marketing for dermatologists, and it is highly advised that you do a health scan on your website and consult with professionals to optimize it and improve your search rankings.
Content Marketing
When blogs started appearing in the 90s, they were primarily platforms of opinions. Today, they are powerful marketing tools. One reason to invest in content marketing is that keyword-rich content can help boost your search engine rankings.
The search engine crawlers sniff for relevant content on your site, and if they like it, it will count as brownie points toward shifting you higher up the rankings. But there is also a trick when it comes to content. It needs to be SEO optimized in order to improve rankings. Professional content creators can assist you in optimizing your articles so that they shout out to the search engines.
Content marketing also builds trust in your brand and can improve exposure. Writing interesting and informative articles will get visitors to stay on your site for longer, and if you are lucky, they may also send it on to friends or relatives.
Social Media Marketing
When harnassed correctly, social media marketing can be a powerful tool for building your brand and generating leads and should definitely be part of digital marketing for dermatologists. Social Media marketing is not just about constantly posting content but should form part of the bigger marketing plan.
For instance, social media can be used to promote certain articles posted on your website. Potential patients could then click on the social media post and be directed back to your website. More visitors to your site shows the search engines that your website is legitimate and in demand and helps to boost rankings.
Also, make sure to add links on your website that lead outward to your social media platforms. These links also boost the credibility of your website and help with SEO.
Social Media Marketing is an excellent way to promote your practice and its services. Use it to promote specials or discounts on certain products or services. Most importantly, you need to engage with people. Answer questions, show gratitude toward compliments, and handle negative comments with grace and decorum to build trust in your brand.
Online Reputation Management
Potential patients will go online to investigate your services when they are referred to your practice. You need to make sure that what they find will not make them turn around and run through your competitor’s door.
You need to accept that not all online comments will be positive, but that goes for every organization out there. Your responsibility is to make sure that the positive reviews push the negative comments out of view or at least outnumber them. One way to do that is to encourage patients to leave reviews online.
Additionally, make sure to reply to both positive and negative comments diplomatically. By doing this, you show that you care about patient experiences and are monitoring them to provide better service in the future.
Online reputation management can be an intense and time-consuming process, but luckily you can outsource this function to a digital marketing agency if your practice lacks the resources to do so. Certain companies are experts in digital marketing for dermatologists and will know exactly what to do.
Google My Business (GMB) and Online Directories
GMB is an easy way to help boost a medical practice’s online presence and improve SEO. This free and easy-to-use tool helps to promote your business across Google and Google Maps.
When it comes to digital marketing for dermatologists, this is an easy win. Search engines like seeing companies listed on directories online. Just make sure that all the posted information is accurate and updated because failure to do so could be punished with negative comments.
Email Marketing
Email marketing can be a powerful asset in your marketing campaign. It is an excellent way to reach your target audience, who have already identified their interest by subscribing to an email list.
The wrong way to go about it is to buy a database of emails from a marketing company. These cold emails will only hamper your marketing efforts and possibly damage your reputation.
Mastering email marketing is not as easy as it sounds. There are specific proven methods for writing emails and sequencing them in order to be efficient. Copywriters study the social behaviors of people online in order to determine the best way to compile an email. It might be worth your while to seek assistance before jumping on such a marketing campaign.
Video Marketing
Recent studies showed that 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool and 87% of video marketers claimed that it provided a positive return on investment. It has definitely become one of the most noticeable marketing trends to emerge in the last decade and should form part of digital marketing for dermatologists.
When most people consider video marketing, YouTube is the first platform that comes to mind. But with minimal effort, the same video or variations thereof could be posted on various social media platforms from Facebook to Instagram and TikTok, thereby increasing your brand exposure.
Videos included in your web design will help keep visitors on your website for longer. Videos about the practice and personnel create a sense of familiarity and build trust, while videos of successful treatment results attract potential patients to your practice.
Monitoring and Reporting on Campaigns of Digital Marketing for Dermatologists.
Long-term growth can only be achieved by implementing the correct digital marketing strategies and continuously monitoring their performance. It is the only way to determine your ROI and improvise where need be.
Certain metrics should be identified and monitored regularly. From lead management and conversion rates to website performance reporting, monitoring and reporting are required wherever you invest your resources.
Trying to do all of this in-house will consume a vast amount of resources and would not be as successful as when handled by experts in the field. Finding a company that specializes in digital marketing for dermatologists will provide you with the best ROI.
Practice Tech Solutions have been focusing on growing small to medium medical practices for over a decade. We offer digital solutions covering the entire scope of digital marketing for dermatologists.
Practice Tech Solutions offers a free SEO audit to all our prospective new clients. From there, we can determine your budget, your growth goals, and how we can achieve them within your budget. We will then provide you with a long-term ROI-based digital marketing plan for your practice and offer ongoing support to ensure we achieve our goals together.
Schedule a free no-obligation consultation by completing the box below. It is the first step to receiving that free SEO audit- the first step to enhancing digital marketing for dermatologists and achieving your desired growth goals.
