Google has a prediction for search marketing in general: Helpfulness will be the winner.
“Today’s consumers expect more,” says Google. “They’ll ask increasingly detailed questions and expect brands to provide answers that are tailored just for them. Ultimately, it will be the brands that are deemed truly helpful that will rise above the competition.”
At the same time, we’re seeing predictions that healthcare itself will be changed by artificial intelligence. As patients increasingly rely on apps and at-home testing for diagnosis and health tracking, primary care physicians will spend less time on these basics. Nearly half of millennials don’t even have a primary care physician, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
What does that mean for healthcare marketing?
A healthcare story
One of our team members is a millennial with no primary care physician. She recently went to an ob-gyn for her second baby. With the first baby, she had a great doctor, but that physician doesn’t work summers. Her new child will arrive in the summer.
So she went to a new doctor. This doctor was different from the first. Our team member got a printout of all the visits and tests she should expect. She got information about a whole slate of classes, from Lamaze to sessions on how to help her oldest child with the transition to Big Sister. She got answers to questions that had, she felt, been brushed off the first time around.
Which doctor is she happiest with? The helpful one.
Of course your doctors are helpful
Something that’s not changing is the fact that your facility’s physicians are busy. They’re not going to get less busy. Millennials resent waiting for an appointment, they want to be able to get information fast when they need it, and they like to get their answers online. Convenience is, for many millennials, the most important commodity.
This is a big plus for digital healthcare marketing.
Your current patients will value being able to come to your website for answers to their questions. Not to mention the opportunity to sign up for those classes. And a chance to send questions to their doctors.
Prospective patients are looking for answers to their questions. In many cases, they’ll want to see a doctor after they’ve gotten those helpful answers. They’re going to choose the website they found helpful… particularly if they can easily make an appointment and get their paperwork done online.
Plan for next year
How can your website be more successful in bringing in new patients and bringing back current patients? Here are the questions that provide the answer:
- How can your website provide helpful answers to their questions?
- How can you provide a great experience with maximum convenience?
- How can you make sure that patients and prospective patients find your website?
Haden Interactive would love to help you answer those questions. Try our SEO Strategy Document, or call us at 479.966.9761 to talk about your needs.
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