Healthcare Marketing Myths That Are Costing You Patients

There are myths that hinder medical institutions from attracting clients. But you can stay one step ahead by learning these secrets. A healthcare marketing strategy has its own unique characteristics, and even experienced marketers are often misled about the specifics of promotion. Let’s explore these common healthcare marketing mistakes. And you will be able to fully utilize the power of online promotion.

How Medical Marketing Myths Can Prevent You from Growing Your Practice

You’re trying to attract customers and tell those who need your practice about it. Unfortunately, being a medical professional isn’t enough to build a successful practice. Modern realities dictate a new approach. You also need to be well-versed in marketing. Nowadays, patients search online for information about their illness. They also read online reviews of clinics and doctors to determine whom to contact. Is your website not on the first page of Google? You have very little chance of being noticed. Haven’t you presented your achievements effectively enough? Unfortunately, patients may leave for competitors. The most dangerous myth about digital technologies in private medical practice management is that doctors simply ignore the digital space. Don’t make this mistake! We present the most common mistakes made by healthcare marketers. Avoid them, and you will increase your chances of being noticed. We will help you attract the patients you need.

Common Healthcare Marketing Myths You Should Stop Believing

Your patients are waiting for you. After reading this article, you will understand how to make sure they find you!

Myth 1: HIPAA Prevents Healthcare Marketing

The medical field has particularly stringent requirements for the security and safety of patient information. So, healthcare marketing and patient acquisition certainly have their own specifics. But this doesn’t mean medical practices can’t advertise their services! On the contrary, boldly asserting yourself in the digital space is essential if you want to attract patients. Bring your technology platform into compliance with HIPAA requirements, and you’ll be able to effectively conduct marketing campaigns. Even complex marketing strategies – segmentation, targeting, and even ROI tracking – will be within your grasp. The technology built into your HIPAA security system ensures the security of all patient information. However, some types of retargeting and messaging will be limited due to HIPAA regulations. Experienced marketers understand these nuances and will help you attract patients in accordance with existing requirements.

Myth 2: Healthcare Marketing Is Unethical

This is an outdated notion of marketing as intrusive advertising. Ethical marketing in healthcare is crucial for the development of the modern medical ecosystem. Proper and ethical marketing includes creating understandable materials about diseases, prevention methods, and treatments. Medical practices launch campaigns highlighting the importance of early diagnosis (e.g., cancer screening). Effective advertising helps patients find the right specialist, clinic, or innovative therapy. Marketing conducted by professionals with due regard for ethical principles demonstrates a medical organization’s expertise, transparency, and values.

Myth 3: Advertising Is Too Expensive

Expensive is a subjective concept. You invest in marketing, and you get more patients who then remain loyal to your medical practice. In that case, investing in online promotion of your medical practice is entirely justified, right? Consider advertising costs in relation to your return on investment. If you pay, for example, $100 to attract a patient through advertising your practice, and this ultimately brings the clinic $3,000 in revenue, is that too expensive? Define your potential audience very precisely. Or, for example, use marketing technology such as pay-per-click. Explore all ways to save money, but don’t abandon marketing, which will bring you success.

Myth 4: I Don’t Need Marketing Because I Already Have Enough Patients

Patients used to come to doctors based on recommendations from other patients. But times are changing, competition is growing, and new ways to attract patients are emerging. And believe me, many of your competitors have already mastered them. Patients are also changing their behavior. Today, they search online for information about doctors and diseases. If you don’t have a website where you post authoritative information about diseases and treatments, you could be losing many potential patients. 71% of patients who are looking for a doctor first read online reviews. Another 23% of patients use online reviews of doctors as part of their search. In total, 94% of patients rely on online reviews. It would be extremely short-sighted to ignore this situation. So, make sure your Google My Business listing is up-to-date and optimized and that it displays well in local search results with a sufficient number of high ratings. Use paid and organic traffic advertising.
Today, pharmaceutical companies spend nearly $30 billion a year advertising their prescription drugs on radio, television, print newspapers and magazines. Keep up with other medical practices and take advantage of every opportunity to attract your future patients.

Myth 5: It’s Difficult to Measure Returns for Healthcare Marketing

Well, that’s not true. Digital marketing is much more measurable than traditional channels. But the truth is, medical institutions do face a number of unique challenges. How can this be avoided? Implement a tracking system to measure the sources of all your leads. Set up tracking for submitted forms, phone calls, and so on. Measure the number of calls and the sources using marketing platforms. Track what happens after the application is submitted.

Myth 6: Your Reputation as a Physician Is Enough

Your reputation as a reliable, qualified specialist is the foundation. But in modern times, this is only part of the strategy for attracting patients. You need online reviews and star ratings, but that’s not all! The more traffic your website gets, the more patients will book appointments. Organize paid advertising and optimize your GMB listing so it appears in 3 local Google search results. Engage in advanced digital marketing to improve your online visibility.

Myth 7: SEO Alone Is Enough

Medical practices often use SEO in their marketing. SEO is believed to attract some of the highest-quality leads. Why? Because search is often the last channel potential patients use before contacting you. As a result, it gets the credit, missing the path the client took before taking the plunge. Healthcare SEO is important, but local SEO is the most important traffic a medical facility can generate. Attract the people most likely to seek your help.

Myth 8: Calls Are the Only Measure of Marketing Success

Yes, phone calls will always be important for healthcare providers. But sometimes patients prefer text messages to phone calls. Appointments are sometimes scheduled through a series of text messages. Some patients don’t want to talk over the phone, especially when the issue is sensitive. Medical questions can often be embarrassing. Others simply don’t want to waste time on the phone. Furthermore, most Americans no longer answer calls from unknown numbers. This makes it difficult for receptionists to return potential patients’ calls at the right time. Therefore, be sure to implement text messaging to communicate with patients.

Myth 9: Paid Ads Don’t Work for Medical Practices

This statement is based on outdated notions. Modern patients make healthcare decisions very differently from how they used to. With a strategic and ethical approach, paid advertising is a very effective tool for growing a medical practice.

Patients used to find doctors through recommendations from friends, insurance directories, or driving past clinics. Now, people search online for doctors, clinics, and medical facilities. Online marketing is highly effective and easily measurable. Unlike billboards or newspaper ads, you can track every dollar spent on digital advertising. You can calculate your customer acquisition cost – the exact amount you spend to attract a new patient. If you’re investing in a new laser or starting to offer a new procedure, paid advertising is the fastest way to announce it in your local market. So, harness the power of paid advertising to grow!

How These Misconceptions Affect Patient Growth

A qualified doctor is a great advantage, but it’s not enough to stand out in today’s reality, especially when your competitors are harnessing the power of online technology. Patients are incredibly important to receive quality care, but they also care about the entire registration process: how easy it is to find your clinic, how attentive and unobtrusive your customer service is, and how complete and authoritative the information on your website is. Patients expect a simple and intuitive registration process. For example, 63% say that reducing wait times would significantly improve their experience. 53% prefer the convenience of telemedicine. 92% of patients prefer digital forms of interaction due to speed and accuracy. So, if you want to continue attracting patients, leverage your marketing and the benefits of online technology. Don’t fall for the myths that prevent you from realizing your full potential.

Conclusion

Now you know the most effective patient engagement strategies in healthcare. Don’t give in to myths that hinder your practice’s growth. Make full use of technology and effective marketing to ensure patients notice you and utilize your highly qualified services. Contact us, as a medical marketing agency, we will provide you with all the support you need.