Market Your Healthcare Practice & Stand Out Online€¦ · Content marketing We create engaging content that improves search engine optimization (SEO) and establishes your company

Market Your Healthcare Practice & Stand Out Online

Chapter 1: Build a High-Performing Healthcare Website ............................................................................... 5

Chapter 2: Optimize Your Webite for SEO ....................................................................................................... 9

Chapter 3: Embrace Patient Reviews ................................................................................................................ 13

Chapter 4: Create Educational Content ........................................................................................................... 17

Chapter 5: Engage with Patients & Industry Leaders on Social Media ........................................................ 20

Chapter 6: Creative Marketing, Videos, & Interactive Content ..................................................................... 23

Chapter 7: Be HIPAA Compliant ...................................................................................................................... 26

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Market Your Healthcare Practice & Stand Out Online

MARKET YOUR HEALTHCARE PRACTICE & STAND OUT ONLINE

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Introduction

An online presence is fundamental in the modern world of

marketing. Patients find everything online from healthcare

providers to health information, and this eBook offers seven

chapters exploring how to lead them to you.

iProv is a digital marketing company that knows how to

establish and maintain a broad, positive presence for your

healthcare organization. We combine digital advertising with

content marketing, social media management, and a myriad

of other marketing services, all of which contribute to a healthy

online presence. With our guidance, your clinic can establish

a distinguished brand that attracts patients and helps cultivate

strong relationships with them along the way.


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Content marketingWe create engaging content that improves search engine optimization (SEO) and establishes your company as an authority in healthcare. We provide written content, video content, or a combination of the two, allowing you to engage with patients in every way they get their information online.

Search engine optimization (SEO)Besides advertising on search engines, we know how to make your website appear organically in search results. This involves incorporating effective keywords, making your site more navigable, optimizing your pages for mobile views, and taking advantage of multiple forms of media.

Social media managementOur team can establish a presence for your company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and all other major networks. We post regularly on these networks, follow and engage with other pages relevant to your own, and link back regularly to your website. Our team will also respond to customer comments and reviews, building as positive a reputation as possible on social media.

Website designIf you do not have a website or are not satisfied with your current one, then we will build a new site for you from the ground up. In designing your site, we make it as convenient and navigable as possible while optimizing it for search engines.


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CHAPTER 1:

Build a High-Performing Healthcare Website

Sixty-three percent of Americans say they will choose one

provider over another because of a strong online presence.

The same survey showed that four out of five respondents

searched the internet for healthcare-related topics in 2018,

and that is not just the younger generation. Seventy-six percent

of the respondents over 60 also used the internet to find

healthcare information. What does this all mean? It means it

is more important than ever to have a quality website for your

healthcare facility.

In today’s world, the provider-patient relationship begins

online. Here is a step-by-step guide to build a high-performing

healthcare website.


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1. Cover your basicsYour website must include your practice’s address, email address, a working phone number, and hours of operation. You should also include information that is healthcare specific: insurances accepted, special services available, and procedures offered.

2. Invest in high-quality images and video High-quality images and video of your practice might seem unnecessary, but they are worth it.

Images boost your SEO, or search engine optimization, value. One study that found online content with images gets 94 percent more views. When labeled properly, images provide an additional source of search-friendly metadata to help rank your website among relevant search results.

Images also build trust and credibility. If you post quality images of your staff and facilities, then viewers will likely find your practice more appealing. Images help tell the story of your practice, and photos of smiling faces means a friendly staff. Photos of clean, orderly facilities translates to dependable services.

Lastly, images are shareable. Content that includes images is much more likely to get shared on social media. This will also help you build your social audience and ultimately your practice.


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3. Choose a good domainYour domain is the URL, or web address, people use to find your website. You should choose a domain name that is good for SEO, clearly identifies your practice, and is easy to remember. GoDaddy, one of the internet’s largest registrars of domains, provides 10 tips for choosing the perfect domain name.

• Make it easy to type• Keep it short• Use keywords• Target your area

You can use geographic indicators in the domain name itself, like www.arkansasdoctor.com for example.

• Avoid numbers and hyphens• Be memorable• Research it

Make sure it is not trademarked or copyrighted by someone else. • Use an appropriate domain name extension

Do not use .blog if your practice’s website is not primarily a blog, and do not use .ca if your practice is not in Canada.

• Protect and build your brand Consider purchasing multiple domain extensions such as misspells or alternatives to your practice’s name. This way someone else cannot snatch up your branding.

• Act fast Domains will not be for sale forever. If you find one that is perfect for your practice, then

it is a good idea to purchase it sooner rather than later.


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4. Differentiate your practicePatients have choices when it comes to healthcare. You have a choice whether or not you live in a suburban, rural, or metropolitan area. The success of your online presences depends on how well you stand out.

Your website should showcase what makes your practice special and, in particular, better than the competition. Do you offer procedures that other practices does not? Has your practice or staff received any awards or accolades? Do you have premier facilities with new equipment? What is your mission? Your website should highlight each of these important points.

Research the competition to understand what makes your practice unique. Keep track of what you like about their online presence, and try to emulate and improve those messages on your site. Take note of your differences, and showcase them on your website.

5. Add online scheduling45 percent of patients prefer to use digital methods to request an appointment. Patients do not want to call or email to schedule an appointment, and you should make the process as easy as possible.


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CHAPTER 2:

Optimize Your Website for SEO

The internet drastically changed how patients found physicians.

Not that long ago, the search for a healthcare provider was

almost entirely based on word of mouth. Patients would get

referrals from family and friends, browse through the yellow

pages, or chose a healthcare provider affiliated with their

healthcare plan.

Today, patients use search engines like Google or Bing to help them find healthcare providers. That is why you need a modern, highly-optimized website for your healthcare facility.

Having a website optimized for SEO ensures that your name and practice occupies the top spots when someone searches for what you offer. This is particularly important, as studies have shown that 75 percent of people will not click to the second page of search results. Paid ads make little difference, since 80 percent of people skip ads to find organic search results.


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What is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the practice of driving targeted traffic to your website from search engines. You can optimize your website for SEO by making sure content is designed in such a way that search engines can read it and rank in relevant search results.

How to optimize your website for SEOThe algorithm that search engines use to rank websites is complex. However, there are some key factors that go into it. Here are a few.

1. Be mobile friendlyMore internet searches occur on mobile devices than on desktops. Your web design should translate seamles3sly from one medium to the other. Plus, Google uses a mobile-first index to create and rank its search listings based on the mobile version of content.

2. Create quality SEO contentGoogle considers how relevant your website content is compared to what users have searched. That means your content should address common patient concerns. Beyond the basics about your practice, create blog-style content that educates your patients and is driven by their wants and needs and then optimize it.

SEO optimized content means it adheres to specific guidelines to make it more readable by search engines. This includes using header tags, metadata, images, and video. It also means making sure your content meets certain style guidelines. Here is an overview of Google’s content dos and don’ts from its Developer Documentation Style Guide.


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Content Dos: • Write content that helps patients, not search engines. • Write content in a friendly, conversational tone. • Be concise with your message, using clear and short sentences with simple

words. • Link to high-authority websites using descriptive link text. • Use numbered lists and bullet points for clarity and efficiency.

Content Don’ts:• Do not write content that is over-technical or filled with industry jargon, an easy

trap to fall into in the medical world.• Do not take metaphors too far. • Do not use too many exclamation points. • Do not use “click here” in anchor text.• Do not create pages with little or no original content. • Do not load pages with irrelevant keywords.

3. Use the right keywordsKeywords are what people are actually typing when they search Google or other search engines for information. It is the exact phrasing they type into the search box. When you use keywords in your content that matches what people are searching, it will help your content rank high on search results.

Once you have decided on topics to write about, you can do keyword research to help format your content towards what people are searching.


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4. Optimize images and videoDefinitely include images and video with your content. Content with images is more likely to rank higher. When you do so, also make sure that you tag the content correctly with relevant metadata. This includes choosing a key-word friendly file name, using the proper image format (like JPG or PNG), using an appropriate image size (consider that larger files slow load times), and writing keyword-friendly captions.

5. Build authority on other online channelsYour website should not be your only online presence. One thing that sends a strong SEO signal is when your website is listed on other high-authority sites. This includes having a social presence that promotes your content and creating relationships with other sites to have them share your content.

6. List yourself on GoogleListing your business on Google gives you automatic SEO points and also makes it possible for people to find you on Google Maps. According to a recent study by Pew Research Center, when people are looking for services near them, 9 out of 10 use their phone to get directions, recommendations, or other information related to their location. That includes finding doctors and other healthcare providers close to home.


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CHAPTER 3:

Embrace Patient Reviews

Patient reviews can be vital part of your practice. Here is why

you should take them seriously.

Reviews matterProspective patients care about what past and current patients think about a physician. Research shows that 77 percent of all consumers use online reviews as the first step in finding a new physician. Moreover, 81 percent will read reviews about a provider even after they have been referred.

Reviews help you stand out from competition Patients are more likely to choose a healthcare facility that has a number of high-rated reviews versus one that has little to no reviews.

Reviews help you build your clientele and keep it Patients that read reviews are more likely to leave reviews. They also tend to be people who do their research and choose your practice from an informed place. That means they will likely stay with you, generating more patients through word of mouth and their own online reviews.


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Do not shy away from reviews! Encourage them by responding and offering kind and helpful insight if prompted.

Patients review many things about your servicesBefore you offer a path for patients to leave reviews, you should learn about what they write.

Reviews involve how easy it is to make appointments, staff friendliness and helpfulness, how well you communicate important information like test results and appointment reminders, how long they had to wait, and the condition and cleanliness of the facilities.

How to encourage reviews from patientsThere are several ways to do this. You can send an online survey after their visit, have a feedback form on your website, or have a QR scan code available at your office for patients to scan and leave a review during their visit. Consider in which moment you think patients will be most likely to respond and most likely to be positive.

Remember that reviews serve many purposes. You should take feedback seriously, and use it to implement positive changes in your practice. This also allows patients to feel involved and empowers them, making the experience as a whole more positive.


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How to respond to reviewsReviews carry a lot of weight, so it is important to respond to them regularly. Here are six ways to do it effectively.

1. Assign a point personAssign someone from your staff to respond to all reviews. If you have a larger staff, then this could be your marketing professional. In smaller practices, this role is generally assigned to a non-medical staff member with a doctor answering questions as necessary.

2. Respond to negative reviews promptly Generally, you should respond to a negative review within 48 hours. This way others will be able to see how quickly you have addressed the situation. Be sure to stay calm in your response, and try your best to take the conversation offline to better address the patient’s concerns.

3. Respond to positive reviews too Do not just respond to negative reviews. Positive reviews deserve your time too. Respond to these reviews with a simple “thank you.” This will keep happy customers happy, and let readers know how considerate and attentive you are of them.


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4. Remain HIPAA compliantDo not violate any HIPAA, or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, rules when responding to patient reviews. Avoid acknowledging that the reviewer is a patient, and remove any patient-sensitive conversations from public view. If the reviewer initiates a conversation that contains sensitive patient information, then quickly suggest taking the conversation offline.

5. Be short and sweetYour responses should be quick, to the point, and polite.

6. Avoid using canned responsesAlthough you will certainly use “thank you” over and over again when responding to reviews, consider personalizing every response. Switch up the language, and be as specific to the reviewer as possible while remaining HIPAA compliant.


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CHAPTER 4:

Create Educational Content

Patients today not only turn to the internet to find healthcare

providers but also to find information about their own medical

concerns or issues. The web is full of information on health

and wellness, but much of it is unreliable. Quality healthcare

websites are in high demand. They both educate readers with

reliable information and turn frequent visitors into loyal patients.

As mentioned in Chapter 2, creating quality content is also vital

for SEO. Search engines reward websites that actually help

users. Quality content on healthcare does just that.


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3 ways educational content supports your missionPart of your role as a healthcare provider is to educate patients, and creating web content supports this mission.

1. It works with preventative care initiatives. Blogs allow you to provide helpful information to clients that is difficult to include in a short office visit. Health and wellness content such as exercise and diet tips is a great example of this.

2. It helps clients determine what kind of medical care they need.As patients turn to online “symptom checkers” to self-diagnose, you want to make sure that your patients are receiving credible information when they turn to the internet. Provide articles on common patient symptoms and concerns to help your patients find the answers quickly and determine what kind of medical care they require.

3. It builds patient trust. When you consistently provide relevant content, you become an authority and a voice of reason. This establishes trust between you and your patients, making you the one they will seek help from in a time of need.


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What to write aboutThere are two general types of educational content in healthcare: content that raises awareness and content that addresses common concerns.

Content that raises awarenessMisinformation is all too common in online health content. Content that raises awareness acts to counter this.

Vaccines constitute one of the best examples of this. This misinformation was so abundant that it created a global trend which had real-world health implications. Parents found scary information on the internet and chose not to vaccinate their children.

Content that addresses common concernsThis type of content can cover a range of information, but it should still be relevant to your practice. For example, if you are a pediatric practice, then keep your blog topics about pediatric care.

Use the wealth of knowledge of your staff to gather content topics around patient’s interests, concerns, and needs. This content should be very proactive with the goal of addressing patient concerns before they arise. If patients are aware of a reliable source of information, then they are likely to turn to it when they have concerns. Let that source be you.


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CHAPTER 5:

Engage with Patients & Industry Leaders on Social Media

40 percent of consumers say that information found on social

media affects how they treat their health. This chapter explores

the benefits of engaging with your community, both patients

and other healthcare leaders, on social media.

How social media benefits your practice Having a social media presence helps you build credibility, reliability, and authority. These three traits strengthen your relationship with existing patients and help you gain new ones.

Credibility You build credibility by providing quality content consistently. Patients begin to see you as a trustworthy source of information, someone they can trust when they need help.

ReliabilityReliability is about being available to patients in and outside of the office. By making your expertise available online, your presence expands to more aspects of their lives, strengthening the patient-provider bond.


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AuthorityBuilding authority means establishing your practice among competitors. On the internet, this is more than just other doctors in your area. It is all healthcare information available on the web. It is important you provide that fights misinformation and provides answers to your patients when they need it. They also need to know when you post fresh content, and social media helps you spread the word.

How to engage with your community The best strategy to social media community engagement is to post quality content frequently and to interact with your audience. You can do this in two ways. First, you can engage your patients directly (like answering questions and requesting feedback) and posting unique content. Second, you can engage industry leaders in healthcare by sharing their content.

Talk to your patientsPeople always have questions about their health, so let them find answers on your social media accounts. Here you can answer questions regularly, post surveys, or schedule live Q&As.

Patient feedback should also directly influence your content strategy. Write about what they want to know about and then promote original content via social channels.


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Talk to healthcare leaders Beyond the patient-provider dialogue, you will also want to participate in the professional dialogue happening on social media. Showing your patients that you have an active and relevant voice in the professional community helps establish your authority and credibility.

You can do this by following other industry leaders and sharing valuable content relevant to your practice. You can also participate in online healthcare initiatives such as the Ice-Bucket Challenge that raised awareness for ALS and Movember, which happens every November and raises awareness for men’s health issues.


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CHAPTER 6:

Creative Marketing, Videos, & Interactive Content

Shareable content needs to be creative. Content that uses good

visuals— including video— and interactive content drives the

most buzz.

Video marketingVideo is not only the fastest growing medium of information on the web. It has also been proven to have a huge return on investment and is excellent for SEO. According to a recent study, 84 percent of consumers have felt compelled to make a purchase after watching a brand’s video.

Video gives your patients a real-life view of your practice. Use video content the same way you would written content — that is, with a goal to educate your audience. Consider “Behind the Scenes” videos that highlights your facility and staff, explainer videos that help patients understand common procedures, Q&As with doctors that address common health concerns, or patient testimonials.


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Infographics, GIFs, and animated textBeyond videos and images, infographics, GIFs, and animated text can communicate information that stands out and is more likely to be shared.

Interactive content Interactive content entices the user to take an action, making them an active part of the social conversation. Here are some fun and easy ways to do it.

Polls and quizzesPolls and quizzes get your audience’s feedback and encourage conversation between audience members. You can use these to further your content initiatives, or get a look into their health goals or concerns.

ChallengesChallenges are engaging and totally shareable. They can be simple, something like challenging your patients to drink a healthy amount of water each day, or more complex, like daring them to exercise five times this week. Challenge patients to get vaccines, to get a flu shot, or dare them not to drink soda for a day. As you empower patients to be an active player in their own health, you also draw attention back to your brand.


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You do not just post to postPlanning ahead gives you time and energy to put more into your posts and content. This produces a higher quality end result that will actually help you reach your goal of community engagement.

It is efficientYou can focus on creating the right content instead of lots of mediocre content. When you post so-so content, you can lose followers. Posting with higher quality and less frequency, however, will have the opposite effect.

Determining the right frequency of posting for your practice really depends on your bandwidth. Most importantly, you should create an achievable plan. Do not post too often, or post content that is outside the scope of your brand. A poor quality image, caption, or unmatching post can really stand out in a negative way.


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Chapter 7:

Be HIPAA Compliant

It only takes one careless post revealing protected health

information to compromise your patients’ privacy and your

practice. This can pose a challenge and keeps many practices

off social media. However, there is no need to forego the

amazing benefits of having an online presence.

Here are some helpful guidelines to help you remain HIPAA, or

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, compliant

online.


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Never disclose protected health information The HIPAA Privacy Rule prohibits the sharing of any protected health information on social media channels. This includes any text, images, or videos about specific patients where the patient could be identified. Patient information can only be shared if the patient has given explicit written consent. Even then it can only be used for the purpose specifically mentioned in the consent form.

Train your employees on proper social media useIncorporate social media training into your new-hire training. All employees should be aware of proper HIPAA compliance on social media channels even if these employees do not have access to the company’s social media accounts. It is still a violation if an employee posts protected health information on their private social account.

Beyond new-hire training, we recommend providing refresher training once a year to ensure employees do not forget HIPAA social media rules. Be particularly careful when sharing something like a patient success story that necessarily includes personal details.

Here are the rules everyone in your practice should know:• Do not post images or videos of patients without prior written consent.

• Do not post any information about patients, whether a success story or gossip, where

it is possible for the patient to be identified.

• Do not share photographs taken inside the facility where patients are visible, or a

protected health information is visible.

• Do not share any information about patients in a private social media group.


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HIPAA Social Media GuidelinesCome up with social media guidelines for your practice, and share them with your staff.

Here is a checklist of what the guidelines should include: • Develop a training plan to inform all employees on HIPAA compliance and social

media use. • Give staff examples of what is acceptable and what is not. • Inform staff on the consequences of breaking compliance with HIPAA including

termination, loss of licensure, and criminal penalties. • Review and update your social media policies every year. • Encourage staff to report any potential HIPAA violations.• Closely moderate all comments on social media platforms and if a patient reveals

protected information, quickly take the conversation offline.

Imagine what a well crafted marketing strategy could do to

grow your practice and help you stand out online. Imagine

taking advantage of free tools to generate more referrals,

better reviews, and more revenue.

Ready to get started? Schedule an appointment with

one of our consultants now!

or call 501-213-1171.

Book an Appointment

Documents

Market Your Healthcare Practice & Stand Out Online€¦ · Content marketing We create engaging content that improves search engine optimization (SEO) and establishes your company