The healthcare and pharmaceutical industry was projected to spend a record $19.66 billion on digital ads in 2024. Although this acknowledges that healthcare marketing is crucial, providers continue to face challenges in this arena.
Many patients harbor significant distrust of the healthcare system; the patient-as-customer journey continues to evolve rapidly with emerging technologies; and marketers face limitations like budgetary constraints and HIPAA compliance—all of which combine to make healthcare marketing more challenging.
Despite the challenges, digital marketing offers incredible potential, particularly for small providers that are under pressure to merge with larger systems. If your clinic has thus far been handling marketing in-house, it likely consists of your practice manager tossing up a few social posts and digital newspaper ads now and then. Perhaps it’s time to revamp your approach by partnering with an outside marketing firm, particularly if the following signs describe your practice.
- Your Practice Is Growing
“Why should I spend money on outside marketing help? We’re thriving!” Actually, if your clinic is currently doing well, this is precisely the time to invest some of those extra dollars into expert marketing that will continue allowing your practice to thrive moving forward.
For one thing, full bookings will mean that your in-house staff has less time to handle marketing tasks. That can translate to a possible dip in revenue on the horizon. Furthermore, an experienced marketing partner can pinpoint exactly where the increased revenue is coming from and then design campaigns to keep the momentum going.
- Your Practice Isn’t Growing
Although many patients may still be unaware of the trend, providers know all too well that the healthcare landscape is changing rapidly. Private equity groups are buying up health systems (and subsequently leading to a decrease in the quality of care). Struggling small-time clinics and hospitals faced with low reimbursements and similar financial problems are being coerced into merging, selling off, or closing their doors entirely.
If your practice isn’t growing, the future looks bleak and your choices few. Do you sell or merge, and force your providers to implement new directives that may adversely affect patient care? Before your clinic’s finances worsen to a point at which this decision seems inevitable, you need to invest every spare dollar into effective, data-driven marketing campaigns, which could very well save your practice. Since your practice isn’t thriving on inside marketing efforts alone, it’s definitely a good time to bring in an experienced marketing partner.
- Your Clinic Is Located in a Saturated Market
More than 80% of all U.S. counties are healthcare deserts. Millions of Americans live without adequate access to essential healthcare services. Yet, in many urban areas, Americans have an incredible array of options, with multiple public and private hospitals nearby, along with a full suite of specialty providers and family clinics.
If your clinic happens to be located in a saturated market and you’re struggling with poor patient volume, you might get tempted to relocate to where clinics are closing down. Before you take any drastic actions, however, talk to a marketing firm first. A professional marketing team can help you identify the unique selling propositions (USPs) that make your clinic stand out. This will communicate value to prospective patients and encourage those who are looking for a new provider to remember your clinic’s name.
- You Haven’t Invested in Marketing Technology
Small clinics and hospitals have limited marketing budgets, but they still need to compete with the bigger fish in the pond. This is challenging when those bigger fish can invest in the latest marketing technologies, but your clinic cannot. Like other industries, the healthcare industry can capitalize on big data analytics to generate customer insights and adjust marketing campaigns accordingly. This isn’t possible, however, unless you invest in certain marketing technologies.
If your clinic has a limited budget, it may not make sense to invest in expensive, cutting-edge technology. Instead, bring in a marketing partner who already has the infrastructure you need.
How exactly can marketing technologies help your clinic’s bottom line? If you’ll recall in #1, which explores the benefits of marketing a growing practice, it can be helpful to pinpoint exactly where revenue is coming from. Have social media posts been having an impact? Or is your newly redesigned website leading to more appointment requests?
When you identify common points of conversion, you can then use those insights to further improve your marketing messages and your reach. For example, my company developed Atrilyx™ specifically so that holistic attribution (the tracking of each touchpoint in the customer’s journey) can be used to develop data-driven marketing campaigns and tweaks.
- You’d Struggle to Give an Elevator Pitch
If you can’t define your clinic’s mission and vision in a concise elevator pitch, you’ve got a problem with brand identity. Your brand identity is what you want your patients to think of when they see your logo or name; it should convey value and trustworthiness. A marketing team can refurbish your brand identity and ensure it remains consistent across all properties.
- You’ve Got Patients, But They’re Not the Right Ones
Yet another sign that it’s time to bring in outside marketing help is if your practice is bringing in the wrong types of patients. Let’s say, for example, you’re a cosmetic dentist who doesn’t work with children, and yet your office has been flooded with calls from parents inquiring about sealants.
An experienced marketing partner can audit your practice’s current marketing collateral and avenues, identify the likely culprits, and make adjustments accordingly. This reduces ad spend waste, making every dollar more impactful.
Why Wait?
In most major niches within the healthcare industry, over 60% of patients used search engines to conduct research prior to scheduling an appointment. If your clinic is waiting “for the right time” to bring in outside marketing help, you’re already losing patients to competitors. Get your clinic off to a robust start in 2025 by enlisting an experienced marketing partner today.
