Post-COVID Economy recovery for businesses World: Have you ever wondered what all the hype is about digital marketing? just take a quick look at your reception and/or waiting room.

You will see a room full of people: young, middle-aged, and aged personas all doing the same thing—staring at their smartphones.

For most Kenyans and by far the larger human population, the Internet has become their go-to source for on-demand information, impromptu entertainment, and even social interaction….and that makes it the perfect tool for capturing the attention of your prospective patients and generating more business for your hospital or private medical practice.

Here are a few reasons why every hospital and private medical practice should be thinking about their digital marketing strategy…

Patients go to the web first

Where do patients go when they look for a new doctor? In today’s digital age, more and more patients are turning to the Internet.

One study found that four out of five (80%) people have used the Internet to make a healthcare-related search in the past year. Our random selection study produced an overwhelming 95% in individuals who’ve searched online for health-care-related matters.

Additionally, three in five people (63%) will choose one hospital or medical care provider over another because of a strong online presence. The same applies even outside the medical industry in a social setting. Would you rather shop from a digitally established shop? Or an almost non-existential establishment as far as digital presence print?

That being said, it’s critical for your hospital and/or medical practice to be easy for people to find when they search for medical services like yours on the Internet—meaning you’re visible at the top of search results, as well as on various sites where they spend their time online.

It’s also important to ensure you have a digital presence that will impress your potential patients (e.g. a beautiful website, helpful content shared on your blog and social media pages, great online ratings and reviews, etc.).

If you aren’t investing in your online visibility and reputation, you are missing opportunities to get in front of prospective patients in your local area and grow your practice.

Competition is growing rapidly

In today’s digital age when the average Kenyan spends 24 hours a week online, more and more hospitals and medical practitioners are realizing the importance of marketing their practices on the Internet. As a result, they’re increasing their digital marketing budgets—and in the process, they’re becoming more visible, accessible, and appealing to their target patients(audience).

If you have been holding out in investing in your digital presence, you could be doing your medical establishment and/or practice a huge disservice.

Why? Because you’re making it easier for your prospective patients to find your competitors before they find YOU.

 

It’s not enough to just have a website. Though a website is most important as a starting point. A comprehensive digital marketing plan:

  • Directs high-quality traffic to your website.
  • It makes your practice highly visible in an online search.
  • Raises brand awareness for your practice.
  • Keeps you visible across numerous digital platforms. Including leading social networks; FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube & Instagram

You’ll be able to reach more of your ideal patients

Traditional marketing channels like television, radio, magazines, and billboards use an expensive, scattershot approach, putting your practice in front of as many people as possible in hopes that a small percentage need your services when they come across your ad.

On the other hand, digital advertising allows you to only show your ads to people who are most likely to need and want your services.

With pay-per-click (PPC) advertising in search engines like Google Ads and Social Media Campaigns, you’re only showing your ads to people who are actively searching for medical services like yours right in your local geographical area—which means you’re reaching people who have a more immediate need for your services, and are more likely to pick up the phone and call your office upon seeing your ad.

Another benefit of Pay Per Click(PPC) is that you can set up your campaigns to target a specific audience online. In addition to using keywords to reach the right prospective patients, you can also target by factors like the searcher’s location, the type of device they’re using, the time of day they’re searching, and even demographics like their age and gender.

Display, social media, and video advertising (on platforms like Google Display Network, Facebook, YouTube) also provide a wide array of targeting options, allowing you to drill down to specifics like the user’s interests and past online behaviors (like past pages visited or videos watched).

The bottom line is digital advertising offers a level of granularity in audience targeting that simply isn’t available through most traditional marketing channels. By switching more of your budget to digital, you can reach more of your ideal patients—and that means you’re using your advertising shillings more effectively and increasing your return on investment.

 

Getting started

A healthy digital presence consists of a lot of moving pieces (your website, social media presence, digital ads, online reviews, etc.), so it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re trying to improve your online marketing.

Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. Synatech Africa is a full-service digital marketing company that various types of medical practices use to attract more patients from the Internet.

To find out how we can help your practice, speak with our medical marketing experts at Synatech Africa today!