4 Marketing Trends for Healthcare Organizations

1. Trustworthy Content

Healthcare is deeply personal and people take their search for a provider seriously. As they browse your website, they’re looking for assurance that they may trust you and your team to deliver the best and most reliable care possible. Your brand’s messaging should provide valuable and up-to-date information.

• Write genuine, approachable copy for all marketing materials, while showcasing your expertise
• Ensure your content follows SEO best practices and integrates with social media
• Avoid generic stock photos, and opt for authentic photography highlighting your practice, staff and quality patient care
• Educate patients regarding medical specializations, common ailments, procedures and treatment options, etc.

2. User Experience + Compelling Design

Today’s healthcare consumers are more tech-savvy and less patient than ever. If your website delivers a poor experience, they’ll click through to the next one without a second thought. Healthcare is complicated enough–your website shouldn’t be.

• Focus on load times and easy access during times of emergency or bad cell reception–consider a mobile-first approach to the design
• Develop an intuitive site navigation to match the typical user journey
• Consider your audience during site design. If your audience is older, consider increasing type size for readability and providing extra padding around buttons for easy mobile use
• Clear calls to action (CTA) on every screen (and track your CTAs via analytics)
• Provide convenience with online appointment scheduling and webforms for easy contact

3. Audience Engagement

Your website’s content and blog posts are an opportunity to answer common questions and engage with your audience. Consistently publishing blogs not only builds a wider following through organic search, but also positions your organization as a thought leader in an overly crowded market.

• Write thorough content about your service offerings, with the goal of answering any questions a potential patient or resident may have
• Consider developing a content series for your blog, such as Dr. Melander’s #SportsMedicineMonday or Bethesda’s Retirement Living Guides, for added engagement
• Build trust by highlighting staff or patient stories, while tying into relevant keywords that your audience is searching

4. HIPAA Compliance

There’s simply no way around it: if you work in healthcare, you must consider HIPAA as you plan your website and marketing activities. Health systems are facing more data scrutiny than ever, so take extra precautions to ensure patient and user data remains secure and anonymous.

• Install firewalls to provide protection against unsafe web traffic
• Monitor backup systems and ensure your system has a disaster recovery system in place
• Ensure web form submissions are encrypted
• Conduct regular technology audits and penetration testing to ensure system functionality

We tell all our healthcare clients: think of your marketing as an investment. Invest in a few projects here and there, like your website and blog, and you’ll see long-term growth for years to come. Let Paradigm show you the benefits of a more strategic approach to healthcare marketing.