Learn the basics of healthcare digital marketing

Traditional advertising doesn’t work as well as it used to. Why? Because your audience doesn’t read the paper or watch the TV anymore, they have a multiplicity of interests and engagements, and you need to ensure you’re targeting them where they are, not where you want them to be.

The rapid shift from traditional marketing methods to digital platforms gives companies that invest a unique opportunity to stay ahead of the competition and connect with their customers in more meaningful ways. How can they achieve this? We’re going to walk you through the basic principles of digital marketing and how it can benefit your business.

Why healthcare organisations need to get serious about digital marketing

The healthcare sector industry has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, and one of the key factors driving this change is the shift from traditional marketing to digital marketing. Gone are the days when healthcare organisations solely relied on traditional marketing channels such as PR, print ads and TV commercials to promote their products to patients, clinicians, and stakeholders.

Today, we’re using our smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers to access the internet, which has fragmented the audience. Digitally connected audiences want hyper-personalised content tailored to them, their personalities, and preferences. 

The shift from traditional marketing to digital marketing

Traditional marketing methods have long been the go-to strategy for healthcare organisations. Print ads in the press, billboards, and TV commercials were once the primary means of reaching healthcare professionals and patients, but not anymore.

Why? Because they don’t work. Traditional print ads get 50% less interaction and engagement than well-targeted digital ads, stats show.

Today, digital marketing – including SEO, PPC, and social media engagement – has emerged as a powerful tool for any business to connect with its audience. Healthcare providers and pharma companies can now engage with their target market in a more personalised and interactive way, giving patients the power to learn more about new treatments and medical devices – but only if they understand the power of digital marketing and tailor messages to each medium.

The role of digital marketing in reaching patients

We’re entering an age of personalised medicine, where the patient and their needs are recognised and targeted. Digital marketing enables businesses to get granular about their core audience, digging deeper into demographics and targeting them directly.

Digital marketing is crucial in driving engagement, increasing sales and boosting brand awareness. By combining digital marketing channels, companies can effectively reach their core audience, including patients, clinicians, and key stakeholders. The best engagement happens when organisations partner work with leading digital marketing agencies like 42group to provide relevant and educational content that informs and inspires readers.

How do we identify your audience? We’re a Google Partner, and our experts can use a range of data analytics approaches and online tracking tools to identify and segment your audience based on various factors, including demographics, interests, and behaviours. This allows us to tailor and target marketing messages and campaigns to specific groups, ensuring that content is relevant and engaging. We’re supported in this by leading platforms, including Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (for campaigns targeting professionals). They give digital marketers and online advertisers access to tools that can help us target audiences to an incredibly precise level of detail. 

Campaigns are always being improved. Experienced healthcare digital marketing agencies like 42group can optimise and personalise marketing campaigns. Through A/B testing, we can experiment with different marketing strategies, tactics, and creative approaches to determine which ones yield the best results. This data-driven approach allows companies to make informed decisions and allocate their marketing budget more effectively. It’s a cost-effective way to reach the largest possible audience.

Creating healthcare content for your audience

Digital marketing puts less focus on promotion and more on engagement. Yes, we can help you sell more of your products, treatments, or medical devices – but we can also educate and inspire your core audience through engaging and personalised content.

Digital marketing enables healthcare leaders to provide educational content directly tailored to any audience. Through blog posts, articles, and videos, companies can educate healthcare professionals, patients, and the general public about the benefits and uses of their products. As well as information for your core audience, content plays a key role in brand building. 

Digital marketing supports greater customer engagement and interaction than traditional passive media. Organisations can engage with their audience in real-time through social media platforms, responding to their queries and concerns. This all contributes to successfully building a community around your brand. This level of engagement helps foster customer loyalty and provides valuable insights and feedback that can be used to improve products and services. As well as engaging with online communities, we can listen to them – improving our understanding of your core audience and optimising our content to engage them. 

Does digital marketing work? We won’t overload you with stats, but the answer is 100% yes. Digital marketing has become an essential tool for the healthare sector to connect with customers, boost sales, and build a bigger brand. 

Digital marketing enables every business the chance to reach a much wider audience, deliver personalised and educational content, and ultimately drive sales. As the digital marketing industry continues to evolve and change, it is crucial to work with a specialist agency that can support their online engagement and growth.

Want to know more? You can read about our guide to effective healthcare digital content marketing here.

Key digital marketing strategies for healthcare organisations

Healthcare companies should work with an agency to build an integrated digital marketing strategy that’s focused on their audiences. When it comes to selecting channels, you need to understand who you are speaking with and how they consume information. 

In marketing terms, the differences between Boomers and Gen Z mean that no single marketing strategy can engage them both. Taking a strategic approach to digital marketing is the single biggest step toward online success. An uncoordinated and unconnected campaign will damage your brand.

Here are some proven approaches that healthcare organisations can use to effectively engage with their audiences and build human connections.

Getting social – engaging your audience through social media channels

Social media has become an integral part of people’s lives, and healtchare leaders can leverage this platform to engage with their audience where they feel comfortable. By creating compelling and informative content, companies can build a community of followers, increase brand visibility, and establish trust and credibility.

Social media is all about sharing. So, instead of shouting about your product, service, or solution, healthcare companies should focus on sharing educational content about various health conditions, treatment options, and the importance of medication adherence. By providing valuable information, you can position your organisation as a trusted source of healthcare knowledge. It’s a longer sell than a product advert, but it builds a better picture in the mind of every patient.

Social media platforms provide valuable insights and feedback that we can use to target and tailor your messaging. Through analysing engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares, we can gain a deeper understanding of your audience’s preferences and interests. It’s a process of continual improvement, enabling us to refine content strategies to deliver more relevant and engaging posts.

Supercharging SEO to boost your business

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential for any business that wants to engage customers. We work with pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers to help them improve their online visibility and organic search rankings. Simply put, we can help you achieve a higher position in Google.

By identifying keywords and opportunities, we can optimise your website content, generate high-quality backlinks, and enhance the user experience. 

How? Pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organisations can create informative blog posts and articles that address common health concerns and provide valuable insights. Written in a modern, relaxed, and engaged way, we can reach your audience wherever they are. By incorporating relevant keywords naturally into content and improving its readability, we can improve their website’s visibility in search engine results pages. As well as creating new content, we can edit and improve existing content, helping to give your website a boost in search engine rankings. 

As well as an overarching strategy, we can focus on the areas that matter. Local SEO strategies, for example, can help healthcare providers s target specific geographical areas and connect with patients locally in a highly authentic way. This is particularly important during drug trials and discovery activities. We can also support the local roll-out of new services, treatments, and access to services in a way that was previously impossible. 

Read how effective and targeted healthcare SEO can boost your organisation online. 

Email marketing and automation

Email marketing remains a powerful tool for pharmaceutical companies to nurture leads, promote products, and maintain customer relationships. By segmenting their email list based on demographics, interests, or previous interactions, we can deliver personalised and targeted content to all your subscribers.

We have helped healthcare companies send tailored emails to patients who have expressed interest in a particular medication. We can provide them with additional information, discounts, or reminders about refills. By delivering relevant content directly to their inbox, we can directly increase engagement and drive conversions.

Measuring the Impact of Digital Marketing Efforts

Does digital marketing work? Absolutely! To demonstrate this, we develop a range of tools to measure your key performance indicators and assess your digital success.

We know that measuring the success of digital marketing efforts is essential for every organisation. It can help you to establish impact, optimise strategies and allocate resources effectively – as well as engage internal stakeholders in a meaningful way. 

As a trusted partner, we work with all customers to define the metrics that matter. We design a dashboard incorporating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that matter to you, including website traffic, conversion rates, and customer engagement.

Regularly monitoring KPIs enables us to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, identify areas for improvement, and adjust tactics accordingly. It’s a constant process of communication, investigation, and improvement.