Marketing is already hard for medical professionals. Needing to take the time and effort to market their business or practice is no small job. But trying to keep up with the constantly changing trends and patterns can be almost impossible. That’s why we have rounded up the biggest digital marketing trends that every physician and healthcare business needs to pay attention to.

Introduction

Digital marketing is a field that is defined by change and innovation. With emerging use cases, new techniques, and changing consumption patterns, what worked yesterday has no guarantee of working tomorrow. That’s why trends are changing at an incredibly fast pace. Every day new digital channels and technologies emerge and become popular, while others are being pushed to the back burner.

This can be challenging for businesses of all sizes to keep up with, but if you’re a physician or someone who owns a healthcare business, it’s especially important that you keep an eye on what’s happening in digital marketing. For healthcare businesses and professionals it’s doubly hard to keep up with the market trends in healthcare with their already busy schedules.

But with how important digital transformation is for all businesses across industries, it’s important for healthcare businesses to not ignore digital marketing just because it can be hard. So what is the solution?

Well, the answer is that we have compiled a list of the biggest trends that have emerged so far in 2022 that can define digital marketing in healthcare for the next few months but possibly for the next few years. Our experts have studied the patterns and analyzed the results, so here are the biggest digital marketing trends for the healthcare industry.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a computer’s ability to learn and develop new skills. It’s been around for decades, but only recently has it become more accessible and affordable.

With artificial intelligence, businesses can automate tasks that would otherwise require human effort or judgment. These tasks range from simple data entry to complex decision-making processes involving medical data analysis or customer service management.

AI can also use machine learning to analyze large amounts of data, which in turn helps predict outcomes based on past experiences—such as predicting the likelihood of patient readmission at the hospital or determining which patients are likely candidates for certain types of pharmaceuticals. By using AI algorithms that have been trained with this information, healthcare providers are able to better customize treatments for individual patients.

But today, AI is being used in digital marketing in the form of automated tools and processes. From posting content at the correct time to finding insights on a scale that has never been seen before. Today’s digital marketing platforms are using AI technologies like deep learning and machine learning to optimize their web presence to the utmost potential. But that’s not all, advancements in AI are even threatening writers and designers.

Creating content might no longer be barred by talent or practice, using tools like DALL E and GPT3, healthcare business owners can create world-class content without the need of any designers and writers. While this may not be possible for every healthcare business, you should still be aware of what your competitors have at their disposal.

Improved targeting

As we mentioned briefly, you need a healthcare brand in order to enjoy several benefits that you won’t be able to have without establishing a strong brand. Firstly, a brand helps you to define your organization and set it apart from competitors. In a world of hundreds of healthcare organizations, where competition is only ramping up, it is always important to start differentiating yourself from the competition. One of the best ways to do this is by start emphasizing your brand’s commitment to delivering great patient experiences. {Download ebook}

While the internet offers a wealth of information, it can be difficult to find what you need in a world where search engines return hundreds of results. This is where targeting comes into play. Targeting allows you to narrow down your audience to those who are most likely to be interested in your content and products.

Targeting is the most important part of digital marketing because it allows you to reach people based on their behaviors, demographics, and interests instead of hoping that they happen upon your site through pure chance. It’s also important for healthcare businesses because there are so many different types of consumers within the industry; targeting helps ensure that messages reach the right people at each stage of their journey.

Improved targeting is important when you’re creating content for social media channels like Facebook and Twitter because you need to know who your audience is so that you can tailor your posts accordingly. For example, if someone who lives in Kansas City searches Google with keywords related to kidney stones treatment options near their home address then they might see different results from someone searching from New York City who isn’t as close by geographically speaking; thus requiring different information tailored specifically towards each location’s needs when it comes down to how best take care of themselves during this stressful time such as dieting tips or instructions on how much water should one drink per day.

Targeting had traditionally relied on the use of cookies, and digital trackers that help marketers narrow down which audience users belong to. But with Google phasing out tracking cookies, and increased privacy features from Apple’s iOS ecosystem, cookies are not going to be around for much longer. As such, marketers will once more need to rely on information that users are willingly giving up to target them better. This means that healthcare businesses and providers need to keep their email lists, their subscribers, and their lead lists up to date. Through the use of older digital marketing methods like email campaigns, newsletters, and more, healthcare businesses can build audiences that won’t need trackers or cookies to be effectively targeted.

Omnichannel marketing

Omnichannel marketing is a strategy used to connect with customers and patients across all channels. Such a strategy is necessary because consumers are using multiple devices, platforms, and apps to interact with businesses.

For example, they might start their journey by searching for information on Google or YouTube, then call the company from their phone, get in touch with an account representative through email or chatbot messaging service like Messenger or Facebook, or share content via social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. This need for omnichannel engagement is prevalent in healthcare: physicians need access to patient data so that they can communicate directly; hospitals want their patients to feel welcome on their website while also being able to reach out when needed; insurers want their clients to be able to use whichever channel suits them best at any given time (think Apple Pay vs auto-pay).

Omnichannel marketing requires companies to have a seamless experience across all interactions—and this means using one platform for distributing content through all channels in the most effective and efficient way possible.

Personalization

Personalization is a must-have when it comes to digital marketing. It’s all about providing the right message to the right person at the right time, and you can use personalization in a number of ways.

Increase user engagement: Personalized content helps your audience feel more connected with your brand, which increases user engagement and loyalty.

Increase conversions: Personalized emails increase conversion rates by as much as 25%.

Increase customer satisfaction: Customers are more likely to contact companies that have personalized their websites or other digital channels.

This also means that you need to ensure that your web presence, i.e. your websites, your web content, and everything that you do on the internet, should be easily accessible through smartphones and other mobile devices.

It is no secret that your average person is constantly glued to their smartphone or tablet. In fact, it’s safe to say that most people would prefer to use their mobile device than sit down at a computer. As such, if you have a website, you need one that is mobile-friendly so your visitors can easily navigate it and access its content.

A mobile-friendly design allows for easy reading across different devices which makes it easier for users who may not be as comfortable with computers as others; this includes older generations who may not have grown up with technology in their lives (elderly patients). Mobile-friendly websites also make it easier for businesses by helping them attract more potential customers from the younger generation who are more tech-savvy than previous generations. The bottom line is this: if your site isn’t optimized for mobile devices then you’ll miss out on business opportunities!

Conclusion

Healthcare is one of the most important industries in the world, and it’s also one of the most complex business environments around. As more and more people turn to digital marketing to find and access medical services, healthcare businesses need to keep up with the latest trends in order to stay competitive. We hope that this article has given you some insight into how you can use these trends to your advantage as a physician or health-focused business owner!

Digital marketing is a behemoth that cannot be ignored and one that shouldn’t be underestimated. Through the use of smart digital marketing campaigns, any healthcare business can find success at a fraction of the investment required for other grander processes.

Marketing for doctors and hospitals can be tough but BraveLabs is providing custom digital marketing plans that help businesses and practices find success in the digital age. From digital marketing that helps you attract more customers to patient journey management that helps you deliver great experiences, we are there for you on each step towards success.