The modern field of medicine has become more complex due to the COVID-19 crisis and the role of the Internet in disseminating medical information. Therefore, a strong medical marketing strategy is the key to retaining, attracting, and motivating potential and existing patients.
Medical SEO Trends
Google and Yandex are popular search engines among patients, and they often look for answers to questions related to their health.
About 77% of patients use Google and Yandex search engines when choosing a clinic. Additionally, 7% of all daily search queries are related to medicine and health. Undoubtedly, Google and Yandex are among the largest, most influential, and most engaging marketing channels in the modern medical industry. This trend has led these search engines to focus more on medical SEO services.
Patients choose a clinic based on what they see online
An astounding 82.8% of patients use search engines (Google, Yandex, and others) to locate physicians and clinics.
When searching, 56% of patients turn to three different online sources.
The report showed that when making an appointment with a doctor, 83% of patients do it through clinic sites, 10% through aggregator sites, and 7% through other online resources.
Local SEO has grown in significance for digital medical marketing
The study showed that 31% of clinics do not have local SEO. In addition, 48% of medical sites have errors and inaccuracies in their content. This is a serious disadvantage for clinics since almost half (49.3%) of patients would not make an appointment at a clinic that does not have enough information on its website.
Medical marketing social media statistics
Most Internet users have social media accounts
With the rise of digital technology, it is no surprise that over 4.48 billion internet users are active on social media.
Most Patients Use Social Media to Find Health-Related Information
Statistically, social media in medical marketing users often use at least one platform to access health-related information. Instagram is the most used platform, with 97% of those surveyed using it.
In 2019, nearly 90% of older users turned to social media to share and search for health information. Users aged 18-24 used social media to discuss health issues twice as often as users aged 45-54.
Fast forward to the start of the pandemic in 2020, over 95% of those surveyed said social media was one of the most effective ways to reach patients.
As of 2021, 79% of users turn to social media to find answers to specific health-related questions. Unfortunately, many of these discussions take place in closed groups.
Paid advertising statistics in medical marketing
Marketers are spending more on digital ads
By 2022, digital medical advertising is expected to surpass television advertising for the first time. However, according to the report, the expected costs will be 46%.
It is expected that by 2026 most of it will likely be on digital platforms such as advertising on Google and Yandex.
Google and Yandex search occupies a leading position in search queries related to health – 89%. This makes Google Ads and Yandex. Direct great ways to increase incoming calls and new patients.
Don’t underestimate the power of social media
Now is the time to try social media advertising. Track the results and compare their performance against paid search.
According to the latest report, search advertising accounts for two-thirds (or 64.7%) of all traffic, while social media accounts for only a fifth (19.4%). However, visitors from social networks convert twice as fast.
You need to adjust your advertising strategy for each social media channel. This involves optimizing ads, content design, and targeting according to each platform’s audience and specifics.
It is important to keep the clinic website up to date
About 60% of patients go to a site containing up-to-date medical information. However, almost three-quarters of visitors (71%) lose confidence in a clinic if its website provides incomplete or outdated information.
Email marketing statistics
Despite being conservative, email is still a viable medical marketing channel
On average, about 40% of patients prefer to receive advertising via email and 20% through social media channels. The average medical email open rate is 21.33%, and the average click-through rate is 2.62%.
Your medical marketing strategy is directly linked to email marketing campaigns
Like other forms of content, a medical marketing strategy matters to the effectiveness of email marketing campaigns. The content of your promotional email should be short, concise, and, most importantly, useful, whether you’re sending a welcome message, a follow-up email, or a discount. According to research, personalized subject lines increase the likelihood of an email being opened by 50 percent.
Don’t be discouraged if patients ignore your emails. Instead, create the email
Patients often ignore emails that come to them unexpectedly. Instead, they are more likely to open messages that urge them to take a specific action or refer to a previous interaction between them and the clinic. These kinds of emails increase conversions by 74%.
Latest Trends in Online Reviews
Reviews have a big influence on the choice of the clinic by patients
According to studies, 74% of patients consider online reviews extremely important. Patients are aged 30-44 years are the most active age group is searching for medical centers and clinics (85.8%), reading reviews (65%), and writing them (40.3%). When choosing a medical institution, 65% of patients under this age say that studies on the Internet help them form an opinion about the clinic.
About 90% of patients seeking medical services use reviews. Potential patients can begin to evaluate the quality of the clinic’s services by reading reviews. In addition, most (71%) patients use online reviews to find a doctor.
Patients state that reviews of doctors are one of the most important factors when deciding whether to visit a medical institution. It is believed that 88% of patients read reviews about doctors even after being recommended.
Pay more attention to your online reputation
When choosing a medical institution, 69.9% of patients consider the positive online reputation of the clinic to be very important. Positive reviews help clinics attract patients, as almost half (43%) of those surveyed are willing to give a facility a chance with positive thoughts. Conversely, the study demonstrated that negative reviews could significantly affect patient behavior and reduce the likelihood of an appointment by 92%. This is why an online reputation management strategy is so important.
Patients highly value clinics that respond to negative reviews
Studies have shown that 51.8% of patients who left negative reviews about the clinic did not receive answers to them solve further the problems noted.
Clinic directors need to pay attention to this trend if they want to improve their online reputation and ultimately improve patient retention. If a clinic responds to negative reviews, patient satisfaction rates roughly double.
Most patients leave positive feedback
A growing number of patients are willing to share their experiences online. According to the 2021 report, 44.6% of patients left a clinic review, compared to 36% in 2020. Of these patients, 37% left at least one negative review. Here are the top three reasons patients leave negative reviews:
- Quality of patient care
- Physician behavior
- Problems with reception staff
The good news is that most patients leave positive reviews (72%). In addition, most patients (60%) say that the ease and convenience of making an appointment is the key to a 5-point review.
Patient behavior statistics
Clinics must provide their patients with a personalized approach
A 2021 report shows that 92% of medical marketers believe their potential patients expect a personalized experience.
Marketers cite improved patient experience (89%), increased loyalty (61%), and increased ROI (59%) as top motivators for personalization.
Patients have more faith in the Internet than in their doctors
A recent study in the field of medicine showed that almost all patients (94%) independently search for information regarding specific diseases or symptoms.
Among those patients who use the Internet to search for health information, almost 9 out of 10 (86%) are confident in the accuracy of the information.
Nearly 2 out of 3 (62%) patients do not feel confident that they understand the information provided to them by their physician.
More than a third (36.4%) of patients have changed clinics or physicians in the last two years. Eight out of ten cited poor service as the reason for their decision.
The younger generation does not feel sympathy for doctors
Young patients are more likely to experience negative emotions after visiting a doctor. For example, during consultations, patients feel confused, unsure about their questions, or awkward when discussing certain topics.
Thus, 86% of the younger generation rely on the Internet to find information about their health.
Patients prefer digital technologies
According to a 2021 survey, 51% of patients prefer online interaction for four key actions:
- Making an appointment
- Providing information about themselves on a form.
- Writing questions to the clinic
- Accessing an electronic medical record or personal account
Most modern patients want to make an appointment with a doctor online: through a website or a mobile application.
Even after the pandemic, the telemedicine industry will continue to grow. The number of telemedicine users is expected to double between 2020 and 2025.
Constant website optimization is needed
Most patients (71%) will look for another clinic if there is not enough information on the website.
About 94% of patients search for medical information using mobile devices. Therefore, potential patients will leave if your website is not optimized for mobile devices.
The latest Google algorithm update shows that the optimal page load speed should be 2 seconds. For healthcare sites, the average rate is 5.4 seconds: the faster your site loads, the better.
Network users prefer those clinics that provide the convenience of working with their site. According to the study, 70% of Internet users believe that page speed is a key factor influencing their willingness to make an appointment. Most visitors (57%) leave a site that takes more than one minute to load. Even a one-second decrease in page load speed can reduce conversions by 7%.
Medicine will continue to evolve
Medicine is predicted to become one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the world by the end of 2022.
The utilization of telemedicine has multiplied by 38 since the pre-COVID-19 baseline. In addition, the Online Medicine Ecosystem Report shows that remote medical care will continue to be in high demand.
The demand for apps to track COVID-19 statistics drove a 50 percent increase in medical app downloads from 2019 to 2020.
The medical industry is changing rapidly, and the numbers prove it. These statistics will help you create the best medical marketing strategy for your patients’ needs.
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