29 Jul Why Doctors and Medical Offices Should Add a Health Blog To Get New Patients
There is no question about it: having a blog can definitely help drive organic traffic to a website. Blogging is used in a variety of industries, for businesses of all sizes, and the medical field is no exception. If you are a doctor, or in the medical field aiming to get your medical office found on search engines to acquire new patients, having your own medical health blog is a cost-effective tool that can help you accomplish just that.
How can doctors use a blog to connect with their target audience? Read on for the best practices for blogging (for doctors) below.
Have a responsive medical blog or website
Before you start blogging, make sure your blog is responsive for mobile. What does responsive mean? When someone is accessing your website on a smart device, such as a phone or tablet, the website and its contents must adjust for the size of the screen the user is on. This helps your readers get to your content clearly, efficiently, and most importantly, quickly. If you are not sure if your website is responsive for mobile, access it on your own device to check how it looks. Make sure that the images, screen size, and resolution fit with devices to make your blog responsive to the user’s preferences.
A responsive website is also important for optimal search engine optimization (SEO). When people search your website for articles or services, if your website is not mobile-friendly, search engines (like Google, Bing, or Yahoo) can actually downgrade your website. This means your website will have a worse chance of being shown in search results, and your ideal audience will have a harder time finding you. SEO is important for small businesses, as we discuss in one of our previous articles.
Answer your patient’s frequently asked questions
Your health blog is not only about your medical practice and the services you offer. Your blog should educate your readers, provide answers, and position your doctors and medical staff as the thought-leaders and experts in your field. Think about your patients and the questions they have when they come visit your office. If you’re a pediatrician: What questions do the parents have when they visit you? Convert those frequently asked questions into blog posts. You’ll not only educate potential patients but you can also use your blog as a resource for current patients that they can refer to if they need to. For example, using the pediatrician’s office example once again, if you have a parent wanting to get more information about potty-training their toddler, you can consult with them during their office visit and then let them know you have more info about the best practices of potty-training on your blog. They will appreciate knowing they can refer to your website as a reliable resource.
Add a call to action
Your reader has already read your entire blog post. What now? Adding a call-to-action to your blog posts invites your leads, aka, potential new patients, to take action and implement what they have read. You will also want website visitors to call your office in case they have more questions or use an online booking form to schedule an appointment with your office.
Share your blog posts across Social media
Undoubtedly, social media has been proven to be an effective way to reach a large number of people with just the click of a button. Sharing your blog posts on social media is helpful for you in expanding your online presence. Most people turn to Facebook or other social channels to find a specific solution for their medical needs, even before they call a physician/doctor! Make sure your brand is using the right platform to get the results you desire and reach your ideal patient. Not all patients use every platform. For example, Instagram may be ideal for reaching women ages 30 to 50, while Facebook may be more suitable for men in their 40s and 50s. Target your audience using social media channels where they are already naturally consuming content.
Send Blog Post Updates Via Email
Do you want your patients to get notified when you have published a new blog post? It is unlikely that they are checking your blog consistently – use your email list to send your current patients a newsletter with your latest blog posts. Your blog posts should be timely and related to specific services that you provide to your already existing patients. They will feel like they are a part of your community when you let them be the first to know about what new services or offerings you have. By sending them an email with your related blog posts using targeted content and personalized messages that go straight to their inbox., they will feel like you are building a relationship with them and it gives you credibility as a medical provider. In fact, according to a survey conducted by MarketingSherpa, 91% of adults in the U.S. like to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with. Remember, customers love companies who make them feel important, and the customer is a huge priority when it comes to any type of business.
Need help with blogging for your medical office?
Now that you understand the importance of adding a medical blog to your website to help market your medical practice, let us help you! Our team is experienced in developing content for doctors and medical offices. If you are struggling with driving traffic to your website, want to increase your patient volume, and/or want to highlight the experience of your medical staff, we offer ghost writing services for blogs. A medical blog is part of the solution, but you don’t have to do all the work by yourself. Let your patients choose YOU by having the right strategies in place and being visible on the web.
With a small investment, a blog can help you get a higher ROI in your marketing efforts, increased traffic to your website, and increase your office’s visibility locally.
Need to start your business blog and have no idea where to start? Learn more about our blog coaching program. Over four, one-on-one sessions, you will get the essential skills needed to start writing articles your future clients and customers want. While paid search campaigns, television ads, billboards, and mailers can be expensive, blogging is comparatively inexpensive. A blog for your small business will provide you the best return on your investment. Now enrolling! Get everything you need to know about blogging for your business.
No Comments