Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services

Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services is a powerful tool for healthcare organizations to reach and engage with patients in the digital transformation era. With more people using technology, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops to access information about their healthcare needs online, digital marketing offers healthcare providers an opportunity to connect directly with potential patients.

Targeted campaigns on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, email campaigns sent directly from the provider’s website, or app-based reminders for appointments and follow-up visits can help build relationships between providers and patients.

Let’s dig in.

Contents:

1. Why digital marketing for healthcare services.
2. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Strategies.
3. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Target Audience.
4. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Platforms
5. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Campaign Objectives.
6. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Reporting.
7. Conclusion

1. Why Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services:

In the current decade, healthcare providers found that they are losing a huge percentage of their potential customers because they do not market as much on their doctors, services, and especially the wellness services which are concluded as follows:

• Dietary services (Nutrition)
• Plastic surgeries (Breasts surgery, facial adjustments surgeries,…)
• Bariatric surgeries (Gastric sleeve, gastric balloon, gastric bypass,…)
• Dermatology services (Hair removal, filler, botox,…)
• Dental services (Bleaching, scaling, zircon, implant,…)

As we speak we can find out that most of the promoted services on Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services are about wellness and beauty services, which are a great attraction to people nowadays because of their addiction to celebrities and photo-sharing applications like Instagram.

To make things clearer, in Saudi Arabia in 2023, the following percentages on healthcare online advertising bookings are as follows:

• 5% for Dietary services.
• 6% for Plastic surgeries.
• 7% for Bariatric surgeries.
• 2% for Dermatology services.
• 8% for Dental services.

So a simple sum up of the 5 major services, we come up with 43.8% bookings from online advertising, and the rest of 56.2% is divided among over 100 healthcare services (gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, urology,…).

2. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Strategies:

To Identify the strategies healthcare providers are following, imagine you are browsing social media apps and you found an ad about a service to lose weight, what attracted you to this ad?

Let’s summarize your outcomes:

1. Offer: Healthcare providers tend to make a discount on online advertised services to attract you to book online instead of visiting the hospital or clinic, that discount does not require a real discount but should look real from 13000 to 9999. Also, they only advertise the service they want you to see, even if they have 100 available services, you will only see the profitable HC provider service.
2. Testimonials and success stories: Real-life stories of patients who have benefited from healthcare services can be powerful and persuasive.
3. Educational content: They offer informative content that helps the audience make informed decisions about their health. This could include blog posts, articles, or infographics.
4. Partnerships with influencers or experts: They collaborate with respected influencers or healthcare professionals can lend credibility to their brand.
5. Emotional marketing message: HC providers tend to focus on emotions, they are easy to remember, recall, and connect. They tend to touch people emotionally and put a hand on their struggles.
6. Focus on visuals: Known that images are the first thing our eyes catch when we see an ad, HC providers use real visuals to highlight the problem or deliver the message they want their patients to react to.

digital marketing for healthcare services

3. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Target Audience:

We agreed that online HC advertisers need to attract people to their wellness services, those services are designed to serve only a specific group of people, so what are their characteristics:

1. Health-Conscious Individuals: People who prioritize their health and are actively seeking ways to lead a healthy lifestyle are a significant part of the target audience. They may be interested in fitness, nutrition, stress management, and other wellness practices.
2. Working Professionals: Professionals with busy schedules may seek wellness healthcare services to manage stress, improve productivity, and enhance work-life balance.
3. Fitness Enthusiasts: Individuals who are already engaged in fitness activities such as gym-goers, athletes, or yoga practitioners may be interested in complementary wellness services to support their active lifestyles.
4. Young Adults and Millennials: This demographic tends to be health-conscious and open to exploring various wellness practices and alternative therapies.
5. Seniors: Older adults who want to maintain their health and vitality as they age are also part of the target audience. They may be interested in services that address age-related health concerns.
6. Individuals Managing Chronic Conditions: People with chronic health conditions may seek wellness healthcare services to complement their medical treatments and improve their quality of life.
7. Stressed and Burnt-Out Individuals: Those experiencing high levels of stress, burnout, or mental fatigue may be interested in wellness services that focus on relaxation and mental well-being.
8. Holistic Health Seekers: Individuals who believe in the mind-body connection and prefer holistic approaches to health may be interested in wellness services that address both physical and mental aspects.
9. Health and Wellness Influencers: Influencers and opinion leaders in the health and wellness space can be influential in promoting wellness healthcare services to their followers and audience.
10. Community and Workplace Groups: Corporations, community organizations, and educational institutions may be interested in wellness healthcare services to promote the well-being of their employees, members, or students.
11. Pregnant Women and New Parents: This segment may be interested in wellness services that cater to prenatal and postnatal care, stress reduction, and overall well-being during pregnancy and early parenthood.

digital marketing for healthcare services

4. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Platforms:

Each country has its top social media app or platform, let’s continue with Saudi Arabia as an example (2023):

4.1 Statistics on Saudi Arabia:

• Out of the total population of Saudi Arabia, 35.97 million people i.e. 99% of Saudi Arabians have access to the Internet.
• Household internet penetration is 99.9% and will remain the same till 2028.
• 81 million people in Saudi Arabia use social media i.e. 79.30% of the total population.
• On average, Saudi Arabians spend 7 hours and 20 minutes on the internet.
• The average daily social media usage is 3 hours and 1 minute.
• In 2023, WhatsApp retained its position as the most popular social media platform with 22.33 million users.
• With a 65.8% male audience, men dominate the social media advertising profile of Saudi Arabia.
• Facebook contributes the highest web traffic referrals (68.49%) in 2023 KSA.
• WhatsApp is the most used social media app in Saudi Arabia in 2023.

4.2 Top Social Media Apps in Saudi Arabia:

• Whatsapp 83.7% out of SA internet users (22.33 million)
• Instagram 76.8% out of SA internet users (20.49 million)
• Snapchat 68.9% out of SA internet users (18.38 million)
• Twitter 7% out of SA internet users (18.33 million)
• Tiktok 67.6% out of SA internet users (18.33 million)
• Facebook 66.3% out of SA internet users (17.69 million)
• Telegram 66.6% out of SA internet users (14.83 million)
• FB Messenger 47.7% out of SA internet users (12.72 million)
• Pinterest 28.6% out of SA internet users (7.63 million)
• Linkedin 25.2% out of SA internet users (6.72 million)

** Percentage of internet users aged 15+ Years who use each platform each month.

4.3 KSA Social Media Users By Year:

If we look at the figures for social media growth in Saudi Arabia, we can clearly see that there has been a steady increase in usage and followers. 2020 was a milestone year as social media users reached 25 million. This number can be attributed to the pandemic, which forced people to stay indoors and seek companionship in an online world. The figure rose to 29.5 million in 2022, and today, in 2023, though it dipped to 28.8 million, it still represents a massive user count.

From 7.6 million in 2014 to 28.8 million in 2023, the astounding increase in social media users is testimony to the fact that social media platforms are here to stay. As all the platforms go through exciting updates and add engaging features, we will only be witnessing upward growth in the coming years.

4.4 Top Healthcare confirmed booking platforms in SA:

1. Google ads 40% confirmation of total bookings.
2. Website Traffic 30% confirmation of total bookings.
3. Snapchat 15% confirmation of total bookings.
4. Facebook 6% confirmation of total bookings.
5. Instagram 9% confirmation of total bookings.

digital marketing for healthcare services

Resource: SAUDI ARABIA SOCIAL MEDIA STATISTICS 2023

5. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Campaign Objectives:

Digital marketing for healthcare can be summarized into 4 main phases as the customer acquisition pyramid.

digital marketing for healthcare services

1. Awareness: At this stage, customers become aware of the existence of a product or service. It’s the top of the funnel where businesses focus on attracting potential customers to their products through different marketing channels such as social media, SEO, and PPC.
2. Interest: Once customers become aware of a product or service, they begin to research and learn more about it. At this stage, the business provides more information about the product, how it works, its benefits, and how it compares to other similar products.
3. Decision: After the research and comparison, the customer makes the decision to purchase the product or service.
4. Action: This is the final stage when the consumer takes action and buys the product or service.

Then translate those funnel steps into marketing actions through:

1. Generate leads through targeted advertising or email marketing campaigns.
2. Increase website traffic through content marketing or search engine optimization (SEO)
3. Improve customer engagement through social media marketing or email marketing campaigns.
4. Increase conversion rates through website optimization or retargeting campaigns.
5. Enhance customer loyalty through personalized email campaigns, social media engagement, and customer service.

Resource: Customer Journey vs. Marketing Funnel

6. Digital Marketing for Healthcare Services Reporting:

6.1 Reporting tools:

1. Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a free and widely used reporting tool that offers valuable insights into website traffic, audience behavior, and conversion rates.
2. OWOX BI: OWOX BI is a business intelligence and analytics tool, which features advanced ad reporting and predictive modeling capabilities.
3. Whatagraph: Whatagraph is a reporting tool that allows for automated data aggregation and visualization across multiple channels, including Google Ads and social media.
4. Google Data Studio: Google Data Studio is a free reporting tool that integrates with various data sources, including Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Salesforce.
5. DashThis: DashThis is an automated marketing reporting tool that enables marketers to create custom reports for key metrics across different channels, including Google Ads.

digital marketing for healthcare services

6.2 Why advertising reports are important:

Advertising tables, charts, and dashboards are necessary for marketers to report the work they’ve done. But they have another important mission — helping with management decisions. The contents of an ad report should depend on who is going to use it, how often, and why.

6.3 What to include in your report for digital marketing for healthcare services:

1. Executive Summary: A summary of key findings, including an overview of campaign performance, traffic sources, user behavior, and conversions.
2. Marketing Activities: A detailed description of the activities implemented during the campaign, such as email marketing, social media, paid advertising, SEO, and content marketing.
3. Performance Metrics: Key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure the effectiveness of the campaign, such as website traffic, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and engagement rates.
4. Cost Metrics: The total costs associated with the marketing campaign, including ad spend, staff salaries, and marketing software or tools.
5. Competitive Analysis: Evaluation of campaign performance versus competitors, including share of voice, search ranking, and industry benchmarks.
6. Future Direction: Recommendations for optimization, strategy planning, and future investments.

7. Conclusion:

Digital Marketing for healthcare services has become an essential arm of marketing processes presented by the HC providers, they can promote services and products they want to leverage their profits and income for.

They must take into account that the best marketing efforts and personalized ads to target your customers are better when you work hardly on them and report wisely to track your campaign performance.

Here, Lead Hero Egypt help health care providers to achieve their marketing goals, increase revenues, and high ROAS, contact us now.