Why Online Marketing Is So Effective For Health And Wellness Practices

When it comes to understanding why online marketing is so effective for health and wellness practices, you have to start by looking at the target market for these practices.

At the most simplistic level, they serve the general public. Sure, certain segments of the general public will be more interested in a particular practice than others, but it’s still the individual consumer. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got an internal medicine practice, a psychotherapy practice, a coaching practice, or a massage therapy practice, your target market is consumers – not businesses.

Because of this, your potential patients or clients need to know, like, and trust you and/or your brand before scheduling an appointment. And where do these people begin their research?

You guessed it. Online. In fact, 3 out of 4 people search online to find out about a healthcare practitioner before scheduling an appointment.

Where do people look online when deciding which health or wellness practice they want to visit?

People take all kinds of paths when they’re looking for a new provider or practitioner. However, the most common places they visit online are:

• Their insurance company’s website
  
  If your practice accepts insurance, you’ll want to make sure your profile is complete on each of the insurance carriers you work with.
  
  
• Your website
  
  Make sure that your website speaks to your ideal client/patient. All the most vital information they want needs to be easy to find.  
  
  For example, make sure your phone number, email, location(s), and hours of operation are in an easily read font on the home page of your site.
  
  
• Social media
  
  People look for all kinds of reviews on social media. So, you’ll want to have business accounts on the social media platforms your clients typically visit.  Two to consider starting with are Facebook and Instagram.
  
  
• Google
  
  Google is the most popular search engine. So, chances are that your patients/clients are searching for your services there.
  
  Google also offers 3 different ways you can get your practice on their search results. The first is by buying ads. The next is by creating a free Google Business Profile and the last is by optimizing your website for SEO.
  
  
• Provider listing and review sites
  
  WebMD, Psychology Today, and Yelp are some of the sites people visit when they’re searching for a health or wellness practice. You’ll want to create accounts on the ones that are appropriate for your practice.

By crafting an online marketing strategy for your practice that suits you and your ideal patients/clients, you’ll be able to effectively grow your practice.

Need help with your online marketing strategy? Schedule a consultation to discuss your goals with one of our experts.