With more people going online for their needs, businesses need to increase their online presence to connect with their customers. The situation is important for retailers and healthcare companies as they cope with the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
Healthcare companies have to ensure that they can connect with potential clients who have grown concerned about their health due to the global health situation. These clients include employers who want to protect their employees from health issues due to the virus.
Here are the ways for healthcare companies to increase their online presence and connect with their market.
Ensure the Website is Responsive and Mobile-Friendly
With around 85 percent of US adults owning a smartphone, it’s a good idea for healthcare companies to ensure their websites are responsive and mobile-friendly. The design should make it suitable to view using different devices, including tablets and smartphones.
They should expect more people using mobile devices to surf the internet and explore websites. If the website is not mobile-friendly, potential clients will likely look for another healthcare website to explore. Additionally, these websites will rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Healthcare companies should also optimize their websites to make them visible on search engines. Optimizing a website means using relevant keywords that potential clients will use when looking for a healthcare-related service. They should also create and optimize their Google Business accounts to improve their local search results.
The Google Business account should include all the necessary information about the business. It should also show the physical location of the business and images of the products and services they offer in the market.
Integrate Features That Address the Needs of Patients
Aside from optimizing their websites, healthcare companies should also integrate features that focus on the needs of their patients into the website. This means the website should show the services they offer to their patients. The website should also facilitate making appointments with doctors associated with them.
Providing a portal that allows patients to schedule medical examinations is also a good way to attract potential clients. Healthcare companies should also provide an option to allow patients to make payments for the services they want to avail of.
Additionally, their websites should feature resources that help patients with the issues they are dealing with. This allows patients to know what they need to do and guides them to get in touch with doctors associated with the company. The website should also serve as an information hub to attract potential clients.
Increase Social Media Presence
To increase the traffic to their websites, healthcare companies should increase their social media presence. People think that healthcare companies cannot be active on social media networks. But this is not true since they can use social media platforms to promote their products and services without including patient information. They should avoid using images or names of patients without their consent since it will go against the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
But if they focus on their products and services, healthcare companies can connect with around 72 percent of US adults who use social media networks. This is a huge potential market for healthcare companies. And the best way for them to connect with this market is by creating accounts in major social media networks, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Posting informative content increases their credibility and encourages users to share their posts. When these users share the posts of healthcare companies, it increases their reach and allows them to connect with the family and friends of these users.
Healthcare companies should also set aside a suitable budget for a social media advertising campaign. To increase the chances of succeeding, they should work with businesses that have the knowledge and experience in implementing these campaigns. This allows them to implement a targeted campaign to reach their intended audience, which is much better than using a shotgun approach in connecting with potential clients.
Implement a Paid Search Advertising Campaign
Aside from promoting through social media networks, healthcare companies should also consider implementing a paid search advertising campaign. This type of campaign allows healthcare companies to come out on top of the SERP of Google. The link to the website comes out when a user types in the search terms that the company uses for its advertisements.
To increase the chances of coming out on the first page of the SERPs as an ad, healthcare companies should use keywords that are relevant to their business and are used by many people searching for products and services on the internet.
Increasing the online presence of healthcare companies is essential for them to expand their reach and connect with their target audience.