These days, more people are going online for their health information. Instead of asking a f
riend or family member for a recommendation, particularly for more sensitive procedures like cosmetic surgery or gastrointestinal issues, consumers are hitting the Internet to find doctors that can help them. In response, medical advertising has taken to the web, mostly in the form of static web pages for small medical practices.
An oft-overlooked medical advertising strategy is blogging. Many doctors feel like they’re walking a fine line between informing their patients and giving them medical advice. But if done properly (and remember to include a disclaimer on each page of your blog!), using blogging can boost your medical advertising strategy and increase your results in terms of search engine optimization (SEO) – you’ll appear higher in search results lists. Here are five ways to use blogging in medical advertising:
1. Announcing new staff. This may seem run-of-the-mill, but if you hire a new nurse or add a new doctor to your practice, a blog entry about this new hire can attract clients. It shows that you’re expanding and not a stagnant practice.
2. Decoding new research. You may run across something fascinating in a medical journal that you want your patients to know about. But there’s no way most of them would understand the dense medical terminology. This is an opportunity to blog – either written by you or someone who can translate medical terminology into plain language – and let your patients know about the results of this research.
3. Testimonials. Is there something your practice does particularly well? Have you gotten some great testimonials from your patients? Blog about it, once you get the patient’s permission.
4. Case studies. Sometimes your web page just doesn’t have enough room for all the successful transformations you’ve helped create, particularly if you’re a cosmetic surgeon. Your practice’s blog can be used to highlight some of these transformations or provide case studies of patients you’ve helped to overcome problems common to your practice.
5. Community events. As a doctor, you’re plugged in to the unique issues of your community. If you’re participating in a community event, either sponsoring or, if it’s a 5K or marathon, running, write about it in your practice blog. Your patients will be pleased that you support the community. You can also use the blog to let patients know if you’re collecting for a local food pantry or other charity.
