5 Tips for Marketing Your Dermatology Practice

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, twenty percent of Americans will get skin cancer before seventy. Furthermore, in the country, at least two people pass away due to the disease every hour.

The dermatology practice is a field that we can predict to see continuous growth year by year, whether for essential medical procedures or cosmetic reasons.

Today, we’re going to share with you some techniques for marketing dermatology practice so that you can reach more potential patients who might already be searching for you.

Dermatology Marketing 101

1 – Search Engine Optimization

Let’s face it. Everybody uses Google. Whether we’re typing in that show we saw on Netflix’s menu, or we’re looking up what a suspicious mole on the leg might mean, Google is always ready with the information and help we want.

A great way to ensure Google knows that it exists. To do this, you need to know the keywords relevant to your dermatology practice that people might type in a search box. This is exactly what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about. Many businesses from all types of industries already take advantage of this effective marketing strategy because of its cost-effectiveness.

When you use SEO, you reach your target audience by including known search engine keywords in your online digital marketing content.  These keywords might appear within your website, whether on the homepage, in the FAQ section, or in patient education found on your website. One idea to maximize these keywords is to start an online blog so you can provide deeper and relevant content to both Google and prospective patients.  A blog might contain posts about the newest technology you offer in your practice, before and after features on your patients (with their consent), or further information about your services. A blog will ensure that you keep your high-quality content because there will be continuous updates, something that Google loves! It will also allow you to make use of newer keywords that you may have observed.

Compared to the paid ads (Google Ads) marketing plan, this is a less expensive alternative and is a better long term strategy since your website should rank well over time regardless of the marketing spend.

2 – Social Media Marketing

Another popular way to grow your practice using digital marketing is by unleashing the power of social media. In the internet era, people prefer text messaging over calling via phones. That’s why it’s not enough to have a Facebook page or Twitter handle; as much as possible, you must have social media accounts using the apps that matter most to your potential patients.

According to Statista, there are at least 169.76 million Facebook users in the United States as of 2019. If you mainly rely on patients’ word of mouth with your services’ experience, you will definitely be missing out by keeping your practice out of social media. When people can find you on Facebook, this tells them the following things:

• That they have an easy way of contacting you; after all, Facebook can rate how fast you respond to messages.
• That your practice is trustworthy because putting it on Facebook makes it more visible.
• They have a better chance of finding honest reviews, whether via comments posted on your page or from other users who will write about their experience and tag your dermatology practice.
  

These days, the great thing about these social media apps is how easily you can link them to your website so that your content is consistent across all platforms. Once you update one, you update them all.

Sometimes, regardless of whether you claim pages for your business or not, at least a page will already make one for you. It might be because an employee (even a previous one) will tag your business name as an employer, or someone will mark your location on a map and write a review. It happens! This makes it even more important that you manage your own official account to ward off account-squatting.

3 – Position yourself as an Online Industry Thought Leader

A lot of successful people will tell you that this is one of their goals. “When someone thinks of “blank”, I want them to think of me.” Sometimes you really have to be the top person in your field to gain this kind of fame, but now in the digital word you can get a lot more recognition a lot more quickly.

Becoming an industry thought leader by maximizing your online following is one way to achieve this goal. Instead of only promoting the services that you offer on different channels, maximize the growing interest of your target market in topics related to your expertise to position your company as the go-to resource when it comes to anything related to skincare and dermatology. There are many free online channels to utilize in doing so – you can start your own podcast that talks about relevant topics in the field such as “Addressing the most common skin concerns,” “Ask an Expert” talks, “Things that Google won’t tell you about Skin Health.” While talking about skin health facts, you can also find opportunities to promote your brand and be known as the go-to consultant by potential patients.

Similarly, as an expert in the field, you can explore opportunities to collaborate with like-minded social media personalities and maximize their online presence to build your brand. In the digital age, people rely on online recommendations, which can be found on forums, community pages, YouTube videos, and social media pages of known influencers and subject-matter experts you can collaborate with to share your knowledge in the field. 

This way, you can access more potential patients and engage with them in the different channels available.  Besides content collaborations, you can also elevate what can be seen on your own pages by creating videos and other relevant content that talk about trends in skincare and dermatology topics that your target audience can find useful. You can also set up a podcast or even work with online publications on feature articles that require expert opinions on the subject matter.

Officite helps dermatology practices grow their practices online and connect with new patients through a variety of digital marketing solutions.  To learn more, contact a Web Presence Advisor today.

Photos from Pixabay