By Sandhya Sutodia, Co-founder, Turiya Communications LLP

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to slow down the economy and bring the functioning of many industries to a standstill, healthcare and wellness organizations are shifting their focus to digital media in order to sustain growth in the upcoming years.

From being nothing more than a source of information and a means of communication, digital media has grown to take on a greater role in both the marketing and provision of health care services. With the implementation of various containment measures (such as work-from-home policies, social distancing, and self-quarantine) across the globe, innovative digital health technology services such as online doctor-patient directories, virtual consultations, health apps, collaborative medical records, and others have become an indispensable part of the industry.

Hence, with so much innovation in the digital health space, digital marketing cannot lag behind. It has become an important part of the marketing strategy for most healthcare and wellness organization, in order to increase outreach and visibility, to stay connected with consumers, and retain relationships. 

Digital Transformation in Healthcare Statistics

Let us take a quick look at some of the statistics to understand the impact of digital media on the industry:

• Surveys record that 77% of all patients use search engines before booking healthcare and wellness appointments.
• 90% of young adults rely on health information shared on social media and other digital health platforms.
• 94% of healthcare patients use online reviews to evaluate providers, whereas 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 
• Around 65% of patient interactions with health care and wellness services will occur via mobile devices by the end of this year.
• More than 70% of healthcare and wellness professionals use medical apps on a regular basis.

The success of digital media in the healthcare and wellness sector can be attributed to two important aspects: Consumers are no longer restricted to seeking services in their immediate geographic location, and both healthcare and wellness professionals, as well as consumers, benefit with saved time and money by going digital.

Essentials of a Strong Digital Strategy

Hence, the scope of digital media in the healthcare and wellness industry is huge. However, it is essential for organizations to have a strong healthcare and wellness digital marketing strategy. What most marketers fail to realize is that effective marketing extends beyond the creation of product descriptions and advertorials. It includes:

Online Reputation Management: Your website or landing page has a great impact on your consumer’s decision to use your services or look for your competitors, as it is often the first point of contact. Therefore, a website should be user-friendly, provide easy access to vast information and allow users to take quick action.

Newsletters and E-mailers: Newsletters and e-mailers also remain vital in healthcare and wellness digital marketing, as they are the best ways to capture and retain audiences. For the success of such online marketing strategies, it is important to keep in mind the relevance and utility of information, creating personalization and segmentation of emails based on user interests and other concerns.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): According to surveys, 5% of all Google searches are health-related. Search is by far the most preferred way for consumers to find healthcare and wellness providers online. Hence, your SEO strategy can help improve the quality and quantity of your organic traffic.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM): A good SEM campaign will help increase the visibility of your business. This can be achieved by utilizing paid search ads, context-based advertising, and organic placement that needs to be supported by strong analytics to get the best ROI.

Social Media Marketing: When used wisely, a social media marketing strategy can serve as the best promotional tool for building, developing and maintaining meaningful, long-lasting relationships with your audience. However, while formulating a social media strategy for your healthcare and wellness organization, it is important to focus on providing practical information and sharing experiences, rather than focusing on social media marketing initiatives solely related to products or services.

Wrapping Up:- Keeping up with digital transformation can often feel overwhelming. Deciding which emerging technologies are worth investing in and getting your team on board with change is often the hardest part. In addition, adapting to the digital era means letting go of outdated business processes and trusting that this disruption will yield big results. 

At Turiya Communications LLP, we are here to help you with your digital transformation, so that you can stay ahead of your competitors in the healthcare and wellness industry. Visit our website www.turiyacommunications.com to find out more about how we have helped our healthcare and wellness industry clients to keep their businesses afloat even during the coronavirus crisis.