The internet has made it easier than ever for people to research which healthcare providers they’d like to work with. And with so many options for them to choose from, it’s important that your practice stands out from the crowd.

Whether you’re in the medical field, dentistry, or alternative medicine, marketing is essential for connecting with new clients and growing your business. This is especially true in a day and age when referrals and word of mouth aren’t always enough to keep your appointment book full.

Great healthcare marketing — like all marketing — is about reaching the right audience with information about what you do and how you can help. To get you started, here are seven healthcare marketing techniques that can help you highlight your skills, build authority in your field, and, hopefully, expand your patient roster.

1. Start a Blog

Blogging isn’t just for media companies and B2Bs. As a healthcare provider, you have a unique insight to offer. Additionally, you have the credentials and experience to become a thought leader among your peers. To do it, though, you have to start creating and publishing content — and a blog is a fantastic place to do it.

The goal here is to be strategic with your content. Hone in on the topics that your audience is most likely to be searching, and optimize your keywords to help ensure that when they do search a topic, you’re an expert on, yours is one of the first pieces of content that pops up.

Equally important? Don’t give everything away right in the article. Use a call to action (CTA) to invite readers to contact you directly for more information or a consultation, and then track how many leads find you from the CTA to see how successful your efforts are.

2. Try Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing techniques around, with an average return on investment of $38 for every $1 that you spend. If that’s not incentive enough to get started, consider that it’s one of the most successful tactics for new customer acquisition or that you can personalize your messages to offer existing patients a better experience with your practice.

Use email marketing software, like Benchmark Email, to simplify the process and take the guesswork out of sending impactful emails. From there, you’ll be able to monitor analytics and see what’s working and what’s not — and adapt your strategy as needed.

3. Segment Your Contacts

While we’re on the subject of email marketing, make sure that you segment your contact lists for the most success. Prospects have very different needs and interests than current patients, and vice versa. By separating out the groups and curating what content you send them, you help guarantee that the right people get the right messages. And because you can segment right through your automation platform, it’s a lot easier to do than you might think.

4. Produce Gated Content

Gated content is a type of asset that requires a form submission with contact information before it can be accessed. It’s extremely beneficial for lead generation and can help you connect with qualified prospects you might not have found otherwise.

The key to gated content is that it has to be authoritative and provide real value. This is easy to achieve for healthcare providers since you already have a wealth of information that other people find valuable. Put that knowledge base to work, producing eBooks, white papers, and other sorts of robust content that you can then gate to gather more leads.

5. Get Started with Video Marketing

Healthcare is all about trust. And in the world of digital marketing, trust starts with putting a human face to your business. Video marketing is an opportunity to connect with potential and current patients in new ways and gives them a more personal look at your practice. To try it out, consider giving a personal tour of your office or doing a Q&A on common questions that new patients might have.

6. Host a Webinar

Webinars offer two big advantages for your healthcare practice: one, they’re excellent opportunities for establishing your position as a thought leader, and two, they’re great for finding new leads. Do double duty by partnering with a non-competing but related practice to work together on the webinar and tap into each other’s audience pool.

7. Post on Social Media

Social media is no longer just a side gig for healthcare businesses. Today, it’s one of the most essential types of marketing that you can do, opening an important door between you and the people who are searching for a solution you can provide.

If you aren’t already on social, pick two or more platforms that will offer you the widest reach and biggest bang for your buck — usually Facebook and Instagram, though you’ll find a multitude of providers on Twitter, TikTok, and other platforms too. Make sure to engage, not just posting but responding as well. Over time you’ll build an engaged audience and make it easier for people to get in touch.

Need help getting up and running with healthcare email marketing? Sign up for a free Benchmark Email plan today and take advantage of our healthcare email templates, automation, and content creation tools.