Benefits of Internet Marketing for Dermatologists

Dermatologists work in a highly competitive industry in which a single new patient could mean thousands of dollars in revenue over many years. In order for these businesses to grow and scale, they need a steady flow of new patients to add to their practice.

Internet marketing is one of the most effective methods of growing your business available today, and without it, you risk being outpaced and left behind by your competition, regardless of industry.

Today’s consumer loves to do their research, especially when it comes to the healthcare industry. You’ll want to make sure your business is visible, you have plenty of patient testimonials and positive reviews, and your online presence is strategically built to convert online visitors into patients. If your digital strategy is weak or your website outdated, you risk losing out on hundreds of potential patients.

Let’s explore how dermatologists can use these strategies to get more patients.

How Dermatologists Can use SEO To Generate More Leads

SEO, or Search Engine Marketing, is one of the top strategies of internet marketing today. It entails optimizing your website and content to work with the needs of web-browsing patients, and the search engines they use.

SEO is the perfect strategy for dermatologists because people are researching skin care all day long on Google. To understand why this matters, open a browser and Google “dermatologist near me”. Do you rank above your competition or below? What happens if you open an incognito browser or try a library’s computer?

Search engines use algorithms to determine which dermatologist they will place at the top of someone’s search results. This matters because the higher your brand ranks, the more business you get. Study after study shows that there is a steep drop off in business the lower down the search results page your website ranks.

In short, the higher you rank, the more leads your dermatology clinic or office will generate.

How Internet Marketing Targeting Techniques Can Improve Lead Quality

Internet marketing offers some of the most sophisticated targeting and segmentation methods available. That makes it perfect for improving the quality of your dermatology office or clinic’s leads. Internet marketing lets you target potential dermatology patients by:

• Age (In the case of dermatologists, you know which afflictions tend to affect which age group)
• Location (You can use this to create targets as narrow as towns or as broad as states)
• Interests (Skin care? Melanoma? Psoriasis?)
• Life events such as vacations or recent marriages

…and so much more. Data and analytics can build a profile of your customer. Are people researching your dermatology services for themselves, or do mothers tend to search on behalf of teens who are breaking out? The answer will vary by company, but knowing who is looking is a powerful opportunity and critical information for any business. This is another dimension along which you can A/B test your strategies.

Dermatology Marketing Can Target Patients Who “Do Their Research”

When people need dermatology services, they tend to do their research. If you want to give yourself the best possible chance of turning web browsers into patients, turn your website into a resource for skin care. This is one of the most effective options for internet marketing you can find.

However, you need to make certain decisions when you roll out your content marketing strategy. The most pressing of which may be, what do I write about?

Here are a few examples of the things your potential dermatology patients might be Googling:

• Sleep habits for better skin
• Diets for better skin
• Will exercise mats cause my skin to break out?
• Treat bad sunburn

…and so much more. Note that internet marketers use keyword data to determine what they are going to write about. The examples above are merely examples of material you might write about, they are not data backed. Consumer interests might evolve over time. Your potential patients might want to know how to care for their skin during winter, or whether or not a recent skin care fad is backed by legitimate science or just bunk.

Demonstrating your website’s authority in your domain is critical for internet marketing. It gives you a better chance of ranking higher, but it also gives you a good chance of getting a backlink.

Backlinks are when someone else links to you on their own blog, demonstrating that you are a resource people turn to when they are researching dermatology. Expert digital marketers know the best way to create opportunities for yourself, and which factors are important for SEO.

Advanced Analytics Can Help Your Dermatology Brand Evaluate Ad Performance

Advanced analytics help dermatology brands evaluate their ad performance on levels of which they may not even have been aware. These insights might include:

Whether or not someone lingered or hovered their mouse over the ad
Whether or not they clicked it
Basic characteristics of who is interested
How far through your lead/patient funnel someone made it

…and more. These insights let you identify points where potential clients left the funnel, and analyze whether or not you need to implement technical or creative solutions to solve the problem. This work of optimizing your campaign is an ongoing evolving effort.

Online Marketing Helps Your Dermatology Brand’s Campaign Scalable

Sometimes your dermatology business will be in an aggressive expansion cycle. Internet marketing can implement a scalable campaign that can ramp up when you need it to, and when you want to devote more resources to your efforts. What’s more, during contraction cycles, you’ll want to keep your campaign in place on a smaller scale with fewer resources. Whether you employ two people, or one hundred, this scalability helps you devote the right amount of resources all year round. This scalability lets you compete no matter how big your competition is.

Use Testimonials To Build Trust For Your Dermatology Office/Clinic

You can never reassure a potential patient too much. Dermatologist offices and clinics work with people who are often severely stressed out about their condition. When you know how to generate and present testimonials on your website, you can build trust among people who are browsing through your website. Testimonials are one of the most persuasive internet marketing options available to you, and expert digital marketers can help you gather and present them the best.