Elective medical procedures including cosmetic surgery and cosmetic/dermatology services present a unique opportunity for healthcare providers interested in marketing their services. Few insurance companies reimburse for these procedures, and as a result, patients often have to pay out-of-pocket. This change in the payment process changes the market for elective procedures in several ways, as the patient:
* – Now you can choose any healthcare provider you want
* – You are more likely to compare stores to find the best/cheapest provider
* – You may travel significant distances to visit your preferred provider
As a result of these changes, the size of the market for elective procedures is effectively much larger than that for insurance-reimbursed services, as patients may come from outside the provider’s local geographic area. For example, qualified cosmetic surgeons are highly sought after by patients in high socioeconomic populations, and these patients are willing and able to travel significant distances to visit a top-notch surgeon. The large, potentially international population for these types of elective procedures makes it a highly competitive market, one that is also ideal for online advertising.
When people think of online advertising, they usually think of banner ads; However, new marketing strategies such as search engine optimization and contextual advertising currently deliver better returns and, if applied wisely, can be much more effective in generating new patients and increasing business for a practice. care.
Very briefly, search engine optimization is a marketing strategy based on targeting existing search engine traffic to terms related to specific medical procedures. Something of a “black art”: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is difficult to implement effectively and results can vary greatly between SEO service providers, however the rewards are considerable.
Example: A prominent dermatologist recently hired my company to provide online marketing for her dermatology practices in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Los Angeles is widely recognized as a local destination for aesthetic/cosmetic procedures and this doctor saw an opportunity to grow business by targeting local and national/international markets through online advertising and search engine optimization. As of this writing, her site is ranked #1 on Google and MSN for “Los Angeles Dermatologist” and she is experiencing a 40% increase in office appointments, all made directly through her website. .
In this article I have focused primarily on aesthetic/cosmetic services, however almost any type of medical procedure where the patient has some freedom in their choice of provider can benefit from online advertising. Other applicable areas include complex procedures related to oncology or cardiology services. As more and more patients go online to investigate their healthcare options, online advertising will continue to grow as an important part of any effective healthcare advertising campaign.
