A good email starts with a subject line that captures the recipient’s attention. It has to be engaging and interesting enough to give people a reason to open and read your email. But let’s face it. Writing a catchy, powerful subject line isn’t easy. Some don’t even give it much thought. If this is you, then you’re making a big mistake.
It doesn’t really matter how valuable your message is. If your emails aren’t getting opened, then they’re not getting read.
The chances of your emails being ignored are pretty high unless you have a powerful subject line. Use these tips to get your emails opened, read, and, and clicked.
Keep them short
Today, more and more people are checking their emails on their smartphones. What most people fail to realize is that only 30 characters of an email’s subject line are shown on a mobile phone. To avoid getting your subject lines truncated, we recommend keeping them short.
In today’s busy world, you want to make sure that your subject line conveys your message succinctly but clearly. Get right to the point in about six to eight words. Aim for no more than 50 characters or so, as longer subject lines may get cut off on some devices.
Come to think of it. What good is your subject line if recipients can’t even read them?
Communicate urgency
Everyone feels a certain level of FOMO in their lives. Studies suggest that people are more likely to respond to the possibility of missing out than gaining something. Use it to your advantage by applying it to your subject lines.
Consider using action phrases that convey a sense of urgency, so that people will act quickly. Instead of saying, “We have a special offer for you”, use action-oriented language to create a sense of urgency and motivate recipients to open the email.
You can say something like, “Offer expires in X days”. Don’t be afraid to make the turnaround as short as 24 hours. Setting a deadline creates a sense of urgency that encourages the recipient to prioritize your email.
Tell them what’s inside
What is the purpose of sending the email? Is it to promote an upcoming event? Are you delivering an ebook you promised a visitor? Maybe you just want to share some tips or advice with your subscribers? Whatever the reason is, be very clear about the value of your email and what it means for your subscribers.
Make it clear that there is something valuable waiting inside the email. Use your subject line as a teaser.
Use language that implies exclusivity
People love being included in something exclusive. Using phrases such as “exclusive offer” or “members only” can entice them to sit up and really pay attention.
Use the principle of exclusivity to make readers feel special. Instead of saying “Please take part in our survey”, try saying “You have been selected to take part in our survey”. This suggests that they have been personally chosen and that their response truly matters.
Avoid using words that trigger spam filters
You may not be sending spam on purpose, but if you use certain words on your email, they are likely to be picked up by spam filters.
The last thing you want is for your emails to land straight in the recipient’s SPAM inbox. In some cases, people report an e-mail as spam based on their subject line alone. That’s why you should be careful when choosing the words you use in your email’s subject line.
Avoid using words such as free, no hidden costs, act now, 100% free, % off, $, guarantee. To make it easier, you can refer to Hubspot’s Ultimate List of Email SPAM Trigger Words.
Create some sense of mystery
Some subject lines work because they pique the recipient’s natural curiosity and interest. They know they will benefit from opening the email. But have you tried adding mystery to your email subject lines?
Mystery email subject lines create a bit of intrigue and playfulness. They’ll pique your subscribers’ interest, they’ll have no choice but to open and read the email. It might be just the creative tactic you need to cut through the noise.
Bonus tip: Test and analyze
Don’t be afraid to test different subject lines to see what works best. Analyze your open rates and adjust your approach as needed to continually improve your email marketing strategy.
Final thoughts
Crafting an email subject line is an essential part of any email marketing strategy. By following the tips outlined above, you can ensure that your emails are getting into the inboxes of your target audience and increase engagement.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Email-Subject-Lines-Blog.png12602240Kathlyn Angeles-Timbolhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles-Timbol2023-03-22 10:22:492023-03-17 13:05:506 Tips for Writing Email Subject Lines that Get Opened
According to Zippia, 332 billion emails are sent daily across multiple platforms. That’s a lot of emails! But let’s face it. Many of these emails never reach their intended destination — the recipient’s inbox. Some emails end up in the spam folder. The problem is that most people don’t check their spam folders. That means, your email will never be seen or read.
As business owners, you probably use emails to send exclusive offers, the latest collections, or offer tips and advice to your potential and existing customers. In order to ensure the success of your email marketing campaigns, you must ensure that your emails land in the inbox.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss spam filters, why they’re important, and tips to ensure your email lands in people’s inboxes.
Understanding Spam Filters
Spam filters are like a gatekeeper for your inbox. They’re designed to protect you from unwanted and potentially dangerous emails. They scan incoming emails for suspicious content or subject lines, analyze the sender’s reputation, and check whether there are attachments in the message.
Once an email is identified as spam, it’s immediately filtered out and won’t appear in your inbox. This helps prevent users from being exposed to potentially dangerous material and keeps their valuable data secure from phishing attempts or other cyber threats.
With this automated process in place, you don’t have to worry about manually sifting through your incoming messages. All of the unwanted emails will be blocked automatically.
Best Practices for Better Email Deliverability
Tip #1: Authenticate your email domain
Email authentication is the process of verifying the identity of an email sender, which helps to reduce the chances of emails being marked as spam.
There are two primary email authentication protocols: SPF (Sending Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). These protocols help ensure that emails sent from your domain and legitimate and coming from authorized sources.
Tip #2: Prime your IP for success
Your IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique identifier used to send and receive emails. To maintain a good email deliverability rate, keeping a good reputation for your IP address is essential.
This can be done by sending emails to a small group of subscribers first, then gradually increasing the number. This process is known as “priming” your IP and helps to establish a positive reputation with email servers.
Tip #3: Use double opt-in
Double opt-in is a process where a subscriber must confirm their subscription twice. The first time, users would provide their email addresses. And the second time, they’d receive a confirmation email and must click a link to confirm their subscription.
This process helps to keep your mailing list clean and reduces the chances of your emails being marked as spam.
Tip #4: Avoid spam traps
Spam traps are email addresses that are used to identify and track spammers. These addresses are specifically created by ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to catch spammers.
If your email is marked as spam, your IP address can be blacklisted, significantly impacting your email deliverability. You need to keep your list clean and up-to-date to avoid spam traps.
Also, avoid purchased lists like the plague. The last thing you want is to send emails to people who have yet to opt-in on your list. This guarantees that you’ll run into a spam trap.
Tip #5: Keep clean lists
Keeping a clean mailing list is crucial for maintaining good email deliverability. A clean list contains only subscribers who have opted-in to receive emails from you.
Regularly remove inactive subscribers and those who have marked your emails as spam to keep your list clean. These people are more likely to mark them as spam since they are no longer interested in receiving your emails.
Tip #6: Send an email that people love
People are more likely to mark an email as spam if they don’t find it valuable or relevant. Emails containing helpful information, such as news or updates, are less likely to be marked as spam, as subscribers will find the content relevant and interesting.
Use a clear and concise subject line. Avoid words and phrases that can trigger spam filters. This can cause your email to be marked as spam. Common trigger words and phrases include “earn extra cash,” “online biz opportunity,” “free,” “no hidden cost,” and “act now.”
Tip #7: Check your sender reputation
Your sender reputation is a score that reflects the quality of your email content and the behavior of your subscribers. ISPs use this score to determine whether your emails should be delivered to the inbox or the spam folder.
Monitor your sending reputation and email deliverability metrics. This will help you understand the performance of your email campaigns and make necessary changes to improve them, reducing the chance of your email being marked as spam.
Final thoughts
Improving email deliverability and avoiding spam filters are crucial for successful email marketing. Following these best practices can build trust with your audience, increase engagement, and ultimately achieve your marketing goals.
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Most business owners think it’s impossible to generate sales without paid advertisements. This is why we often see startups spending a considerable chunk of their budget on ads.
But let’s face it. Small businesses don’t have a limitless marketing budget. In most cases, they need to think creatively to boost their sales. Increasing your sales with a limited marketing budget can be challenging, but it’s not impossible.
In this blog post, we’ll share five ways to pump up your sales without increasing your marketing budget. The best part? They can help you build a stronger relationship with your audience.
Leverage the power of social media
While not everyone on social media is interested to make a purchase, it’s one of the most cost-effective marketing channels. It gives you the chance to promote your products and get in front of your audience with very minimal effort.
When used correctly, it can help you generate more leads, build a relationship with your audience, and get them to buy your products later on. Plus, social media platforms have analytics, which allows you to monitor and track results.
Consistency is the key to social media success. Your audience value a steady presence, so make sure you post consistently. You don’t need necessarily need to post every day. If you can only post two to three times a week, then that’s fine. What’s important is that you stick to your posting schedule.
Keep your audience engaged with video marketing
Videos are one of the most popular choices for content consumption today. Believe it or not, videos can help you generate more sales. In fact, 80% of marketers claimed that video content helped them directly increase sales, and it can help you too.
One of the reasons why videos increase sales is because they tell your story more emotionally and dramatically as compared to photos and plain text.
People are more likely to share the video with their family and friends if they are interesting, informative, and entertaining. This helps you reach a massive audience. Even better, 84% of consumers say they’re convinced to buy a product after watching a brand’s video.
Nurture leads with email marketing
Email marketing may look complicated and intimidating if you haven’t done it before. But it’s not as complex as it seems. Plus, it’s a great way to build a relationship with your audience and turn them into brand enthusiasts.
You see, not all customers who visit your products will buy from you. Some are just looking. Others would actually add products to their cart and then abandon their carts for some reason. In fact, studies suggest that 7 out of 10 customers abandon their carts. It doesn’t matter how good your products are; this happens most of the time.
One of the most effective ways to turn prospects into customers is by nurturing them. You can educate them about your products. Let them know when you’re running a promotion. The goal is to establish trust and convince them to buy from you.
Another way to recover lost sales is by sending abandoned cart emails. It’s a follow-up email that is sent to customers who left your site without purchasing. The goal is to encourage customers to complete their purchases.
Generate leads with a strong SEO strategy
To boost sales, you need to have a strong digital presence. SEO is a great place to start.
Studies suggest that 89% of customers start their buying process with a quick Google search. They look up reviews for products they’re interested in. Or search for the best restaurants near their home.
SEO can help improve your online visibility and drive more traffic to your website, giving you more opportunities to convert leads into customers.
Implement a customer loyalty program
Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in converting leads to customers that you fail to realize that your best customers are right in front of you.
Existing customers are 67% more likely to purchase your products than new customers. Why? Because they already know how good your products are, how fast your delivery time is, and most importantly, they know that they can trust you. This is why it’s essential to maintain a relationship with your existing customers.
Loyalty programs play a huge role in retaining customers. They work because they make your customers feel more valued and appreciated.
It makes them more likely to choose you over the competition, which leads to repeat purchases, referrals, and more profits.
Final thoughts
There is no denying that it’s possible to boost your sales with a tight marketing budget. Sure, you can focus on social media marketing, publish SEO-optimized content, or publish video content every week. All these can help you gain more exposure and eventually turn prospects into paying customers. However, relying solely on free marketing strategies will require a lot of time and effort on your part.
If you want quicker results, it is be best to re-invest a portion of your profits into your marketing and advertising budget. It will save you valuable time and provide a more scalable way for your company’s growth.
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Love it or hate it, email remains to be one of the primary means of communication. Despite its age, ubiquity, and versatility, most business owners assume that it is one of those things that doesn’t work. Maybe that’s even you and your practice.
Email is actually a great option for marketing and promoting your practice. Here are 6 reasons why healthcare businesses and providers should do email marketing.
Create a stronger relationship with patients
According to a study that was conducted by researchers from Pew Internet, 80% of internet users have searched for a health-related topic online.
You know that there is a demand for healthcare content. People have already given you permission to email them. Now, they expect you to give them something in return.
Email is a great place to share relevant and timely health information. You can share some tips on how to avoid flu at work or how to keep kids safe while playing in the snow.
Your subscribers are already looking for these types of information online. By sending relevant and well-crafted healthcare content regularly, they’ll see that you care about their health and well-being. The more value you provide to your subscribers, the more they’ll look forward to hearing from you. When that happens, you’ll have a better chance of earning their trust and loyalty.
Personalized communication
People love it when businesses and treats them as an individual. Email marketing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to show your patients and subscribers that you value and care about them. It allows you to keep in touch with your audience on a regular basis. It can be as simple as “Thank you for subscribing”, a sincere “Happy Birthday” or some healthcare tips.
Personalized emails are more likely to be opened and read. Make sure that you address the recipient by their name. It is also a good idea to use a person’s name in the “from” field. People are more likely to trust and relate to an email that comes from a person as opposed to a business.
Cost-effective
There are a number of channels you can use to market your practice online. But email remains among the simplest, most cost-effective ways for you to market yourself and your practice. In fact, sending a monthly newsletter to your email list could cost you nothing more than your time. The best part? It lets you send your message around the world in seconds.
With the rise of social media, many businesses have abandoned email marketing, and we’re not surprised.
There are 4.3 billion internet users across the globe. Approximately 80% of them have social media accounts. That’s huge! But here’s the thing. The average click-through rate for a Facebook post is between 0.5 and 2%. If you have 1,000 followers, that means only 5-20 of them will see your posts.
Contrary to popular misconception, email marketing has great delivery and conversion rate. Almost everyone has an email, and they check it every now and then – while eating, while working or while waiting for the bus to arrive.
If you want to reach your target audience, you can do so through email. While not everyone will click and read the email, they are 80% more likely to do so than a Facebook post they might not even see.
Preferred method of communication
Email is far less obtrusive than a phone call or in-person visit. Plus, it is perceived as a more private outlet than social media. For this reason, many people prefer to communicate via email when it comes to their healthcare and medical needs.
A decade ago, people would use email to communicate with their family and friends. But a lot of that has shifted to social media, video chat, and texting. Email, on the other hand, is often reserved for work or business transactions, especially when dealing with very sensitive information.
Target select audience
We all know that the content is what makes an email great. But there is no point in sending out well-crafted, high-quality content if they are directed to the wrong audience.
Email marketing gives you the freedom to organize your contacts into segments. That means you can communicate with them based on their age, location, interest, etc. This way, you can easily customize your message for the different audiences you communicate with.
If you’re an emergency clinic, age would be an important demographic. For instance, you can send content that is centered on slips and falls to older adults on your list. For young adults, it could be about sports-related injuries.
By segmenting your list by age group, you can tailor the content of your email to suit the specific health interest and current situation of the recipient. When relevant content reaches the right audience, you’ll stay on top of mind with patients, establish a strong relationship, and build lifelong trust.
Let’s face it. Most visitors won’t buy your products or use your services on their first visit. The majority of them are just looking around. They’re not even sure your offer is what they really need.
Just because they aren’t buying anything, doesn’t mean you have to ignore them. Remember, these are potential customers or clients. And it is a good idea to capture their email address and start building a relationship with them. How? Through their inbox.
Having an email list gives you the opportunity to talk to communicate directly with your audience. You can even use it to pitch your products or services.
But the question is… How do you build an email list?
Here are some tips to help you get your first 100 email subscribers.
Who are you looking to attract?
This is one of the most important things you need to determine when building an email list. You need to have a clear understanding of exactly the type of people you want on your list. Otherwise, you won’t be able to craft a message that resonates strongly enough to spark interest and gain trust.
Create a valuable resource and give it away for free
Let’s face it. Your visitors won’t just give you their email address for no reason at all, even if they like your brand. After all, it’s a personal thing. So you need to find a way to convince them to give it to you.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by offering a lead magnet. It’s an incentive you offer to visitors in exchange for their email address. It is usually a piece of digital, downloadable content like an ebook, PDF checklist, swipe file, whitepaper etc.
When creating a lead magnet, ask yourself: What’s the one thing that would be useful to my audience? The goal is to come up with something that would make people excited. Once that’s done, people will be more than happy to provide their email address.
Create an opt-in landing page
Now that you have created a powerful lead magnet, it’s time to start creating an opt-in page.
An opt-in landing page is a standalone web page that is created for the sole purpose of getting visitors to sign up to your email list.
Avoid super long opt-in landing pages. The longer the opt-in page is, the higher the chance visitors won’t read it to the end. Every word and element of the page should support that single objective — getting them to sign up to your list. If it doesn’t, lose it.
To increase sign up rate, make sure that your CTA button stands out from the rest of your page. Use a larger font, contrasting colors, and prominent positioning.
Choose an email marketing platform
An email marketing platform is a necessity, especially if you’re serious about building your email list.
Not all platforms are bundled with the same features. Choose a platform that will help you incorporate email personalization and segmentation, plus automate email delivery.
If you’re completely new to email list building, MailChimp would be a great platform to get started. For startups and small businesses, ActiveCampaign is a great option. It allows you to segment contacts based on their stage in the sales funnel.
Make signing up as easy as possible
Capturing information is good. But if you’re asking for too much information, people may end up feeling skeptical about how their information will be utilized.
Limit the form to a few fields. Or better yet, just ask for their name and email address. Every additional field gives them a reason to change their mind.
The goal is to get people to sign up, right? So make it as easy and simple as possible for them to do so. The easier the process is, the more likely are they to subscribe. Plus, the less information you ask, the more people will sign up.
Drive traffic to your landing page
Now that everything is set, all you need to do is to drive traffic to your landing page. One of the best ways to do that is by running a paid traffic campaign.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend a huge sum of money on ads. In fact, Facebook allows you to started with as little as $5 a day. However, paid ads alone isn’t enough to grow your subscriber list. Make sure that you promote and share it across your social media platforms.
Conclusion
Building an email list not an easy task. And when you’re starting from 0, getting that first 100 email subscribers could be a daunting milestone. Don’t worry. It’s not as challenging as it seems. Just follow the tips above and you’ll be able to get your first 100 subscribers in no time.
With the right strategy and solid approach to A/B testing, you can see a significant growth in your email list.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/email-subscribers-blog.png12602240Kathlyn Angeles-Timbolhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles-Timbol2021-02-03 10:35:022021-02-02 14:36:09List Building: How to Get Your First 100 Email Subscribers
You’ve probably heard more than a few times that email marketing is dead. But statistics say not a chance. In fact, studies suggest that email marketing beats Facebook and Twitter in customer acquisition by 40 times. And for every $1 spent on email marketing, it generates $44 in ROI.
Email is one of the most efficient channels for delivering advertising messages to people who have shown interest in your services. It allows you to connect with them on a personal level, which helps you build a relationship with your audience and drives your practice forward.
So how do you ensure that your email efforts drive in the most bang for your buck? Here are some tips.
Create attention-grabbing subject lines
How many unopened emails do you have in your inbox? 500? 850? If you’re like me, then you probably have thousands.
You have great content to share, but it won’t matter if the emails aren’t’ getting opened and read. To boost your email open rates, you need to craft subject lines that subscribers simply can’t resist.
Keep in mind that people only scan their inbox very quickly, so make sure to keep your subject lines are short. Also, do tell them what’s inside. If a person signed up to your list and you promised to send them an in ebook in return, then you can use subject lines like “Your guide awaits!” or “Your ebook inside!”. This is better than just saying “Thank you”. It’s short, direct to the point, and lets them know that something is waiting inside the email.
Hit the right frequency
Think of the last time you unsubscribed from an email. If you’re like most people, I bet you did because you’ve been receiving too many of them from a single sender. That said, you need to consider this when sending emails to your subscribers.
The last thing you want is to bombard people on your email list with offer after offer. You don’t want to do it so infrequently either that they’ll end up forgetting about you.
So how often should you send emails to your subscribers? Honestly, there is no chiseled-in-stone answer.
But you can start by keeping an eye on what industry leaders are doing. They have done their homework and have built schedules that perform well.
Segment emails
Many of you probably receive dozens of emails every single day. Now, let me ask you. How many of these emails do you read? How many of them really resonate with you? I bet many of them don’t, right?
If you want to increase your open rates as well as your conversion rates, then you need to make sure that you’re sending the right messages to the right people. How? By segmenting your emails.
Segmentation means breaking your email list into smaller segments. This allows you to personalize your emails and ensure that the messages are completely relevant for each recipient. By doing so you’re likely to get 15% more opens and 60% more clicks than if you don’t segment your campaigns.
Make recipients feel special
Growing your email list is vital. But you also need to think of your existing subscribers. These people are the ones who avail of your services and helped you grow your practice. In addition to health tips and advice, you also need to give them something extra. It can be in the form a discount, free visit, or an exclusive offer.
Studies suggest that people tend to desire and give more value to things that are scarce. You can leverage on the principle of scarcity to make your readers feel special.
Let’s say you just published a book. Let your subscribers know that you’re giving them a chance to buy the book before you release it in public. Or you can also give them some discount vouchers for the trust and loyalty they have shown you.
Create a powerful CTA
The goal of email marketing is to get the reader to take action. A clever copy with a powerful call-to-action can make all the difference in your campaign.
A call-to-action is an important step towards actively directing the readers to your goal or objective. Simple call-to-actions such as “call now”, “schedule an appointment now”, and “buy now” usually works, but don’t limit yourself to the common ones. Try to think outside the box and create a powerful CTA that would grab a reader’s attention.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Email-Marketing-Tips-Blog-1.png12602240Kathlyn Angeles-Timbolhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles-Timbol2020-09-09 14:26:482020-09-18 12:53:29Email Marketing Tips for Your Healthcare Practice
In this blog we talk about email marketing for your healthcare practice or your wellness practice. Email marketing helps to serve a lot of different purposes. And so, we’ll talk about what those purposes are for your practice, as well as the different types of emails that we recommend making sure that you are sending out.
First and foremost, email marketing helps you to increase the ROI from your digital marketing efforts.
Increase ROI of Healthcare Digital Marketing
How does it do this? Well, the first thing that it does is it keeps you top of mind with the folks on your email list. Sometimes your email list might be comprised of past patients, or it might be comprised of somebody who just downloaded a resource from your website, or even somebody who just requested a consultation with your practice.
By receiving emails in their inbox at set frequencies, whether it’s daily, monthly, weekly, you are able to stay top of mind with them. When they think of your specialty, you immediately are the person that they think of. Just because you keep on popping up in their inbox.
Additionally, email marketing helps you to build trust with your patients and with your email list.
Build Trust with Prospects Online
Now you’re able to build trust because whenever you send out an email, you are sharing valuable and educational information with your email list. So the more you share this valuable and educational material, the more they will learn to trust what you have to say.
Put a Face to the Name with Email Marketing
Lastly, email marketing helps you to really get your email list knowing your physicians or your specialist. And so, by including things like videos or pictures of your staff and of your physicians, you are able to get them to know who you are as an office and who your specialists really are. So these are really important for making sure that you are increasing the ROI of your digital marketing efforts.
Types of Email Marketing to Include in Healthcare Digital Marketing Strategy
Now, what types of emails do we send out? So there are a few different types of emails, and the two most important ones that we’re going to talk about today are the automated emails that somebody would receive right when they request a consultation or right when they download a resource from your website and ongoing email newsletters.
Automated Emails Immediately After A Prospect Joins Your List
How many times have you had that happen where somebody fills out the form, you give them a call, and they have no idea what you’re calling about?
The reason why we want to send them something immediately is that online people are busy, they might click to download something on their phone or even click for a consultation, and then they forget about it.
We see this sometimes, especially when we’re running ads on Facebook, where somebody will fill out a form, and then after 30 minutes or an hour, they might forget that they filled out the form or not recognize your call when you call them to schedule that actual appointment.
By sending a follow-up email, especially one that includes a short message from your specialist, it helps them to remember who you are and to put a face to the name, so that they actually have a lasting relationship connection with your practice. So we definitely recommend any time you collect name and email address, to then send out a email immediately. Now, you can set this up through your contact management system, and through your medical record system that sometimes those have the capability to do this, or if you utilize something like MailChimp or Salesforce, that is an option there as well.
Integrating Email Newsletters into Healthcare Marketing
The next thing that you will be wanting to have the emails for is your newsletter. We recommend sending out a newsletter at least monthly, though a lot of our clients do send them out weekly. These newsletters are great places to share educational information with the folks on your email list. We recommend including videos of your physicians or your specialist, as well as tips, and even sometimes recipes, or exercises that your email list can do at home to help with the things that your specialty is around as well.
I bring up orthopedic surgeons quite a bit, but you could have knee exercises or stretching exercises included in that email list, to help people share it with their friends and family who might be going through the same thing. Or, for a pediatrics office, potentially, you have something in there that is geared towards healthy snacks for children at different age groups or different milestones, as well as some STEM toys or projects that they could be doing at home with their parents. The parent can share this content with their friends and family if they find it educational and share-worthy.
We highly recommend having this email marketing be a large part of your digital marketing strategy, so that once you collect the names and email addresses of individuals and they have opted into your email marketing, they not only receive an immediate email to remind them who you are and put a face to the name, but then they also receive these ongoing email communications so that you stay top of mind and they learn to know, like, and trust you.
If you have any questions about how to utilize email marketing for your wellness center, please head on over to socialspeaknetwork.com and request a consultation. We can’t wait to talk with you in more detail about how you can increase the ROI of your own digital marketing campaigns. And if you like this video, be sure to click that subscribe button or follow us on Podbean or iTunes.
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In this blog post, we are going to be talking about all things email marketing for health care centers, oftentimes health care centers and clinics are worried about remaining HIPPA-compliant while pursuing email marketing efforts as part of their digital marketing strategy period.
So you need to be aware of the technology that you’re using and make sure that you have a signed with the software of your choice. Email marketing is incredible way to stay top of mind with your patients and your prospects.
It allows health care centers to increase the ROI of their digital marketing efforts and build loyalty and trust with those in the community. Please take a look at the video below, and transcript to learn more about how email marketing can be utilized by your clinic in order to reach more prospects, book more appointments and increase the bottom line of your marketing.
Watch the medical marketing video
Listen to the Podcast
Read the Digital Marketing Transcript
00:00 Caitlin Mcdonald: Hello, everybody. My name’s Caitlin McDonald, I am the co-founder over here at the Social Speak Network, and welcome to the newest episode of the Social Speak Network podcast. In today’s episode, we’re gonna be talking about email marketing for healthcare centers. Now, a lot of times, people think that email marketing is something that they can’t do; they don’t want to break any HIPAA compliance rules, they wanna make sure that patient information remains private. However, you can still utilize email marketing to keep your prospects and patients aware of what’s happening at your practice and making sure that they think of you first and foremost when either they have a symptom that they need to come in to your specialist, or they hear somebody else needing help and support in your specialties.
01:00 CM: So not all email providers are created equal. We typically recommend utilizing an email platform, a CRM that is designed specifically for healthcare. There are a lot of great form builders out there that are HIPAA compliant; Formstack, Jobform are just a few of them that do have levels that are HIPAA compliant, so that means that the information that is stored there remains secure. So you aren’t breaking any rules by having people sign up through that. We always wanna make sure, however, that people are explicitly stating that they are interested in receiving marketing material from you. We sometimes go a step further and add text in there about… In the form itself, about receiving text messages regarding upcoming appointments, so that you can send them text messages as well, and have it just be very transparent what they’re signing up for. So for example, if it’s a request a consultation form, you wanna make sure that you’re taking those steps to also ask them if they want to join your email list, rather than just assuming that requesting a consultation also means email list.
02:22 CM: The similar sort of thing for patients who are coming in the door, maybe giving you a call, not filling out one of those forms. While they’re in your practice, you should always be asking them if they would like to receive marketing information from you, and then ask for their email address and have them physically sign a sheet of paper that says, “Yes, I’m giving this practice permission to reach out to me via email.” We always wanna have some sort of a form like that.
02:56 CM: Now, one of our favorite pieces of technology is called Influx MD, and this takes this a step further. So it doesn’t just create the forms, but allows you to create the forms and then track prospects as they turn into patients. So it goes, it brings a prospect all the way through to that first online booking. Now oftentimes, your admin will have forms and paperwork that they need to sign, new patient paperwork that they need to sign before coming in. And through Influx MD, we’re actually able to create systems and processes that automates this entire flow. So not only are you receiving their contact information and gaining approval that the individual would like to receive the marketing emails from you, but you also are able to, within that same module, make sure that you are bringing a prospect into becoming a patient. So this really increases the transparency as it relates to ROI, and how much you’re spending on advertising versus just bringing in the door.
04:16 CM: So the goal is obviously, in that first appointment, to have that positive ROI. But if you think about the entire lifetime value of a patient, this also helps to increase that as well, and do referrals as well. So in this case, we use the CRM as that initial point up to that initial patient consultation, then they’re moved over to your EMR. So it’s kinda two platforms that work side and side. Admin and staff who need access to the records can have that, whereas marketers like myself just see the reports and the data coming in.
04:57 CM: So what types of emails, when we’re talking about email marketing, should you be sending out to prospects and patients? I already mentioned one of them. Those are kind of status updates of your practice. So do you have a new doctor? Has staff changed? Do you have new nurses there? You want to provide that personal feel, that personal touch to your prospects, so that you remain top of mind, and so that they really know, like and trust your experts. Secondly, you wanna send out timely health information. Potentially you’re writing blog posts, which we’ve covered in previous weeks, or creating videos, which we also have covered in previous weeks. And so you wanna make sure that you are getting those resources and that information to individuals, and email is a great way to do that. So you’re allowing them to take their health to the next level because you are providing them with those resources and the guidance to help them live healthier, more fulfilling lives.
06:05 CM: Now the last thing is, like I said, the last general type of email that we would recommend sending out is for appointment reminders, as well as appointment follow-ups. You might see this a lot where in other industries, and it’s less so in healthcare, where you receive an email requesting a review. Now, reviews on Google still are… And Facebook and Yelp [chuckle] are still some of the most powerful social indicators that you can see online through your marketing. People who are not familiar with your practice will actually take a look at these reviews in order to help guide their decision on whether or not they want to contact you for that initial consultation. And once they contact you, they will continue to do more research. So these reviews help to give them peace of mind. So we do recommend utilizing a software tool that helps to send out these follow-up emails, and it also works with text message as well to folks who have been to your practice.
07:26 CM: So, again, just as an overview of these types of emails; so staff news and information, information about your practice, maybe new locations, new specialties, new equipment that you have, so kinda the press release type. Tips and health information, so this is the educational type of information. We do recommend even sending this out weekly, it’s a great way to stay top of mind. And you could combine the two, if you wanna just send out one monthly newsletter, you could add the featured staff as well as that health education. And then the third one is for appointment reminders and follow-up reminders for reviews.
08:14 CM: I hope that this has been helpful as you start planning out your email marketing strategy for your healthcare center. Again, my name’s Caitlin McDonald, I’m here with the Social Speak Network. And we’re just about all the way through our Q3, Q4 marketing overview for healthcare centers. This was our 10th week going specifically into a topic. But over the past quarter, we’ve talked about your social media strategy, Facebook advertising, Facebook groups, Instagram, Pinterest, blogging, lead generation, videos, running a podcast and more. So if you’ve missed any of those and you wanna dive into more detail, we have the full transcripts available at our blog. You can hop on over to our YouTube channel to view the videos or over to Social Speak Network on iTunes to listen to the audio. Thanks so much and I will see you next time.
As doctors, you tell patients all the time that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Although we often use this axiom when referring to health, we believe that it also applies to your marketing strategy.
Knowing how to market health care services is important, even if you’re happy with your current patient volume. With so much information available online, patients no longer feel the need to visit clinics or hospitals near them. They can easily switch health care providers anytime. The last thing you want is to find out your patient database is nearly empty.
You are not guaranteed to keep up your patient volume forever. Having a planned medical marketing strategy will help keep your brand at the forefront of people’s mind.
Here are some tips on how to market health care services and grow your practice.
Referral marketing
Doctors and other medical practitioners aren’t entirely clueless on how to market health care services. In fact, many of you have been using this marketing strategy for years.
In order to make referral marketing work for you, you have to unleash your inner extrovert and put yourself out there. Make sure you get some face time with physicians, massage therapists, yoga instructors, health coaches, naturopathic doctors etc. These people can be great resources for referrals.
Professional referrals are based squarely on sound relationships. Patients, health care professionals and their staff will only refer someone they trust – someone they feel is the best. You have to make them feel comfortable about you – both as a health practitioner and as a person.
Referral marketing is not just about getting more people through the door. Rather, it’s an ongoing process of finding, attracting, and retaining patients.
Establish or enhance your social media presence
Social media marketing requires a lot of time and effort, and we know that time is something you may not have in abundance. But the benefits of social media are simply too great to ignore.
Advertising your practice on social media can help new patients find you with less effort on your part. It also allows you to connect with other professionals and your patients.
Devote the time to make daily updates and postings. Publish content your audience would be interested to read. Share some tips to educate patients. Share relevant information about your field of knowledge. By educating your audience, they will see you as a helpful doctor who is invested in keeping them healthy.
You don’t have to manually post all your social media content. There are lots of tools out there that will automate your social media publishing and scheduling.
Focus on branding
When we think of a brand, big companies such as Coca-Cola and Apple often comes to mind. As a medical practitioner, you can’t create your brand, can you? Of course, you can!
A brand’s identity is how a business wants to be perceived by its audience or customers. It is how you are currently perceived as a medical practitioner.
Having a strong brand allows you to build a positive image that makes people expect a certain level of quality from you. It helps people trust you and makes them want to work with you. Ultimately, branding can help increase referrals and expand your practice.
Professional website
Today, more and more people are using the internet to research treatments and find health care practitioners of all kinds. They’d want to learn more about you before making an appointment.
If you don’t have a website, then you’re seriously limiting your visibility online. It will be difficult for potential patients to learn about you and your practice. This puts you at a disadvantage.
Having an up-to-date professional website allows you to represent your brand the way you want it to be. Plus, it allows you to easily communicate with potential and existing patients about new services and offerings. Ultimately, it reduces the amount of time your staff spends on the phone by providing basic information and answers to commonly asked questions.
Final thoughts
For decades, medical professionals have gotten by without spending time and money in marketing and advertising their practices. Living in the digital age, having no online presence is simply not an option.
The internet has changed how people experience health care. They would turn to the internet to research health-related topics and treatments, and even shop around for health care practitioners. If you know how to market health care services, then you’ll find that there are lots of opportunities to grow your practice and reach new patients.
The Social Speak Network Podcast recently went into more detail about digital marketing for health care services, as well.
Top 10 Tips to Increase your Digital Marketing Presence in the Health & Wellness Industry
In this podcast episode, Social Speak Network co-founders discuss 10 Tips to Increase your Digital Marketing Presence in the Health & Wellness Industry. Over the upcoming weeks, we will be diving into each of these in more detail.
1) Social Media Strategy
2) Facebook Ads
3) Facebook Groups
4) Instagram
5) Pinterest
6) Blogging
7) Lead Generation
8) Videos
9) Podcast
10) Email Marketing
Watch the Episode
Read the Digital Marketing for Health Care Services Podcast Transcript
00:01 Caitlin McDonald: Hello and welcome to the Social Speak Network podcast. I’m one of your hosts today, Caitlin McDonald, and we’re also joined by Amber Irwin.
00:10 Amber Irwin: Hello everyone.
00:12 CM: In this episode, we’re gonna be talking a lot about tips to increase your digital marketing presence in the health and wellness industry. So we work with a lot of different businesses and organizations in health and wellness ranging from Pediatric centers to massage therapists, nutritionists. And they’re always asking, how can we increase our digital marketing, how can we increase our exposure online, so that we’re reaching the right target market? So today, we’re gonna be going through the top 10 tips to increase your digital marketing presence. And then over the course of the next few months, we’re gonna be diving into each of these more specifically. So either Amber and myself, will be really focusing on one of the tips moving forward, and this episode really is designed to be an overarching strategy, that kind of paints the picture for the next few months.
01:07 AI: Exactly. So let’s dive into the first thing that will help you have a clear direction of where you’re going. And that is having that strategy, whether it is just a social media strategy or a digital marketing strategy, again, with that overarching picture of What do you need to do? So, having a content calendar. With social media, and really, digital marketing as a whole it’s… Consistency is key, and if you don’t have that content calendar and that organization of what you need to do and what you need to prepare for, it’s easy to forget about it and not do it. So having a calendar, knowing how many times to post with social media is really important, because sometimes… The other day, we had somebody say, Gosh, three times a week seems like a lot. I think it should just be one time a week and we’re like “No.”
01:58 AI: So knowing your audience, whether that’s every day, maybe it’s just during the week or maybe your audience is on social media more during the weekends, so knowing your audience and knowing when to post and then also what platforms to use. So we’re gonna be talking a little bit about Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, but there’s also Twitter and LinkedIn. So knowing where your audience is playing is really important, so Caitlin, why don’t you talk to us a little bit about the Facebook ads and Facebook groups.
02:27 CM: Perfect. So Facebook is one of those networks that we all wanna forget that it’s there, but we can’t forget that it’s there. [chuckle] And over time, it’s been more and more important to have an actual advertising spend. So you’re not only paying somebody just to manage the account and post the three times or more per week, you also then have to spend money on Facebook in order for those posts to be seen. And so over time, these ads have gotten more and more complex as well, so it used to be that you could just click and boost a post, and now what you have to really dive in and create an ad that’s specific for one segment of your market versus another.
03:14 CM: So let’s say you have some services that are more tailored towards women, or moms, or another section that’s more tailored towards baby boomers or children. You need to create different ads and different audiences for each of those so that you’re really speaking towards the networks they are. Now, in terms of the budget for Facebook ads, really this depends on your service. I think the most important thing here is to pay attention to those key performance indicators. So how much is each lead costing you? How many leads are then converting to schedule a follow-up appointment? And of those follow-up appointments, how many folks are then coming in for secondary services, sending referrals and things like that? So we currently have ads running for some companies where the cost per lead is $20-$30, we have other ones where it’s less than a dollar, closer to 50 cents per lead.
04:16 CM: And these are converting at the same ratio of lead to then signing up for services. However, the person who’s paying $30 per lead is completely fine with that cost, because their service is more money in general. Then there’s the next part of Facebook groups. Now Facebook groups are a great way to find your target audience, in communities that are already formed and it’s also a great way to create a community around your own services or offerings. So, we recommend joining groups and so this could be the admin on your account or the business owner. Maybe someone on the Board of Directors, joining groups on Facebook that align with your target market’s interests and posting on there, commenting, sharing articles that you’re writing and everything like that. And then also having a group that you manage for your own organization that just provides a little bit more information. So that your target audience can continue learning and building that trust with you and you building the trust with them so that when it’s time to come on in for that next appointment, they know where to turn. Amber, do you wanna dive in now to some of those other social media networks?
05:39 AI: Yeah. So let’s talk about Instagram first. So, Instagram is… A lot of people, this… Instagram’s a little overwhelming, I think. People don’t necessarily understand it or they’re… And most of the time, it’s just images and videos. You can’t put a link in the content. You could put links in your stories if you have over 10,000 followers. And below in the comments, I will put down a free tool. That’s called Linktree and that allows you to have multiple links within your profile, within your bio area there. So you have a link to your blog, you have a link to maybe a special offer, your YouTube channel, etcetera. So I’ll put that in the comments below. But Instagram stories are really important to make sure you are doing… And these are fun for… Maybe it’s a tip of the day, behind the scenes, introducing a new practitioner.
06:34 AI: These are just quick 15 second clips, or you can do images too. And they only see it for 24 hours. So this is a great way, if you are… If you have an event, if you are having a special on products, maybe it’s a blowout sale on just inventory you have in the office. This is a great way to just have those stories be more like your VIP area. You can track the analytics on those, so it lets you know how many people watched each story and who those people were. So then another step is follow up with them with a private message of saying “Hey, I saw you liked our story. Are you interested in our products? Or if you have any questions, let us know.” So it’s really about building that relationship.
07:16 AI: Instagram TV is really important. These are for your videos that are anything over a minute, because remember, on your News Feed, your videos can be one minute long. And on Instagram TV, they can be up to 10 minutes long. So taking advantage of that. And what Instagram TV has started to do is any time you upload a video to Instagram TV, it now gives a one-minute clip on your News Feed. So before, we would upload a video and then create a post about it, and now Instagram does that automatically for you. So you can have a cover photo in that, you can have a title and a description and put, “Hey, check us out.” What’s that call to action? So, “Sign up today on our website, check us out on YouTube.” So it’s important to make sure that you’re using all of the bells and whistles that Instagram has for you.
08:06 AI: The more you use… So, on Instagram stories, the more if you are doing like a mention, if you’re doing a gift, a hashtag, a sticker, the things that they already have there for you, they like that. And so, you show up more in the algorithm. It’s kind of silly, but they love it, so do it. And then obviously, the hashtags for Instagram. So make sure you’re doing your research. The one thing I love about Instagram is if you type in a hashtag, it’s gonna tell you… Like, if you search for a hashtag, it’s gonna tell you how many people are talking about that hashtag. And then you can also follow that hashtag and see everyone that’s mentioning it. So, it’s good just for that research.
08:47 AI: Competitors, what are they talking about? What posts are they putting up? What engagement are they getting? And then for you to be able to create content for your audience and see what people are wanting to know about. And don’t always use the same hashtags. ‘Cause a lotta times, you’ll see the exact same hashtags in the exact same order on every single post. Do not do that. You’ll see formatting where it’s the post, three dots, and then hashtags. You can have, we usually say, between five and 10 hashtags per post. And then in the comments, if you do a first comment, you could have up to 30 hashtags. So hashtags play an important role in Instagram.
09:28 AI: So from Instagram, I wanna move into Pinterest, because Pinterest… These are both very visual platforms. And Pinterest, I really think of Pinterest as more of a visual Google. This is really where, if your target market is women, mothers, you have to be on Pinterest because this is where we’re finding our information. Whether it is, is this normal? To home remedies, to stretches, to work outs, to… Whatever it is to home interior design. This is where women are finding the majority of their information. So Pinterest, use it as a resource for your clients.
10:08 AI: If you look at, I’m just gonna throw out Home Depot. I think Farmer’s Insurance does a great job. They organize their boards as resources for their audience. So they have home gardening tips, they have like organic plants. They have all these boards that their audience really wants to know about. And so, using Pinterest as a resource for your clients helps build that value and that relationship. The other thing Pinterest is great for is building traffic back to your website. So, Caitlin’s gonna be talking a little bit about the logging and lead generation. And Pinterest is a great way to build that audience back to… Or that traffic back to your website and creating the right images.
10:52 AI: So again, in the comments below, I will put a really cool tool. Secret, a tool that we use for our clients and it makes Pinterest… It’s amazing. It really helps drive the traffic to your site, it helps you organize and schedule your pins, and it gives you suggestions based on your search history of what you should do. So Pinterest, it’s… I think that it’s something that is just a really great way… If your clients are asking a question and you have what we call power partners or a list of people that you recommend, you can pin from them too. So you can just have a board that says, “Resources” or “Referral partners,” and start pinning from their website to that board. So it gives your audience one place to go, it makes it easy and it’s, again, driving that traffic back to your website and your power partner’s website. So, that is Pinterest for ya.
11:49 CM: Awesome. And Amber mentioned this, but Pinterest really is like a search engine, which brings us to blogging and search engine optimization. And so starting… I guess this isn’t one of the points that we’re really diving into specifically, but I do wanna bring it up. One thing that’s important to remember with search engine optimization, is that there are a lot of other places that your website can be found or your organization can be found besides just your website. So yes, you want your website URL to show up and be kind of in the top 10 results on Google, however you can have your Pinterest boards and your pins show up in Google. You can have your YouTube content, we’re gonna get into videos, but you can have your YouTube content show up in the top 10 points of Google, your directory listings.
12:42 CM: All of these things really work together to help boost your website, but also just boost your overall brand presence online. So really keep that in mind as you’re working on search engine optimization, that it’s not just about doing one thing, it’s about doing a little bit of everything in a very smart way. [chuckle]
13:06 CM: So let’s jump into blogging. Blogging is one of our favorite tactics when it comes to boosting your presence in digital marketing and in the digital world. And basically, what this means is creating a well-written article and publishing it on your website. Long gone are the days where you can only write a post of 350 or 750 words. These articles should be a lot longer, meaning, between 1500 and 5000 words, and there are tools to figure out what’s the best length for a specific topic. And they should include lots of different types of media such as videos, Pinterest pins, little snippets of text that are easy for somebody to click and tweet. And so, you wanna make it as easy as possible for this blog post to then be shared to different networks.
14:05 CM: So our typical process for writing a blog or an article includes starting with that keyword research. So here, we like to focus on what are the main things that people are looking for if they want to come in and book an appointment with one of your specialists or physicians? So what are the top concerns that they have? What are the symptoms they have? What are the main questions that they have? From here, you can research what people are actually searching for online. And there are a few ways to do this. One of the easiest is just pulling up Google and starting to type in whatever that topic is, and Google will actually put in there related search terms, they are the phrases that people are really using. And so that’s a great thing to put into Google, or excuse me, into your blog post.
15:00 CM: Then, after you have kind of the idea of what that topic should really be… And as I’m doing the podcast episode specifically about this, we’ll talk about some of those tools that our company uses for it. [chuckle] But we won’t get into that now, because I could go on and on about that. But the next thing that you do after you have that basis of the keyword research is actually creating a blog outline. When I create a blog outline, sometimes, I’m already up to 500 or 750 words, and I haven’t written in an ounce of content. All I have are the headers and the sub-headers and a couple of little bullet points under each of them. So it makes writing a longer blog post a lot easier in the long run.
15:43 CM: After this, it really, as we mentioned is about formatting it and then sharing it. And so one of the good ways to share it is to have some sort of call to action in there as well, and so this brings us into the lead generation part of your website presence and digital marketing. And so, for lead generation, we always recommend having some sort of content upgrade or offer that you’re promoting, and so each of the blog posts that you write can then include a little snippet about that content upgrade or call to action, as a way to entice people to take the next step about learning more about your business and organization. For this lead generation piece, we always recommend having really valuable free information or free content that somebody can then gain access to. This could be a resource library that’s just for your subscribers, or it could be something like booking a free consultation as well.
16:46 CM: Both of those work tremendously well in health and wellness. And then, in order to actually collect the names and email addresses, we recommend setting up a landing page, and you can do this just on, let’s say, a WordPress website or a tool like LeadPages or somewhere else, where you collect their name, email address and sometimes phone number, you can play around with kind of conversion rates there, have them download or gain access to whatever it is, and then sign them up for your email newsletter. So we’ll jump into email newsletter later. But we brought up video a couple of times, I [chuckle].. With blogging and social media and everything. So, Amber, do you wanna jump into videos?
17:30 AI: Yeah. So I love that blogging is growing into this so much more than just contact. In a blog, like Caitlin said, you’re gonna have a lead magnet, you’re gonna have an image, you’re gonna have that Pinterest image, so you can pin that back to Pinterest, and you’re gonna have videos. So I… You’re really touching every type of learning, whether they’re kinesthetic, visual, audio. Because with videos, people, and a lot of times, people will watch videos without the sound, so captions are really important, because whether they’re at work or they’re just in a place where they can’t hear, their kids are running around… Whatever it is. So videos are a great way to really allow your audience to get to know who you are.
18:16 AI: And these videos can be on… Again, it goes back to that content calendar that you’re gonna be putting in place the first step. Because, maybe you have a tip of the day in your blog post, whether you have it broken out in different sections, you could have a video for each section, so it just maybe goes into a little bit further detail or showing them how to do something so they can read it and they can see it. And they can put it together based on how they need to. Maybe it’s recipes are really great for videos. So videos are just such an important piece of your digital marketing. And there’s a few things that you’re gonna do with these videos once you have them. Obviously, you’re gonna upload them to YouTube, and when you have them onto YouTube, there’s… And I’ll get in more like Caitlin said… As you go into these videos more in detail, we’ll give you all the tools that we use.
19:05 AI: But with YouTube, you’re gonna wanna create playlists and there’s a lot of little things that you could do with your videos to make sure that they’re getting seen more. So, YouTube is gonna be your hub. From that, you could put them into your blog post, you can upload them to Facebook into these groups that you’re gonna be a part of, but then also onto Instagram TV. So a couple of tips when you’re doing videos. When you’re doing an Instagram TV video, have your phone vertical. When you’re doing a… Most of the time, if I’m recording a video for YouTube, I’ll just have it from my computer or turn your phone horizontal. So it doesn’t matter, even if you do a video vertical for YouTube, YouTube… There’s no more black bars, they have the image back there, so it looks really good, but having these videos on all of your platforms is really important because, again, it just… It brings that name to face and you’re able to answer questions. A lot of times what we see with pediatricians, they will get questions, they’ll take notes of weekly questions that they’re getting from their patients and then at the end of the week, they’ll do maybe an FAQ Friday and they’ll answer some of these questions that the parents had or they’ll talk about a topic.
20:23 AI: So again, it’s listening to what your audience is looking for and asking for and doing those videos around their needs. And this is, again, where those Facebook groups come in, because you can do videos just for that group, based on those questions that are coming in, so you can get really intimate with your clients and then you have ones that are just for YouTube that anyone can view. So, videos are really important, and again going with the videos, taking it a little bit further with podcasts. So Caitlin, let’s talk a little bit about podcasts before we kind of wrap it up with the email marketing piece. Podcasts are hot right now, but everyone wants to do one. What are, how do you start your own podcast and what are a few tips people should know?
21:12 CM: Yeah. So with podcasts, the process is a lot easier than you might think. There are hundreds, maybe not hundreds, but there are a handful of free podcast, kind of hosting companies, or ones where it just costs under $10 per month to sign up for it. We use Podbean. There are a bunch of other ones. With Podbean, we also can hook it up to iTunes. So our podcast is on iTunes. And it’s something that, as long as you’re being consistent, it just provides that extra little piece of personality behind your organization. So, it’s a great place to take the content that you’re sharing in those videos and turn it into a podcast episode.
22:00 CM: It’s also a great way to interview people. So let’s say, you have 10 physicians on staff, go through and interview each of them on anything from kind of giving a little bit of a personal background to who’s in your practice through to their specialities. If you’re an health and wellness coach, reach out to other health and wellness coaches who might have a slightly different perspective and having this podcast and being the interviewer automatically positions you as an expert and also gives you a great ideas for what to do for your own practice if you ever are stuck finding clients, let’s say, or with… Maybe one regimen isn’t working for a client, you always… It always works.
22:45 CM: So tap into the knowledge of the people that you’re interviewing, and see what else they recommend, any other solutions that they recommend kind of turning to. So it’s a really fun, easy way just to have a different piece of media that you can share on your website, and then it also provides a great basis for blog posts. So, [chuckle] you do the podcast episode, you record it for YouTube, you upload it to Podbean or wherever, to iTunes, so then you can share that, you can share the video and then you’d make a transcription of it using one of the many softwares that are available online and you have a full blog post kind of without doing any work that then goes on your website, helps with that search engine optimization and provides a different type of content to share online as well. So podcasts are hot, they’re one of… It’s one of the growing, quickest growing avenues online for marketing your business and practice. So I say jump on the bandwagon, give it a shot.
23:55 AI: Exactly, and then once you have your blogs and your podcast, then that kinda comes into that email marketing piece. And email marketing kinda plays two roles in your digital marketing because you’re gonna have, whether you have weekly updates. We do a weekly digital marketing email or a monthly newsletter and so I’ll talk a little bit about those monthly newsletters and weekly emails, and then, Caitlin’s gonna talk a little bit about how that email marketing plays a role in your lead generation with the automation piece. So when you have and again, everything comes down to consistency. So when you are creating all this content, you can kind of see how it’s this little spider web and how everything connects, but your website is your hub of where everything lands and so, your whole goal is to have everyone, have all these resources back to your website. So email marketing, whether these are patients, people you’ve met at events, people that signed up for your lead generation, you wanna make sure that now you are communicating with them, whether that is weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, it doesn’t matter, as long as you pick what you’re gonna do and commit to it.
25:09 AI: So the worst is you get an email. I signed up for something, I’m so excited. I get that intro email, I love it and then I’m like, “I haven’t heard anything from them. What’s going on?” So making sure that you have that plan and you know what they’re talking about. So again, your newsletters are gonna be more content that’s just for them. So again, this can be a video that’s maybe just an FAQ video. Asking people to join your Facebook group, giving them tips, maybe it’s finding other articles of resources that you have approved that you want to send out to your audience. So, really, it’s tips giving a lot of value, that’s where people… You’re gonna keep them reading. And then at the end you would have your links to your blogs, you would have your links to your social media, but really come up with original content for your newsletter. So Caitlin, how does email marketing play a role with lead generation?
26:07 CM: Yeah, absolutely. So with lead generation, and as Amber just mentioned, somebody is really excited. They just signed up for whatever resource or free consultation that you decided to offer as that content upgrade, and now you need to make sure they know who your organization is and that they… So, know, like and trust you. And so, email marketing and creating automated email campaigns for that first two weeks of your relationship with this new prospect is really important. And so, we recommend not only having that weekly or monthly newsletter, but also having an automated email campaign that every new subscriber’s signed up to. And so with this, you’re trying to be educational, you’re trying to provide even more content that’s gonna benefit this prospect. And then, over time throughout those first two weeks, you can introduce some of your services, you can have a video in there, interviewing one of your physicians or the person that this individual might see.
27:19 CM: And your goal really is to get them to trust you enough, to want to sign up for one of your paid services, or come on and schedule that initial meeting with you. Because, just because somebody signed up for the email list doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily ready to take that next step. So having this email marketing is something that’s really easy to create and have play in the background, and continue building that trust so that you don’t have to sit there and email or call every single new sign up. So, it really helps with getting people to know, like, and trust your brand.
27:55 AI: Yeah, I love it. So as we said, over the past following weeks… Or upcoming weeks, we are gonna be going into more detailed tips and tricks on each one of these points, so you have a better understanding of how it can work for your business and why it’s so important to your digital marketing strategy, because really, it seems like a lot, but they all flow together. So you can’t just do one piece without doing another piece, so we’re gonna show you why and how to do each of these. Until next time, we will see you guys later, if you have any questions, comments, please let us know and we look forward to chatting with you on our next podcast.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Podcast-Youtube-Image-amber-and-caitlin-1.png7201280Caitlin McDonaldhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngCaitlin McDonald2019-07-24 17:22:552019-09-06 13:36:19How to Market Health Care Services Plus the Top 10 Tips for Digital Marketing in Health Care
As a healthcare practice, it is really important to stay top of mind with your current patients and also future patients. By using digital marketing there are so many ways to stay connected.
One question we get asked a lot is:
“How do we increase our engagement and promote our practice with digital marketing?”
Well, that answer is a little tricky since there are many different options out there. It’s more of a combination of different tools to make your digital marketing work for you. In the digital marketing world, it is about trial and error, seeing what your audience responds to the most and how to start those conversations.
In this blog, I am going to talk about 5 ways to help increase your engagement and promote your practice.
Word of mouth and referral marketing are still the best ways to grow your practice, but with people being able to access information from SO many places we have to be a little more creative and think outside the box to build those relationships and loyalty.
Once they have come into your practice you want to make sure you stay top of mind, more importantly, you want to make sure you have good online profiles so it is easy for your audience to refer you.
How many of you have wanted to try something new with digital marketing but just don’t know where to start or what to try?
Social media marketing is one of the most popular ways to get in front of your current audience and potential new patients.
You can do this organically or implement paid ads as well. This is not an overnight success, it does take time, but it does work!
Let’s talk about the 5 Ways to Help Increase Your Engagement and Promote Your Practice:
1. Instagram
We have been talking about Instagram a lot this year and we will continue to do so, it is one of the fastest growing social media platforms with the average age 35-65-year-olds. Instagram is all about the visuals, from building a strong brand presence on your feed, having font styles on your images, color scheme, image theme, etc. this makes your feed look clean and interesting. Let’s dive into how to master Instagram Stories
This biggest thing with Instagram right now is the Instagram Stories, these stories only stay up for 24-hours, so this is a great place for:
One really cool thing you can do with these stories is “Highlight” them, this saves them into an area about your feed pictures, you can categorize them so all your stories go to the correct boards. This turns into a great resource for your audience, each video on Instagram Stories can be 15 seconds long, you can record a 45sec to a 1 min long video and then use this app called CutStory and it automatically cuts your video into 15-second increments for you to share.
You can also create branded Instagram stories images with Canva, they have different themes you can choose from, you can use your own font styles, brand colors, logo, and images.
Now, you may be thinking what if I do a video that is more than 1-minute long, where should I put that? Well, don’t worry, Instagram has you covered and that is where IGTV comes into play. This is similar to YouTube but it allows your audience to watch the full video on Instagram, they don’t have to leave the platform.
A few ideas to create IGTV videos around are:
New mother tips
Birthing Plan
Vaccines
Physical Therapy
Counseling Tips
National Observance Days
Surgery Tips
New medical practices
Interviews with nurses and doctors
Instagram has a lot of bells and whistles you are able to tap into and really grow a long-lasting relationship with your audience.
2. Video Marketing
It’s 2019 and it’s all about the videos! Video marketing is huge and will continue to grow. Videos are great because it allows your audience to connect with you quicker. We wrote a blog a few months ago about “How to Create a Strong Video Marketing Strategy” videos are something you either love or hate.
Videos can be educational for your audience, videos with closed captions are even better. Here are a few good stats about video:
Let’s dive into the statistics behind healthcare marketing with video:
About 46% of people say they’d be more likely to seek out information about a product or service after seeing it in an online video. (Source: Eloqua)
Video is now the sixth most popular content marketing tactic,as 70% of B2B marketers use some form of online video with their overall strategies. (Source: Eloqua)
Of the 80% of internet users who watched a video ad, 46% took some sort of action after viewing the ad. (Source: Video Brewery)
The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. (Source: Mist Media)
Video and e-mail marketing can increase click-through rates by more than 90%.(Source: Mist Media)
Video equals higher viewer retention. The information retained in one minute of online video is equal to about 1.8 million written words. (Source: Brainshark)
Video attracts two to three times as many monthly visitors, doubles their time spent on the site and has a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engines. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
Blog posts incorporating video attract three times as many inbound links as blog posts without video. (Source: SEOmoz)
59% of senior executives prefer video over text. (Source: Brainshark)
Having a video on the landing page of your site makes it 53% more likely to show up on page 1 of Google. (Source: Mist Media)
When you think of video marketing, most people think you have to have a studio, pay a professional, take a lot of time on editing, props, backgrounds, and more. In all honesty with the technology of the newer smartphones and HD cameras, you can really shoot your own videos in office. Actually, the more authentic videos are the ones that get the most engagement online.
A couple of things to remember when shooting a video from your smartphones when you are recording a video for Instagram be sure to have your phone vertical, and when shooting a video for YouTube, Blogs, or Facebook you will want your phone horizontal.
Let’s start recording! Be Authentic, real, give value, and have fun!
3. Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are climbing higher on the list for digital marketing, gone are the days where just having a Facebook page worked, Facebook pages work great if you plan on spending money on ads.
There are a ton of Facebook groups out there that your practice can join, you can even start your own group.
For example – Let’s say you are a women’s medical office, Your services include OB-GYN, birthing center, primary care, pediatrician, etc. But, one special thing that your office focuses on is wanting to help new mothers with education. Vaccines, breastfeeding, car seats, home care, feeding, etc. Most of your patients come from within a 25-mile radius of your office, you can create a group on Facebook called “Tips for New Mothers YOUR CITY” in this group you can invite your current patients to join, post daily, as your group continues to grow you will post two or three times a day. You are creating a community of women that are going through the same thing and want answers. You can allow the members of the group to post questions and concerns for your practice to answer. This is a wonderful way to create trust with your patients. You can then start to mention the other services your practice offers.
In this video below, I will show you how to start a group from scratch and also how to search for groups to join.
4. Email Marketing
Email marketing is NOT dead, I know some may think that email marketing and newsletters are a waste of time, but they actually work great. It is a convenient way to stay top of mind with your patients. With social media marketing and the algorithms it’s hard to really know who has seen your organic posts, then to monitor the engagement. Now, the insights and analytics on the social media platforms tell you how many likes, comments, and shares you had on posts. With email marketing, you can actually see who opened your emails, who read them, and who clicked through to your website.
There are a few ways to incorporate email marketing into your plan:
Content Upgrades, also known as Free downloads. This is a piece of content you put together for your ideal patient to download, in order for them to download it they have to submit their name and email. For example – if we go back to the example in number 3, you could create:
Newborn checklist
Going home checklist
Breastfeeding Tips
New Momma Myths
Top 10 products to have at home for your new baby
etc.
This pdf would then be uploaded to your website and linked into MailChimp or Leadpages to create a landing page with the form for name and email, you can then push this out to social media, your current email list of current patients. Over time you will create quite a few content upgrades. Make a list of different checklists, ebooks, resources you can create for your patients now and then you push that out to gain new email subscriptions to grow your email list. This is an example of what a sign-up form looks like:
Newsletters – You can send weekly or monthly newsletters to your lists, in some cases you may have multiple lists and can customize a newsletter for each list based on your audience. It is important to understand what your audience wants to know about so you can pack your newsletters with valuable content. It doesn’t matter if you do weekly updates or monthly, what matters most is consistency. Whatever you choose to do be sure to stick with it. You can also incorporate your videos into these emails, this allows you to build those deeper relationships!
5. Blogging
Blogging serves dual purposes, it is great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and it allows you to show your expertise. When you are promoting your practice on social media your end goal is to get them back to your website to sign-up for your email list, book an appointment, or fill out paperwork, how do you give them an incentive to go back to your website?
When blogging just like everything else we have spoken about it is all about consistency. One blog per month or two, as long as you do one each month, these are no longer 300-500 word blogs, these are cornerstone blogs which means 1500+ words per blog. We recently wrote a blog on how to share your blog, in that post there is a FREE download, a blog checklist, you can download it here.
Your blogs should cover content that your audience wants to learn about, whether this is myths around vaccines, childbirth, new momma tips, etc.
This is where you tie the above 1-4 items into your blogging. In each blog post you will be:
Making an image you can share onto Instagram
Make a “teaser” video for Instagram with 3 inside tips from your blog
Create a longer video for IGTV about your blog
Create videos to go inside your blog post – you will place these videos on YouTube then insert them into your blog posts
Your website/blog is your hub, you want to drive traffic to your hub. Once your blog is complete you can then share it to multiple platforms with links back to your site, this helps reach new potential patients as well.
As you can see through these 5 different marketing platforms, they each allow you to grow your practice and connect with your audience on a deeper level. They all work based on consistency and planning. This is why having a digital marketing plan is so important.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/How-to-Use-Digital-Marketing-to-Grow-your-Healthcare-Practice-Blog.png800800Amber Irwinhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngAmber Irwin2019-05-15 08:00:412019-05-14 19:25:06How to Use Digital Marketing to Grow your Healthcare Practice
