Topics:
- Why market your ASC?
- Importance of marketing your ASC
- Digital Marketing
- Referral strategies
- Patient Reviews and Testimonials
- Building Relationships Through Community
- Staying Compliant and Ethical
Are you wondering how to market your surgery center in today’s day and age… Well, we are here to inspire you on how to accomplish that.
Today, we will focus our blog on digital marketing and referrals, as it is the most impactful way to reach your audience and scale your marketing efforts. This does not mean you should stop other marketing channels you have going on but instead expand into new territory you may not have considered.
Why market your ASC?
Before we answer how to market your ambulatory surgery center, we’ve got to explain the whys. The main reason for marketing your ambulatory surgical center is to be in front of your intended audience, who are always online.
If you want to demonstrate to patients, physicians, and healthcare organizations that your center is a state-of-the-art facility that offers the highest quality of care… you will need to do that with a digital presence.
For example, if you operate a pain management ASC, you want to show and inform patients of the various surgical procedures that you have and show how vital patient care is to your organization.
An engaging and effective healthcare marketing strategy and online presence will attract more patients and grow your business. It is critical to have one if you want your center to be relevant.
The importance of marketing your ASC
Before we answer your question about how to market your surgery center, why is it that important? Many healthcare industry observers have projected that the market for ASCs is continuously growing. As a result, this will bring more attention to the outpatient surgical industry. Thus, standing out with a solid digital marketing strategy and online presence is vital.
Here are some marketing tips you should consider before you get started:
- ASC marketing plan for success: no two ASCs are similar. This is why budgets, tactics, and strategies are different.
- You need a one-year plan that includes your content strategy, implementation checkpoints, tracking metrics, testing, and making adjustments based on results.
- Be clear on who and what: first, define your target audience and then define your competition. Be sure to be clear about your services and why your center is better.
On digital marketing
When it comes to how to market your surgery center, digital marketing is critical. Most digital marketing is primarily focused on social media because it helps reach a broad audience. However, your marketing strategy should not stop there. To have a complete marketing strategy, you must include your website, SEO, and email campaigns.
Using Paid Ads to Boost Your Practice
While organic marketing plays a key role surgical practices should think about adding paid ads to their marketing mix. Platforms like Google Ads and social media offer a way to reach specific groups of people based on who they are where they live, and what they like.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads on search engines can help drive more potential patients to a practice’s website for popular search terms and in competitive areas. By choosing the right keywords and writing ads that grab attention, practices can increase their online presence and attract people who are looking for specific surgical procedures.
Social Media
Regarding social media, it’s best to focus on platforms where your audience’s attention is primarily spent. For example, if your audience is on Instagram, then focus your content there. You should still work on all social platforms, but having a focus is good.
On social media, focus your content on engaging videos and photos. Depending on your content strategy, you may want to do the following:
- Showcase your surgical center facility
- Inform patients about specific procedures and what you offer
- Showcase the staff who make everything happen
- Behind the scenes look at your day-to-day
There is a wide range of ideas for your content. Seek inspiration from social trends and what others might be doing.
SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is valuable for healthcare providers to increase online visibility and attract more patients. SEO is optimizing your website so that search engines like Google can make it easier for your audience to find you.
For example, if a patient searches for “Pain ASC near me,” you want to be listed at the top of the Google search so they can visit your website. SEO is a long process and does not happen overnight, but it is crucial to stay relevant and ahead of the curve of your competitors.
A strong healthcare SEO strategy can provide a significant competitive advantage for healthcare providers looking to stand out in a crowded market.
Emails
Email marketing is a tactic that most ASCs don’t utilize. Email offers various benefits, including:
- Personalized patient content
- Boost traffic to your website
- Enhance your sales
- Reach audiences at the right time
- Collect feedback
- Provide good customer service
- Keep in touch with your customers
On referral strategies
A lot of ASCs opt for referral marketing to keep the patients coming in. Here are five ways to approach referrals:
- Construct relationships: Firstly, each physician has to take the time to build a healthy relationship with the referral source. Expertise cannot generate referrals on its own. Candidly ask about the challenges referral sources face and address them.
- Put priorities: Secondly, not all referrals benefit you the same, set your preferences.
- Build relationships with the tech team, nurses, and the rest of the staff: Patients value their opinions.
- Less complexity: make the referral system for referring providers simple. Poor communication, unreturned calls, and busy faxes are obstacles to referrals. Give your referring providers a regular status update, select a point of contact and fix a fax number.
Building Trust Through Patient Reviews and Testimonials
In healthcare, trust matters most. People often worry about surgery and look for reassurance from reliable sources, like patient reviews and testimonials.
Asking happy patients to share positive reviews on trusted sites such as Google, Yelp, and RealSelf can have an impact on a practice’s online reputation and credibility. These reviews act as strong social proof swaying the choices of potential patients and boosting their confidence in what the practice can do.
Along with reviews surgical practices should seek out and display patient testimonials on their website social media, and other marketing materials. These testimonials can be written stories, video interviews, or before-and-after photo collections giving potential patients a look at the life-changing results the practice has achieved. This approach helps to showcase the practice’s work and build trust with prospective clients.
Building Relationships Through Community Engagement
Successful surgical marketing goes beyond traditional advertising and digital strategies. Building strong relationships within the local community can build trust, boost credibility, and generate valuable referrals.
Surgical practices can get involved with the local community by taking part in health fairs, sponsoring community events, or teaming up with local organizations that share their values and mission. These efforts increase awareness about the practice and show dedication to the community’s health.
Teaming up with other healthcare professionals, like primary care doctors, dermatologists, or aestheticians, can also prove useful for surgical practices. By creating professional connections and setting up referral networks, practices can access a steady flow of potential patients and grow their reach.
Staying Compliant and Ethical
Surgical practices in healthcare must navigate complex legal and ethical rules when they create and roll out their marketing plans. They need to follow industry regulations, like HIPAA and FTC rules, to protect patient privacy, avoid tricks, and keep professional standards high.
These practices should make sure their marketing stuff, including website content, ads, and patient stories tells the truth and doesn’t make false or over-the-top claims. Being open and honest should lead all marketing work building trust and respect with new and current patients.
Also medical practices should respect patient privacy and get proper permission before using patient info or pictures in their marketing stuff. To keep things ethical and legal, it’s crucial to put strong data protection measures in place and follow industry standards for handling sensitive details.
We covered how to market your surgical center on a high level. There are a lot of tutorials and information online regarding digital marketing, so be sure to do your research and put in the effort to create a unique marketing plan.
For more information, call the Ambula Healthcare team: at (818) 308-4108! And now, discover ways to improve productivity in your ASC!
About the Author: Khalil
