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Digital marketing in healthcare offers a powerful way to connect with patients, build brand awareness, and drive business growth. However, medical practitioners and clinicians don’t often have the expertise and resources to run successful campaigns.
Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a cost-effective solution for helping medical organizations excel in content marketing and social media management without detracting from patient care.
If you want to learn more about BPO services and how they can help healthcare providers with digital marketing, this article is for you. It explores outsourcing’s nature, key processes, and benefits. Keep reading!
The importance of digital marketing in the medical sector
Digital marketing provides a competitive advantage for healthcare practitioners. It addresses specific challenges unique to the industry while leveraging opportunities to engage patients effectively.
Here are a few reasons why digital marketing is vital in the medical field:
1. Increased patient engagement
Mobile phones, computers, and the internet have become integral to daily life, so much so that they affect healthcare decisions. According to Medical Press, 58.5% of adults search for medical information online.
Through digital marketing, your healthcare practice can capitalize on this trend to:
- Build trust and credibility through informative content, such as blog posts, videos, and FAQs.
- Foster relationships with patients through personalized email campaigns and social media interactions.
- Improve access to services with tools such as online appointment scheduling and virtual consultations.
These efforts improve patient satisfaction and encourage loyalty and long-term engagement. However, these tasks can take your time away from focusing on patient outcomes.
2. Improved patient acquisition
A healthcare practice’s digital marketing efforts can significantly influence a patient’s decision and trust. According to Press Ganey’s 2023 Consumer Experience Trends in Healthcare, patients rely most on the information they find online when choosing a medical service provider.
Search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and content marketing can help your website appear at the top of search engine results, bringing in more leads and patients.
3. Data-driven decision making
Analyzing digital marketing campaign performance can provide valuable insights into patient behavior. Additionally, digital tools and platforms let you gather valuable patient data, which you can examine to improve patient outcomes.
For instance, tracking patient behavior on websites and social media allows you to identify trends and preferences and develop personalized treatment plans.
Understanding BPO for healthcare digital marketing
What is BPO, and how can healthcare practices use it for digital marketing? BPO is the practice of subcontracting non-core business functions to a third-party team. By outsourcing specific digital marketing tasks, practitioners can focus on patient care while maintaining the quality and effectiveness of strategies and campaigns.
BPO services for healthcare digital marketing often cover the following tasks:
- SEO (optimizing website content and structure to improve search engine rankings)
- PPC advertising (managing paid advertising campaigns on platforms such as Google Ads and social media)
- Content marketing (creating high-quality content, such as blog posts, articles, and videos, to attract and engage patients)
- Social media marketing (managing social media channels, creating content, and engaging with the target audience)
- Email marketing (developing and executing email campaigns to nurture leads, promote services, and retain patients)
- Website design and development (creating and maintaining a user-friendly and visually appealing website)
- Analytics and reporting (tracking website traffic, measuring campaign performance, and generating insights)
Key benefits of leveraging BPO services for healthcare digital marketing
BPO for healthcare digital marketing is widespread. Grand View Research said its global market reached around $9.33 billion in 2022 and could grow by 9.29% through 2030.
What makes this practice so popular? Let’s explore its primary BPO advantages:
1. Access to specialized expertise
Healthcare digital marketing is a complex field with unique challenges and opportunities. To maximize its potential, you need access to specialized expertise.
BPO providers can connect you to healthcare digital marketing experts worldwide. They thoroughly screen and train their agents for the following competencies to deliver high-quality services:
- Deep understanding of healthcare industry trends: The medical sector has evolving regulations, technological advancements, and patient behaviors. BPO teams stay ahead of these changes to develop effective strategies that resonate with the target audience. They can quickly adapt to new trends and adjust marketing campaigns accordingly.
- Specialized skills and knowledge: Healthcare digital marketing requires a unique skill set, including SEO, PPC advertising, content marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing. BPO teams can handle these tasks efficiently and tailor strategies to your needs for optimal results.
2. Leverage advanced technology
BPO providers specializing in healthcare digital marketing use the latest tools and software to streamline processes, optimize services, and deliver effective results. Here are some key technologies they leverage:
- SEO tools (e.g., Ahrefs for keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitive analysis; Semrush for comprehensive search optimization; and Moz for website audits, keyword research, and link building)
- PPC advertising platforms (e.g., Google Ads for the management and optimization of Google search and display ads, Microsoft advertising for marketing on Microsoft Bing, and social media advertising platforms)
- Content management systems (CMS) (e.g., WordPress for the creation and management of website content, Drupal for complex websites and advanced functionalities, and Joomla for flexible and customizable websites)
- Email marketing platforms (Mailchimp for creation and management of email campaigns; Constant Contract for email marketing and automation; and HubSpot for comprehensive marketing, sales, and customer relationship management solutions)
- Social media management tools (e.g., Hootsuite for scheduling and managing social media posts; Buffer for social media scheduling and analytics; and Sprout Social for social media listening, engagement, and analytics)
- Data analytics and business intelligence tools (e.g., Google Analytics for tracking website traffic and user behavior, Adobe Analytics for advanced website analytics and data insights, Power BI for interactive dashboards and reports, and Tableau for data visualization and analysis)
Additionally, BPO teams leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare digital marketing. The use of AI in the BPO industry has become popular in recent years.
This technology can automate content curation, keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building. It can also analyze patient data for personalization and historical information to predict trends and patient behavior.
3. Improved efficiency and productivity
BPO providers have established workflows that allow you to create efficiencies in healthcare digital marketing. According to Deloitte’s 2023 Global Shared Services and Outsourcing Survey, 82% of businesses achieved standardization and efficiency of their processes after outsourcing.
Here’s how BPO firms standardize healthcare digital marketing operations:
- Centralized management: Outsourcing providers can manage multiple marketing channels and campaigns from a centralized platform, streamlining operations and reducing complexity.
- Dedicated teams: BPO teams focus on specific healthcare digital marketing tasks and quickly execute marketing campaigns, reducing lead times.
- Agile work methodologies: Many service providers employ agile methodologies to adapt to changing market conditions and deliver results faster.
- Prioritized tasks: External teams can prioritize tasks effectively to complete critical marketing activities promptly.
4. Boosted scalability and flexibility
Outsourcing in digital marketing allows you to adjust strategies quickly and efficiently according to changing market conditions and patient needs. Here’s how BPO services let you do that:
- Dynamic workforce: BPO for healthcare digital marketing lets you access specialized talent as needed without long-term commitments. They can also hire freelancers and gig workers to fill temporary gaps and specific project roles.
- On-demand expertise: BPO providers have a talent pool of pre-vetted digital marketing experts to quickly adjust resources based on workload or budget.
- Agile workflows: BPO teams often utilize agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban, to break down work into smaller, manageable tasks. This lets them quickly respond to changing priorities and deliver faster results.
5. Significant cost savings
BPO services are often more cost-effective than managing an in-house healthcare digital marketing team. Outsourcing can help you cut costs in the following ways:
- Lower labor costs: BPO companies actively recruit agents from countries with lower living expenses, such as the Philippines, Mexico, and India, for less expensive salaries and wages. For instance, according to Outsource Accelerator, outsourcing to the Philippines cuts labor costs by 70% to 90%.
- Minimized technology investments: With outsourcing providers leveraging advanced digital marketing tools and software, you avoid costly investments, loans, purchases, subscriptions, and technology support services.
- Reduced overhead: Outsourcing often entails remote work, saving on rent, office equipment, furniture, utilities, and maintenance fees.
- Economies of scale: BPO providers offer their healthcare digital marketing solutions to various clients, reducing their costs per unit of service. By serving multiple clients, BPO teams can negotiate better deals with suppliers for expenses such as software licenses, office supplies, and telecommunications services.
6. Enhanced risk mitigation
Outsourcing digital marketing for your healthcare practice can significantly reduce the risks often associated with assigning marketing tasks to clinicians.
For one, the expertise and resources you gain through outsourcing ensure adherence to relevant laws. BPO providers specializing in healthcare digital marketing are well-versed in complex industry regulations such as the following:
- The Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
- The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH)
They stay up-to-date with these laws to keep marketing efforts and strategies compliant. Additionally, they have robust risk management strategies to minimize the risk of regulatory violations. These efforts include the following:
- Regular audits
- Employee training
- Policy and procedure development
- Strong access controls
- Data encryption
- Regular security assessments
- Incident response plans
- Data minimization
- Data retention
- Data breach notification
Additionally, BPO teams have established quality assurance processes to ensure accuracy and consistency in all healthcare digital marketing activities. This allows the business to achieve high-quality work and marketing goals.
7. Increased focus on core competencies
With experts handling your healthcare practice’s digital marketing processes, your team can focus on improving patient outcomes. Reducing the administrative burden associated with marketing campaigns makes them less likely to feel burnt out.
You can also reallocate the money saved through BPO services for healthcare digital marketing to areas that directly affect patient care, such as:
- Upgrading electronic health records (EHRs)
- Implementing and improving telehealth solutions
- Providing skill enhancement programs
- Continuing education
- Offering leadership development
- Developing patient education materials
The bottom line
Digital marketing has become vital for medical organizations as the world becomes more online.
Outsourcing your practice’s digital marketing can be an invaluable growth strategy. It provides the expertise, technologies, and scalability to deliver effective campaigns within budget. You can improve engagement, attract new patients, and enhance your brand reputation while you focus on providing medical care.
Are you considering healthcare digital marketing outsourcing? Let’s connect, and we’ll find a solution that meets your goals and needs.
