Eyeworld

80 | EYEWORLD | JULY 2023 P RACTICE MANAGEMENT by Fielding Emmott About the author Fielding Emmott Copywriter Medical Consulting Group Springfield, Missouri References 1. 1 Billion Searches a Day: How Your Patients Look for Medical Information Online. Evok Advertising. evokad.com/ healthcare-marketing-statistics- google. 2. Forsey C. Reputation Manage- ment: How to Protect Your Brand Online in 2023. HubSpot. blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ reputation-management. O nline search engines offer bound- less information to users in every country on the planet. It follows that many of the queries relate to a top concern for all people: health. People go online to search for health products, facilities, and services. In fact, nearly 100% of internet users ages 18–49 search for health in- formation online. 1 Ophthalmology is no excep- tion. Google has earned the trust of the common internet user by offering quick answers and solutions to health issues: "Why do I feel pain in my right abdomen?" "Am I getting a cold?" Receiving more than a billion health-related queries per day, Google's authority in health- care impacts how users receive, perceive, and utilize health-related information in the modern age. For ophthalmic businesses, this means it is crucial to be active and present where potential patients are searching online. Accomplishing this, be it a practice or an ASC, is done by pro- moting the brand through online platforms and channels. Strategizing and executing an effective online campaign can be daunting, but myriad of tools and applications are available to make this job easier. For a practice or ASC, the following are necessary: a website, a Google profile, active social media channels, and reputation manage- ment. These help brands develop, distribute, and communicate to targeted users, all while staying on-brand. Some ophthalmic businesses may be too preoccupied with perfecting the website while leaving other opportunities untapped or in- sufficiently utilized. For some, this selective usage may be adequate. However, businesses that don't pursue and utilize online tools can be missing out on brand growth. When used collectively, efforts within an encompassing online campaign should be designed to com- plement each other. Ophthalmic businesses will recognize healthier return on investment when investing in a carefully constructed online branding strategy. The website The website serves as the core to an online branding strategy. This is where the other tools in the campaign direct traffic. This tool is Medical branding: understanding the basics continued on page 82 Contact Emmott: femmott@medcgroup.com necessary for all ophthalmic businesses. Some businesses can get away with using a Facebook page as their website. Medical practices do not have this luxury. Users expect more from busi- nesses these days. If a user cannot quickly find a potential provider and explore the website, the provider loses credibility and (likely) a potential patient. Via engaging, branded content, the website allows businesses to position themselves as a trusted source, a medical authority. Offering users relevant, helpful information is the first step in persuading users of this authority. For ophthalmology businesses, this requires incor- porating educational information about the ser- vices offered and the eye conditions they treat into the pages of the website. To rank higher on search engine results pages, websites should weave relevant keywords throughout the site. This will contribute to attracting more organic traffic. Digital advertising Traffic can also come non-organically in the form of advertisements. Digital ads can be effective at driving users to the website, particu- larly new or first-time visitors. Google's adver- tising platform can help marketers connect with users at each step on their journey to purchase. Ads themselves have evolved to sophisticated, multimedia formats. From video advertising on YouTube to search ads, Google advertisers uti- lize many ad types to attract leads, grow sales, engage customers and patients, and increase brand awareness. Ophthalmic businesses will recognize healthier return on investment when investing in a carefully constructed online branding strategy.

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