The days of one-to-many marketing in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries are long gone. Just like in other industries, healthcare companies are increasingly putting consumers at the center of their marketing strategies and blending B2B and B2C techniques.
But standing out from other companies that offer similar services is hard and marketers must continue to hone their strategies. Here are three ways for healthcare marketers to boost their reach and target the right customers.
Local SEO
Location data is important for a number of reasons: Google and other search engines factor location data into search results and people often include cities and states when searching for businesses on the Web. Create content that is tailored for each location. If you’re a health insurance company that wants to target New York residents, for example, create a page that’s dedicated to your New York-based health insurance services. Also, each location should have its own unique URL and each page, and its respective URL, should be included in your sitemap to help search engines index the content.
Co-citation
Even without an inbound link, Google can increasingly tell which content or sites are considered useful based on the number of mentions the keyword receives by other websites. This is known as co-citation. When numerous websites mention a brand, such as in a blog post or article, Google recognizes the brand as an authority in its respective field. Companies can increase their chances of gaining exposure by creating news-worthy content, press releases, or blog posts, and maintaining an active social media presence. At the same time, links continue to be an important search engine and ranking signal, so be sure to include traditional link building with your co-citation efforts.
Analytics
Even though it may seem obvious, making sure that you’re targeting the correct keywords and understanding user intent is critical. Google and third-party vendors offer numerous tools to track conversion rates and identify effective keywords and audiences. Prioritizing the areas that you want to build an audience around will also help you decide which keywords to use. Additionally, write for intent. Studying the search engine results page of the keywords and phrases you’re interested in, for example, will help you understand what people are looking for. Are people looking for specific research or general information about a new drug? Tracking user intent for relevant keywords can help you discover trends in your industry and allow you to provide the specific content that your audience is looking for.
The digital landscape may be crowded, but providing customized information, establishing your brand as a thought leader, and leveraging insights about your target audience will give you a significant advantage over your competitors.
Contributions made by Travis Low, Senior Director, Search Engine Optimization, Growth Services and Mauricio Moreno, Search Engine Optimization Strategist, Growth Services.
Like this? Subscribe to our blog here.
Also, check out the most recent issue of our e-newsletter.
