What a painful experience the virus has made us go through. As a superpower nation, it’s really humbling to see thousands of Americans die due to the pandemic. Worse, we are the worst affected in terms of the number of deaths. But it seems the infections are slowing down now. And as the nightmare is slowly easing, what we have now are lessons learned. In the age of digital marketing, you would do well to take a page from an industry that’s worst hit by the virus: the health care industry.
No industry has felt the full weight of the virus problem more than the health care industry. It seemed like a lightning bolt from up above hit our medical practitioners. And atop all this are a slew of local urgent-care small businesses that must find ways to handle an army of Americans with various health issues, not to mention keep their bottom line alive. Indeed, the pandemic has only served to bring about the best of these local operations.
Keeping a closer look at how urgent-care operations all over the country manage to come up with stellar digital marketing initiatives during the pandemic should be timely. It can be an essential guide to help you navigate the treacherous waters that lie ahead. After all, we’re still in a pandemic, technically that is.
Reduce Friction Every Step of the Way Using Technology
Technology has been at the forefront in providing comfort and reducing friction in the lives of every American. When before you need to flag a taxi in the street or call a hotline, today all you have to do is book Uber to arrange a ride. And yes, you can also have food delivered right to your doorstep with DoorDash or get a Friday night date via Tinder.
Keep in mind that this is all about customer experience. When your users feel that they wait for less time, expect more of better service, your audience is going to grow. Indeed, this is one competitive advantage you need to cater to.
To do that you have to learn specific parameters to gauge how you’re doing in comparison to the competition. Some of these parameters that are most pronounced in an urgent care business are:
- Wait times: At a time when virus infections can complicate pretty fast, people are particular about waiting times now more than ever. So, far too often, they’d compare how much longer did one care center made them wait compared to other centers. Therefore, you must use technology to sharpen your services. What are the things that you could improve to make the waiting time for lesser?
- Platform integration: Today’s consumers rely on their smartphones to find a service. So if your business cannot even be searched online or does not even appear in Google Maps and other map apps, chances are you are history. This is the reason why getting into Google Ads and doing SEO can go a long way to get your business found. Moreover, this is also where the right expertise matters. For instance, relying on an HVAC internet marketing that breathes HVAC marketing experience is wise when you want your business which is to provide cooling and heating to various businesses in the area found quickly online.
Adapt to Consumer Preferences
Being abreast of the times can certainly pay you a huge dividend over time. Also, this means you need to adjust your strategy to the market and not the other way around. Leading the market as Steve Jobs did is fine but with a world-changing virus in our midst, we cannot but adjust to the demands of the times.
Again, this is where our friends in the urgent care business can show us the way. For one, telemedicine became not just a fad but a trend when the virus hit town. No doubt telemedicine existed before, but it was more of a second option that is enjoyed by just a few. Today, with lockdowns and stay-at-home orders in place, telemedicine has become the norm. So everyone followed suit with 80% of urgent care centers all over America now deploying it to their patients.
Monitor Your Competition Closely
If you’re not aware of what the competition is doing, then kiss your digital marketing strategy goodbye. Keeping a tab on your competition is a must if you want to market yourself best.
That should mean being able to examine your competitor’s business offerings, along with their marketing strategies. The key to this is to know which channels they’re using to make their brand heard. Is it just digital? Are they using TV ads or radio ads?
The more specific you are, the better. Knowing which keyword your competition is using to spread the news is critical. Bear in mind that this is not a one-off exercise that you do once in a blue moon. Keeping your competition in mind is part and parcel of your strategy. That’s assuming you want your business to last for the long haul, so you can reap all the benefits.
