Crisis recovery mode: why turn to digital marketing to get your imaging centre business back on track

The pandemic has permanently altered the way we live. As we head into the post-pandemic recovery period, many businesses need to shift their marketing strategies, with a heavy focus on digital marketing. For a medical imaging centre, a shift like this can be drastic but very much necessary to help your business make a full recovery. 

Let’s take a look at some of the tips that can help you leverage digital marketing methods and help your radiology clinic thrive during this recovery period. 

Reevaluate your spending 

Spending money on marketing activities doesn’t always lead to profit. In fact, a lot of marketing activities that work best cost very little money, while advertisements on local TV and newspapers cost a lot but don’t always bring patients through your radiology clinic. 

During a crisis recovery period, it’s worthwhile to evaluate your spending and take a closer look at what activities lead to the most conversions. Then, you can cut down unnecessary spendings and focus on digital marketing activities, such as: 

• Revamp your website so that customers have an easier time finding information on your site, especially information about your medical imaging services, address, opening hours, phone number, and how to book an appointment. 
• Improve your ranking on Google and create a profile on Google My Business so that patients have an easier time discovering your radiology clinic. 
• Use email marketing to get back in touch with previous clients and doctors. 
• Adjust your messages on your digital marketing channels, such as your website and your social media, to help potential patients learn about your clinic. 

Among those mentioned above, you can expect to see a renewed emphasis on three core marketing strategies: social, content, and email. It’s tempting to focus on the latest innovations and business models, but during times of crisis, investing in proven digital marketing channels with a great message is proven to be the right strategy. 

Get more out of your website 

Your website is where your patients can find information about who you are, what services you offer (MRI scans, CT scans, mammograms, etc.), what your credentials are, and most importantly, your address, opening hours, email, phone number, and how to book an appointment. 

If your website doesn’t offer these key pieces of information, or if your website is too confusing to navigate and your clients can’t find the information they need, chances are they won’t be visiting your clinic any time soon. 

A good website doesn’t have to be fancy at all. In fact, you just need: 

• Clear navigation: Your website needs a prominent navigation bar on top that leads your clients to all the information that they need to know about you. This way, they can easily access the information they seek.  
• Clear contact information on every page: Ideally, the footer of your webpage should have your address, phone number, and email address that every visitor can see on every page. That way, if a client wants to pick up the phone and call you right away, they can do so any time. 
• Call to Actions (CTAs) that lead customers to the appointment booking page: You should have an appointment booking page on your website and clear CTAs buttons in key sections of your website to prompt your clients to book an appointment. 
• A mobile-friendly interface: The majority of people visit websites using their phones these days, so having a mobile-friendly interface that looks great on a small screen is a great way to help potential clients find information about you. 

When you have a good website, the next step will be to help your potential clients find your website. To do that, let’s take a look at another digital marketing basics: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). 

Take a look at your Google ranking 

Google is the way most people discover new businesses, and a radiology clinic is really no different. SEO is a free yet highly effective digital marketing technique that can help your business get discovered by new clients. 

SEO is very much about optimising your website to include the keywords that people search when they need to find a relevant service. For example, you can include keywords like “MRI scans,” “medical imaging service,” “mammograms” to get your webpage in front of patients who are already seeking out services like yours. 

Using quality backlinks in your website by linking to high-traffic and credible sources is another great way to improve your SEO ranking. You should also be making quality content for your website so you can get linked on other websites as well, which will also help your SEO ranking. 

Your Google My Business page is another free way to get on Google’s good side. This is a free profile that you can great on Google My Business, and when clients in your area search for a “CT scan” or similar services, Google will show them your address on a map, your opening hours, phone number, and website right away. 

Email marketing to get in touch with your clients and referral sources 

Your crisis recovery period is a great opportunity for you to reach out to previous clients and referral sources and re-establish relationships with them. In the healthcare sector, people are more likely to return to clinics that they have visited in the past, so it’s worth an effort to reconnect with your old clients. 

Email marketing is a great way for you to do this. There are many email marketing tools that allow you to keep an email list of old clients and referral contacts, invite them back to your clinic, and check on the return on investment (ROI) by tracking who clicked on your appointment booking link in your email. 

This is a highly effective way to bring patients through the door, especially during a post-crisis period. You can keep a close eye on your marketing spending while still receiving a substantial return. 

Adjust your messages 

Almost every business is affected by COVID-19. Its lingering effects are still being felt by customers and employees. As a result, most businesses shift to an empathetic and understanding approach, which creates a feeling of trust and camaraderie among their customers, which will lead to repeated purchases when the needs arise. 

This is even more important for a business in the healthcare sector, where trust is a key factor that sways a patient’s purchase decision. Crafting a knowledgeable yet empathetic persona for your radiology clinic will help you cultivate trust over time. 

While this all sounds very theoretical, it isn’t very hard to do. Social media is a great way to have a direct line to converse with your customers and listen to their feedback. Your Facebook page or Twitter account can share useful resources, take potential clients through a virtual tour of the facility, explain processes, and invite your clients to ask questions and eventually book an appointment. 

Conclusion

A crisis recovery period is often associated with cutting costs and minimising risks. However, it doesn’t mean your business performance needs to suffer. With the right digital marketing strategy, you can bring more customers through the door and bring your business back on track with minimal spending.