Your medical practice has a lot going for it: you have qualified physicians and medical professionals working under you, your clinic is in a great location, and you have an extremely friendly and efficient front office staff.
But, even with all of these things in place, you still aren’t seeing a ton of patients coming through your doors.
What’s going on, exactly?
Well, there’s a good chance that the patients are out there, they just have no idea how to find you.
So, what can you do to get the word out about your medical practice?
Start blogging.
That’s right, blogging isn’t just for food lovers or fashionistas.
Blogging is for anyone who is looking to grow their business, medical or otherwise.
But, what’s so great about blogging?
Check out this guide to learn about the top benefits of blogging for your medical practice.
1. Keep Your Patients Informed and Educated
There is a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to medical advice.
When most patients have questions regarding their health, they go to an online forum and read about people who have had other experiences similar to theirs.
This leads to patients taking other people’s anecdotal advice as fact.
As a medical professional, you know this isn’t good.
This is where blogging comes in.
By starting a blog, you have the opportunity to keep your patients informed and educated on their health.
For example, let’s say you work as a gynecologist. Here are a few blog post ideas that would help keep your patients informed:
- A blog post about the myths and facts surrounding birth control
- A blog post about what’s normal regarding your period and what isn’t
- A blog post about what to expect during a PAP smear
- A blog post about the different types of STDs and how to avoid contracting them
These are just a few examples of the types of blog posts you could write. And as you can see, they would all be super informative and interesting for your patients to read.
2. Create Trust
It’s no secret that many people are wary of going to the doctor. In fact, according to a recent survey, only 34 percent of Americans have trust in medical leaders today, and only 25 percent say they have trust in the healthcare system.
This is a major problem, as trust is the cornerstone of every patient-doctor relationship. Plus, patients who have trust in their doctors are much more likely to follow their prescribed treatment plans and advice.
This is another major benefit of blogging. Through blogging, you can work to establish trust.
When patients know who are, what you think, and what medical advice you have to offer, they are much more likely to trust you as their healthcare provider.
And, the more a patient trusts you, the more likely they are to return to you for care.
3. Drive Traffic to Your Website
When most patients find doctors these days, they do so by performing a search online. Hardly ever does anyone use a phone book or walk around their neighborhood to find a doctor.
Because of this, it’s very important to have an online presence.
But, having a website simply isn’t enough. You also need to make sure people have a way to find your website.
Blogging regularly is one of the best ways to ensure that people find your website.
The more you blog, the better chance you have of climbing the ranks in Google. And seeing as the number one position in Google gets 33 percent of search traffic, this is definitely something you want to focus on.
4. Complement Your Face-to-Face Consultation
Do you feel like you end up having the same conversations with similar patients day after day?
No matter what type of practice you’re in, you’ve likely dealt with patients who have the same types of concerns and questions. When patients have questions or concerns about a condition, you, of course, want to do everything to address these concerns in person. But, it’s also nice for patients to have a reference to look at in case they forget some of the information that you tell them.
This is where a medical blog comes in.
After having that in-person conversation with a patient, you can point out that your clinic also has a blog where you answer these very same questions.
This way, they’ll never have to wait until their next appointment to have their questions answered.
5. Reflect on Your Practice While Improving Patient Care
Writing a blog also gives you a very unique opportunity to reflect on your clinical practice and think of ways you can improve patient care. By researching, planning, and writing, you’ll be prompted to think more deeply about your clinical practice.
Plus, if you are participating in any sort of continuing professional development, blogging gives you the opportunity to write about what you’re learning.
6. It’s Cost Effective Marketing
Sitting down and crafting a blog post may take up some of your time, but it hardly takes up any of your money. Unlike other forms of marketing and advertising, which can be wildly expensive, blogging hardly costs you a thing once you have your website set up.
Plus, blogging can boost your reach across other marketing platforms. Every time you write a blog post, you can share it on social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
Doing so will help boost traffic to your website as well as to all of these other platforms.
Now You Know the Benefits of Blogging
Now that you know the benefits of blogging, it’s time to get cracking on the blog posts for your medical practice.
Not sure where to start?
Drop us a comment below and we can offer some advice. Or, get in touch with us today.