Unlocking Healthcare Marketing Success with Oliver Capel of Medico Digital

I was mistaken if I thought the weather would improve now we'd made it to July and Wimbledon was in full flow. Instead, it was another dreary day of Summer 24. Today felt like an autumn day as I sat at my laptop with a cup of tea, chocolate Hobnob, my body warmer on, and my dog Maple at my feet to log onto the seminar.

In this recent instalment of the "Semble Insights" series, expertly hosted by Alex Norman, Head of Marketing of Semble, Oliver Capel, founder and managing director of Medico Digital, discussed how we can grow our businesses through digital marketing.

Ollie's presentation focused on
- How patients find healthcare providers (I was hopeful that he would mention Odycy here).
- Changes in online patient journeys.
- Leveraging behaviour insights for marketing strategies.
- Prioritising marketing channels.
- Converting exposure into patient enquiries.

Current Marketing Channels: Attendees' Insights

First up, Ollie, with Alex's help, conducted a poll to understand where attendees were currently investing their marketing efforts:
- Paid social: 11%
- Organic social media: 17%
- Search engine optimisation (SEO): 22%
- Content marketing: 14%
- Paid search: 19%
- None: 13%
- Other: 0%

SEO was the clear winner (22%), with paid search (19%) not a million miles behind. Next in the poll was the return on investment (ROI) from these marketing channels, with 51% in favour and 48% against, a result reminiscent of the Brexit vote. By all accounts, it was too close to call.

Marketing Strategy

Ollie highlighted the four key components of marketing: owned media, social media, earned media, and paid media. Traditional PR coverage (earned media) remains crucial for credibility despite being harder to control and generate. The main focus of the seminar was quite rightly on search marketing and content creation given the potential impact it could have.

Importance of Real-World Experience and Trust

Ollie emphasised the importance of showcasing real-world experience and building trust with patients. By adhering to Google's EEAT framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), healthcare providers can create content that resonates with their audience and builds credibility. For instance, sharing patient testimonials or expert opinions can significantly enhance trustworthiness.

The Scale of Health-Related Searches

More than a billion health-related searches are made on Google every day. This staggering number highlights the immense opportunity for healthcare providers to reach potential patients through effective search marketing. By understanding and leveraging this demand, providers can significantly enhance their visibility and patient engagement. The key thing is to pick the right keywords to focus on.

High-Intent Searches and Niche Keywords

One of the standout strategies Ollie discussed was focusing on high-intent searches and niche keywords. High-intent phrases, such as "Find a back specialist near me," are more likely to convert into patient bookings or enquiries. By targeting these specific keywords at the bottom of the funnel, Providers can achieve a better ROI than targeting top-of-funnel phrases such as "Back Pain."

SEO: A Long-Term Investment

SEO is not a quick fix; it requires a significant investment of time and resources. As Ollie pointed out, achieving meaningful results with SEO involves either dedicating substantial personal time or enlisting the help of a freelancer or an agency like Medico Digital. The process includes continuous optimisation and content updates to maintain relevance and improve search rankings.

Content Strategy Implementation

Ollie suggested that a Provider focus on core areas of expertise to start developing content. This focus can help the Provider build a solid foundation before broadening its content scope.

Overcoming Overwhelm

Listening to Ollie, it was clear that the breadth of tasks involved in effective SEO and content creation can be overwhelming. However, even small, focused efforts can make a difference. Starting with high-intent keywords and gradually expanding content areas allows for manageable growth and sustained improvement in online presence.

Social Media

Social media engagement rates are low, requiring significant effort to build an organic presence. However, social media can be effective for retargeting (but don’t forget we’ll be moving to a Cookieless society in the future) and building awareness. It also has a role in holistic search, which we'll discuss shortly. Organic social work requires a lot of time, and we all have one thing in common: we're all time-poor! But whatever you do, curate what you put out. It needs to be impactful and meaningful for your audience.

Optimising Content for Various Platforms

The concept of holistic search was the part I found most interesting. Prospective patients don't just use Google; they search across various platforms to find the information they need, make comparisons, and ultimately decide on a provider. Whether they're watching an explanation video on YouTube or looking at Facebook for a review, nowadays, it may be chat GPT that they turn to; the whole internet is the shop window for healthcare providers at the disposal of patients.

This is where Odycy.com is set to play an increasingly significant role in the private healthcare landscape, one that we hope will become the norm for patients in their time of need. 

Odycy allows private patients to find, compare, and book healthcare services. Whether managing their own care or following a referral, Odycy enables them to choose the best provider based on their preferences for price, time, location, and reputation.

Website Optimisation and Conversion

Continuous website optimisation is important for maximising enquiries and improving user experience. Simple tactics like sticky buttons and clear call-to-actions can significantly enhance website effectiveness. Showcasing unique selling points and differentiators on landing pages is also important.

Paid Advertising and Benchmarks

Ollie shared the latest findings from Medico's "Healthcare Advertising Benchmarks 2024", which analysed £5.3 million worth of direct-to-patient ad spend in the healthcare sector, providing benchmarks:
- Click-through rate (CTR): 8.41%
- Cost per click (CPC): £1.23
- Average conversion rate: 4.71%
- Cost per acquisition (CPA): £30.66