What is inbound marketing?

Why hospitals should have an inbound strategy

If you’re like me (especially fellow Millennials and Gen Xers), you rarely buy anything without doing a fair amount of research first. Advertising, such as magazine ads or TV commercials (I love infomercials) catch my attention and can easily get me interested in new products, but I then take it to the internet to find out what other people think. Websites with reviews built into the product pages are the best, but YouTube is also overflowing with video reviews chock full of pros and cons (I never knew there were so many things to consider when purchasing a new mascara).

Healthcare consumers are the same way. They could see an advertisement for a new physician, a new facility, or a new procedure that piques their interest, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to call the number on the screen and book an appointment today. Many times, they will go online and search for information about physicians, others’ experiences at the new facility, or background information on a procedure or surgery to educate themselves. If, at the end of their research they are still interested, they will make the appointment.

This is where inbound marketing can help your hospital or practice gain new patients. Sure, outbound marketing (advertising on TV, radio, newspaper, and online) is probably raising awareness and getting people interested in learning more about your healthcare services. But when they hit that Google search, will your hospital or practice show up on the first page of the results? You want it to, and you can achieve this through inbound marketing.

Inbound marketing is creating and publishing credible content online with relevant keywords that help to draw people in. It allows hospitals to provide the health information that patients are searching for, while getting them onto their website and closer to making a healthcare decision.

Here are some examples of healthcare inbound marketing:

• blog posts
• informational videos
• interviews with doctors
• infographics
• web chats
• white papers
• emails (to subscribers)

Is your hospital using an inbound marketing strategy in conjunction with outbound? Learn more about inbound marketing and how your hospital or practice can use it to attract e-patients in Protocol: Engage Patients with Inbound Marketing.