Healthcare Marketing: Doctors versus Hospitals

Photo Credit: blog.cureus.com

Private practice doctors obviously can't compete with hospitals in terms of marketing budgets, however, they can compete in terms of marketing effectiveness. Patients identify with doctors, the face and voice of the person keeping them healthy. That gives private practice doctors a distinct advantage through the usage of low budget social media channels.

Do a search for medical themed blogs. The highest rankings do not belong to deep pocket hospitals or medical universities. They belong to doctors with a progressive approach to social media. Take a look at what KevinMD and Dr Grumpy in the House are up to.

Social media and content marketing have made promotion a light and nimble endeavor. The ability to update often and provide an evolving presence is far more important than expensive mailers and glossy magazine ads.

Hospitals are often weighed down by multiple departments and multiple decision makers. Doctors don't have these bureaucratic hurdles. With research and commitment private practice doctors have the ability to stay one, two, three steps ahead of hospitals and their enviable budgets.