eHealth Articles & White Papers

Five Great Times to Use Search Engine Marketing

Blayne Fielder - Senior Content Strategist

In today's economy, there's little doubt your hospital's marketing budget is wearing a big red target as a 'non-essential' expense.

Even if you're lucky and your budget is intact, you're probably still being pushed to rethink the effectiveness of your current marketing model. Today's successful marketers are doing more with fewer resources and backing it up with a solid measurement of return on investment (ROI).

Many hospitals pour thousands of dollars every week into print and billboard ads. While those marketing channels certainly offer value, it's difficult to measure their reach to your intended audience. By contrast, if well implemented, search engine marketing (SEM) allows you to reach a highly targeted audience at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing.

So when does it make sense to shift some of your precious dollars to SEM? Below are five different scenarios when investing in SEM can provide a great bang for your buck.

1. New service lines or technology

Imagine your facility just bought the latest and greatest robotic surgical system. To promote the new system you could place several local newspaper ads at $1,000 each for a one-day run. But even if the paper reaches 100,000 people, how many of those people are seeking surgical options that day? How many are suffering from a condition that could be treated by a robotic procedure? Even if those readers need your services, what are the chances they will notice your ad among the countless others?

Instead, try SEM. For the same amount as a one-day newspaper ad, you can have a campaign that runs for several months. Imagine if you only had to pay for the people that responded to your newspaper ad. That is essentially what you can do with SEM. You're only paying for those people who really need your services. This is your true audience. Make sure you are visible and there to help them when they're already poised to take action.

2. Expanded market area for specific services

Many hospitals buy new technology in order to outmatch the competition. Why not promote your new technology beyond your conventional market area? Today's healthcare consumers use the Web to shop for doctors and facilities that provide the best treatment possible, and they're willing to travel.

Try placing your keyword advertisements statewide if you know your technology is unique to the market. The best thing about SEM is its flexibility. You can try different geographic markets for a week, and then move to other markets. It's a low-cost way to find new business opportunities. If set up properly, you can identify which market areas respond more favorably than others.

3. High competition for keywords

This is perhaps the best case for SEM. You may have the world's greatest cancer-fighting technology and the best doctors anywhere, but no chance of a top 10 ranking on Google for the terms 'cancer treatment' or 'cancer information.' SEM can plant your facility firmly alongside or above Mayo Clinic and the National Cancer Institute, who own the top spots.

With the ability to geographically target your ads, you can choose high level keywords and not worry about people outside your market area clicking on your ads and costing you money. The combination of search engine optimization (SEO) for very specific search terms and SEM for more general search terms can ensure great visibility in the search engines.

4. Immediate results

Search engine optimization is vital to long-term search rankings, but it takes time to see results and build high-quality links. While you wait for the return from your SEO efforts, SEM can provide immediate visibility for your important service line campaigns.

Imagine your competitor just announced a new technology sure to put a dent in your market share and create buzz in the community. This is a great time to roll out an SEM campaign that focuses on their new technology - you can use SEM to capitalize on their marketing efforts to ensure your market knows there are other options available. SEM gives you the ability to respond in real-time, with no worries about billboard inventory or printing delays.

5. Inexpensive brand campaign

Many hospitals have purchased an online banner ad, most likely on a local TV or radio station website. However, just like a newspaper or billboard ad, you're probably paying for the number of ad impressions served instead of the number of actual clicks or visits to your site.

Did you know you can do the same thing on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis on thousands of the Web's most popular sites? Display your banner ad on cnn.com or parents.com for mere pennies! It works great for simple brand recognition; the ads don't necessarily need to incite a click. Again, no click = free advertising.

As you can see there are a number of times when using SEM just makes good business sense. A well thought out SEM campaign can give you a competitive advantage, increase brand recognition, and attract well-qualified leads. And at a time when you might need to prove the value of your marketing investments, SEM always comes with tangible data.