Category: Marketing

How Using TikTok Can Gain Your Medical Practice More Clients

In today’s digital age, social media platforms have become powerful tools for businesses to connect with their target audience and attract new clients. One platform that has experienced tremendous growth and popularity is TikTok. Initially known for its entertaining and creative content, TikTok has evolved into a platform that can also be utilized for professional purposes, including medical practice marketing. In this blog post, we will explore how using TikTok can benefit your medical practice and how ModFXMedia, a leading medical digital marketing agency, can assist you in leveraging this platform to gain more clients.

I. TikTok: A Powerful Platform for Medical Practice Marketing

Engaging and Growing Your Audience

TikTok has a massive user base, with millions of active users worldwide. By creating informative and engaging content, you can reach a wider audience and raise awareness about your medical practice.

Building Trust and Credibility

TikTok allows you to showcase your expertise and educate viewers about various medical topics. By sharing valuable information, you can establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field, gaining credibility and attracting potential clients.

Humanizing Your Practice

TikTok’s casual and authentic nature allows you to humanize your medical practice. By sharing behind-the-scenes moments, patient success stories, and introducing your team, you can create a personal connection with your audience, making them more likely to choose your practice.

Leveraging Trends and Challenges

TikTok is known for its viral challenges and trends. By participating in relevant healthcare challenges or incorporating trending sounds and effects into your content, you can increase your visibility and engage with a broader audience.

II. ModFXMedia: Medical Digital Marketing Experts

Targeted Strategy and Content Creation

ModFXMedia specializes in medical digital marketing and understands the unique needs of healthcare professionals. Our team can develop a customized strategy and create compelling TikTok content that aligns with your medical practice’s goals and target audience.

Professional Video Creation

Creating high-quality videos is 

essential for capturing the attention of TikTok users. At ModFXMedia, we have the expertise and resources to produce professional videos that showcase your practice and provide valuable information in an engaging manner.

Trend Analysis and Optimization

Staying up to date with the latest TikTok trends is crucial for maximizing your reach. ModFXMedia keeps a close eye on emerging trends and utilizes data-driven insights to optimize your TikTok content for better visibility and engagement.

Community Management and Engagement

Building an active and engaged community on TikTok requires consistent interaction and response to comments and messages. The ModFXMedia team can handle community management on your behalf, ensuring that your practice’s TikTok presence is nurtured and responsive.

III. How ModFXMedia Can Help You Utilize TikTok for Your Medical Practice

Comprehensive Marketing Strategy

ModFXMedia takes a holistic approach to medical digital marketing. We can develop a comprehensive strategy that incorporates TikTok along with other social media platforms, ensuring a cohesive and effective online presence for your practice.

Targeted Campaigns and Advertising

At ModFXMedia, we can run targeted advertising campaigns on TikTok, reaching potential clients who match your desired demographics and interests. This can significantly boost your visibility and attract new patients to your practice.

Analytics and Performance Tracking

Understanding the effectiveness of your TikTok marketing efforts is essential. At ModFXMedia, we can provide detailed analytics and performance tracking, allowing you to measure the success of your campaigns and make data-driven decisions for future optimizations.

The Takeaway

Incorporating TikTok into your medical practice’s digital marketing strategy can be a game-changer when it comes to attracting new clients. By leveraging the expertise of ModFXMedia, you can navigate the world of TikTok with confidence. 

Our tailored approach, creative content creation, and data-driven strategies will help your medical practice gain more clients and establish a strong online presence. 

Embrace the power of TikTok, and watch your practice thrive in the digital era. Click Here to schedule your FREE strategy call with us and get a quote.

For more medical digital marketing tips, follow ModFXMedia on FB & Instagram!

Check out another one of our blogs on a step by step guide and advice on “How to Incorporate Tik-Tok into your marketing strategy”

How do you manage your practice’s Tik-Tok account? Share your experience with us in the comments section below!

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IS SEO Worth it For Your Business?

SEO or (Search Engine Optimization) is the formula for getting web pages to rank higher on search engines like Google. The higher you rank on search engines, the more traffic you will receive on your web page. There is a lot of information and research you can do to continuously improve your SEO. You can hire marketing companies or SEO experts to help get you farther along but the question is, is SEO worth it? 

How SEO Works

Search engines like Google have an algorithm they’ve created to filter out pages and rank certain ones higher than others. Over time this algorithm has become more and more complex with thousands of different factors that affect your ranking. 

Here are 3 Main Factors that Search Engines Evaluate:

  • Content: Search engines analyze content of a webpage to determine its relevancy to the search that was conducted. An important part of SEO is creating content that is targeted towards the keywords that search engines’ users are searching for.
  • Links: A web page that has been linked from multiple pages is more likely to be ranked higher. Especially if a high ranking website used your web page link. 
  • Page Format: HTML code is used to create web pages and how that is structured can greatly impact your SEO. You want to use specific keywords that are likely to be searched and on topic. Although, some keywords are oversaturated online and you may struggle to rank simply because of competition. It’s important to do research on what keywords aren’t too competitive to increase your chance. 
    • Your HTML code also determines your crawlability. Crawlability is when a google bot for example, goes to your site and saves your HTML code in a database. The crawler allows you to show up on google’s search engine so it’s important to have crawlability. 

That is the fundamentals of SEO but there are countless things to understand. There are many optimization techniques that can be implemented, SEO tools to utilize and HTML code to learn. 

Is SEO Worth it?

The short answer is absolutely. The whole goal of marketing is to be seen. Therefore, if you rank high on google, it’s more likely someone will buy from you, rather than someone who is on page 8 of their search. Done correctly, you can increase your clientele dramatically. “More than 1.3 million businesses, website publishers, and nonprofits nationwide benefited from using Google’s advertising solutions.”

SEO not only brings you lots of traffic but it provides better trackable results. Having comprehensive analytics lets you know where you can improve on and what needs to be changed to better perfect your content. SEO is cost effective as well. If you are high ranking, you don’t have to worry about buying that billboard on the freeway or hiring a call center for cold calls. You are getting organic traffic from simply ranking higher. Your brand will be more exposed and you will appear more trustworthy to your consumers when they access your site and see how high you rank on google. 

It’s a win-win. The only issue is how competitive it continues to be as many businesses are looking to get that top spot, just as you are. This is why businesses are hiring marketing companies and SEO experts to help them create this traffic to their site. 

If you’re looking for Search Engine Optimization help for your business click here.

For more information and to stay up to date with us, follow us on Facebook!

Related: Organic Growth In Business

 

 

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Understanding Online Reputation Management for Doctors

In this digital era, reputation management has become a crucial aspect for any medical practice. 

Reputation is all about how the brand identifies itself, and how the public perceives it. And having a great online reputation is an excellent means to enjoy a partnership with current patients as well as prospects! 

However, many doctors are unaware of the fundamentals of online reputation management. 

Keep reading if you’re interested in learning more about healthcare reputation management, and why it is crucial for your medical practice.

But firstâ€Ķ

Does Online Reputation In Healthcare Really Matter?

Glad you asked. In the internet era, your online reputation is your reputation.

It used to be that you practiced great medicine and patients came through the office doors. Today, patients have more choices and more tools than ever!

Regardless of whether a patient was referred by another provider or a family member, chances are they’re going to check-up on you online. And what they see about you can greatly influence their decisions! It’s your job to ensure that the offline realities of your practice match the online reality these potential patients see. 

After all, you want your online reputation to be as stellar as your practice’s clinical care and customer service! So, to help you understand the importance of keeping tabs on your reputation and reputation management a little better, we’ve incorporated the most important aspects of it for you below! 

Negative Coverage Is Often Overlooked!

Unfortunately, we live in a society that can be harsh and negative! 

Although nearly every doctor makes every attempt to have a positive impact on each patient, it’s often impossible to please everyone. 

In fact, when surveyed, 98% of searchers won’t look past the first page of Google results for any query. Therefore, the content that shows up on page for a medical practice (good or otherwise) overwhelmingly controls public perception. 

Let me explain a little better. When patients are dissatisfied with a doctor, they regularly use the internet to convey their dissatisfaction through negative content. What makes it worse is that some doctors, through no fault of their own, receive these negative reviews but do nothing about them. Then the domino effect happens!

The Domino Effect Of A Negative Review

What you as a doctor need to understand is, negative reviews can spread like a rash! Then when searchers look for a doctor in your niche they will see these negative review(s). This can then lead to you losing many potential patients, and gain a possible bad reputation. 

How can this happen you ask? Well, negative coverage is frequently overlooked by doctors, and believe me when I say this..ignoring bad reviews is not a healthy long-term approach! 

Instead, doctors should take a more proactive approach to control their online reputation to make their practice stand out! 

For example- Patients looking for a new doctor will be able to find yours on the internet and on message boards. They then see how successful your practice is based on the positive reviews that your patients provide. On the other handâ€Ķif your practice has numerous negative reviews they will also see this! 

EXTRA TIP- An agency can help filter and negate any negative reviews and turn it into a positive outcome and control the narrative.

How To Turn Negative Reviews Into A Positive

There’s a few basic ways you can turn a negative review into a positive outcome which include:

  • –Monitor your online reputation constantly. 
  • –Don’t ignore negative reviews- always answer!
  • –Reply quickly. 
  • –Take it offline.
  • –Be respectful.
  • –Offer something for their inconvenience so potential clients see how it was handled.
  • –Offer a sincere apology.

The important thing to remember is that people who post complaints just want to be heard. Ignoring a bad comment, a social media post, or google review, will show them and other potential patients that you don’t care about their experience.

Many prospects regard an unacknowledged negative review as more believable than an acknowledged one on review sites. They may give the impression that you can’t improve your business. When medical practitioners answer, they send a positive message that the patient experience is vital, leaving a positive impression.

When responding to negative online reviews, you can prevent misunderstandings and get people to change their negative feedback to helpful feedback.

However, if you take the time to thoughtfully respond, you can take control of the situation and turn negative feedback into a positive experience for your business. 

Create an Online Reputation Management Strategy

Identify Your Unique Value Proposition.

Before jumping into creating a reputation management strategy for your practice, you’ll want to first identify what makes your practice different from the rest. What can you offer to your patients that they can’t get anywhere else! 

Focus on Providing Valuable and Helpful Information.

One of the best reputation management tactics is being helpful to your current and potential patients.

Many marketers know this too, as several are increasingly focusing on content marketing through blogs or social media posts to share helpful information around their industry. A doctor can do this too!

Focus on medical content that can help people see that you’re an expert in your field. And this can even help you develop strong relationships with your current patients and help you bring in new patients after they see your willingness to keep providing value.

Choose the Platforms Where You’ll Engage with Your Audience.

Just as important as knowing what to share is where you’re going to share it. Understanding your patients’ most preferred platforms for engaging with medical practices like yours can help make sure you not only reach your clients but also makes sure that new clients can reach you.

Part of an effective reputation management strategy also involves you effectively engaging with your audience. Email marketing is one of the most popular and profitable platforms to engage and nurture existing subscribers who can later turn into return patients. 

You may also be on Facebook or Instagram to share helpful tips that will get clients results, based on your practices strategies. Just make sure you stay within HIPPA’S guidelines. 

Read up on one of our other blogs- “How to use Social Media Marketing and Email Marketing for your medical practice”.

Here are some tried-and-true tips for enhancing your healthcare practice’s online reputation:

Use Digital Patient Engagement Platforms

Many patients today demand greater healthcare interaction because it can help them achieve better health results. Positive treatment outcomes lead to increased patient satisfaction and a better reputation. A digital patient interaction tool can help you accomplish this. And it gives your patients more input into their treatment decisions while using technology.

Display Positive Online Reviews on Your Website

While negative comments should not be ignored, positive comments are what bring you new referrals, patients, and retention. Make a page on your site dedicated to good patient testimonials. Allowing the good evaluations to shine and stand out is a successful tactic.

Survey Patients After Their Appointments

You may capture essential components of care that cause unhappiness and have an impact on your reputation by conducting patient satisfaction surveys. 

Surveying patients shortly after their session provides the most honest and useful responses.

Maintain a Positive Online Presence With the Right Strategy

As a healthcare provider, it’s critical to have a strong online reputation management strategy in place. The digital age has made it easier for patients to share information about their experiences with you and your team on review sites like Yelp and Google+. But without the right strategy, tools in place, and proper management of reviews, it can be overwhelming! Modfxmedia can help you with all of your medical marketing needs including reputation management and your strategy. Click Here to schedule your FREE strategy call with us!

For more healthcare marketing tips, follow ModFXMedia on FB!

How do you manage your practice’s reputation online? Share your experience with us in the comments section below!

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How SEO Benefits Your Medical Practice

Successful Search Engine Optimization (SEO) requires finding your niche and making it more visible to an audience looking for you online. It is valuable whether you are a blogger, an e-commerce shop, business professional, or medical practice.

Implementing SEO strategically will have a positive impact on the visibility and patient volume of your medical practice. Since all physicians are in such a competitive field, they stand to gain a huge advantage by applying search engine optimization to their website in order to help them stand out.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” The practice of SEO is the practice of employing a methodical approach to increasing your web page’s ranking on internet search engine results. Although SEO involves many tactics and approaches, one important pillar involves analyzing common searched-for keywords and phrases and building the website’s architecture around them to maximize their effect.

Through well-implemented SEO, you can promote your medical practice to achieve the top web page in search engines like:

  • –Google
  • –Bing
  • –Yahoo
  • –DuckDuckGo

Why Is SEO Important for Physicians?

SEO is important to physicians for 4 distinct reasons.

  • –It can help you rank at the top of the page
  • –It increases virtual foot traffic
  • –It makes information and services easily available
  • –It provides a better patient experience

75.1% of people click the top three results of a Google Search according to recent study. An increase in virtual foot traffic means a potential increase in real-world clients. An SEO-driven page highlights your skillset and expertise to a wider audience.

When health care is involved, patient emotion and anxiety often increase. A well-designed web page can help alleviate that anxiety by providing information quickly and easily, positioning your physician brand as knowledgeable and trustworthy.

Besides boosting your search result rankings, there are a number of other ways that your web presence can be optimized which results in a higher quality patient experience. This includes:

Targeted Leads

When patients search for a doctor online, millions of results will come up. However, when patients add keywords, such as specialty and location, the choices drop sharply. Having a strong SEO strategy will put your site in front of patients who are looking for exactly what you have to offer. 

Lower Costs

SEO is one of the most affordable forms of advertising and produces an exceptionally high return on investment (ROI). 

SEO has ongoing long-term results, such as constantly increasing traffic to your website and increasing brand awareness. Using the many strategies that SEO has to offer, you will be able to market your practices’ products and services to the patients that need them most. 

Build Authority

Trust is essential for any healthcare practice to lead patients further down the patient journey. Search engine rankings are determined by the number of people visiting a website and how they react, such as time spent on the site or if they immediately “bounced” back to the search engine results. Therefore, a website that ranks higher on search engines is seen as more trustworthy than one that ranks deep in the search results.

How Can ModFXMedia Help?

ModFXMedia can help provide SEO services specifically geared toward medical practices, including a full suite of features designed to enhance your patient experience. Those features can include:

  • –Medical Website Design & Management
  • –Medical & Healthcare SEO
  • –Google Advertising
  • –Reputation & Review Management
  • –Social Media Management
  • –Healthcare Content Marketing
  • –Creative Medical Brand Messaging

We can help you build and manage an effective website that ranks highly in browser search results, drawing new patients into your practice. ModFXMedia is able to take that increased visibility one step further by helping you manage your social media marketing campaigns, and making sure that positive patient reviews are prominently displayed in search results.

Amplify Your Practice with Proven SEO

Practices aspire to dominate their local market and be at the top of Google. 

ModFXMedia works closely with each provider to determine your practice’s niche and areas of opportunity and then promotes your expertise to an audience that is trying to find your services. 

With our proven experience executing medical SEO strategies, your website will receive a boost in website traffic, which will result in new patient visits and an increase in revenue.

Are you ready to boost your medical practices SEO strategy? Contact ModFXMedia for an SEO consultation today!

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How Hiring A Medical Marketing Agency Can Help Your Practice

When you think of healthcare or medical marketing, you might picture TV ads for prescription drugs with smiling couples. While this is one form of medical marketing, it’s not really the kind  medical marketing used by regular doctors for their practices.

Doctors who are working to build their own brand or grow their practice require a more personalized digital medical marketing approach that will target their specific needs, goals, and audience. Hiring a professional medical marketing agency is a good way to start, and it will allow you to focus on your job, which is treating patients.

Medical marketing professionals are trained to develop campaigns and creative tactics that will bring tangible results and patient leads to your practice. 

Here are some ways in which doctors can benefit from the help of a medical marketing agency.

An Expert Healthcare Marketing Team

There’s no better sales tactic than quality care, great customer service, and showing true empathy to your patients. Patients interact with each department in your clinic, allowing each employee the opportunity to make a positive or negative impact on the patient experience. 

When there’s a need to “get the word out” about a new service offered or provided at your practice, a physician generally doesn’t have the time or expertise to effectively engage in marketing.

Maybe you want to set up a PPC ad on your latest service, or share a video on your social media channels educating the public on ED treatment, or make updates to your website. 

Whatever it is, your time is valuable as a physician, and a marketing agency has a team of experts that can creatively execute the right strategies and tactics for you. 

There’s no need to burn yourself (or your staff) out simply because you are trying to be a marketer as well as a physician. 

Strategy & Planning Analysis

A marketing agency can help you perform a deep dive into complex business development challenges, and implement solutions to keep your practice afloat and profitable. 

Have you seen a dip since a new practice opened in your town? Are consumers going elsewhere based on online reviews of your practice?

Hiring a medical marketing team can help doctors determine things like: 

  • What number of patients and “sales” will guarantee enough income for overhead costs? 
  • How to set a goal for profit. 
  • How to put a strategy into action in order to reach more people and drive conversions on your site.

They Will Handle SEO Smoothly

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the method of ensuring your practice will come up near the top of the search engine results when potential patients are looking for a medical practitioner in your geographical window and area of expertise. 

Multiple factors determine what moves a particular practice to the top of the search list, with just a few including competition, backlinks, website structure and readability, and age and credibility of their domain name. Those are just a sampling of things taken into consideration when improving SEO.

Most physicians would prefer to spend their time caring for patients or improving their specialty over learning the logistics of SEO. 

Choosing not to participate in SEO monitoring isn’t a feasible option, though. Medical practices are missing out on prime growth by not paying attention to their ranking on search engines. By hiring a medical marketing agency, this allows physicians to use their time where it is most valuable.

They can help to target your ideal patient utilizing paid advertising

Unlike traditional broadcast and print media, a medical digital marketing agency helps you to be specific with your target through the ability to streamline them through certain features.

Digital marketing enables physicians to target patients by a specific condition, age, gender, demographic, or even zip code.

The ability of digital marketing to target consumers through the use of certain keywords increases the chance to reach the patients you want. 

Also, this ability to target certain conditions can be done in real-time, and is a cost-saving move that cannot be done via traditional advertising methods.

PPC advertising allows you to pay for targeted ads across a specific demographic and/or geographic location. 

For example, an orthopedic practice could invest in Google Ads to target a specific location – for instance, “Orthopedic specialist in Waco, TX” – this will help push prospective clients to visit their website or call their practice.

A medical marketing agency can help make sure you reach the patients you want in the area you want. They know all the ins, outs and tricks to make sure your paid advertising is successful. 

They Can Create an Text & Email Marketing Campaign

Hiring a medical marketing agency like ModFXMedia allows you to ensure your communications with your patients aren’t going straight into the spam folder. 

The marketing team will carefully craft the texts and emails and then schedule them at appropriate intervals. 

They can also help you determine what type of text and email marketing would work best for your practice.

Some physicians send out bi-weekly or monthly informational content and practice updates to patients on their mailing lists. While others prefer to stick with a simple pre-appointment reminder email and patient satisfaction survey. 

Working with a professional agency can help you to determine what works and what doesn’t to ensure your practice is keeping your current patients up to date while constantly gaining fresh leads from new subscribers.

They can improve patient reviews

Consumer-driven review websites like Yelp and Google are influential to consumers when looking for everything from a new hair salon to a doctor’s office. 

As a consumer, why ask one or two friends for a recommendation when they can have instant access to dozens of reviews to get a variety of perspectives and help make their own decision?

These reviews can really make or break a practice, and they may be the reason you aren’t seeing return patients or even new patients. 

Having a medical marketing team on your side can help you analyze these reviews daily and help you understand a common theme of either good or poor service. 

It’s important to know what your consumers are saying about your office to help decide what changes are needed to improve patient quality and happiness. 

Once you know what to fix, your medical marketing agency can launch campaigns to promote these changes and get more patients through your door who will, in turn, leave better reviews!

The time is now to invest in a Digital Marketing Agency

From well-established healthcare practices to fledgling offices, maintaining a robust digital presence will provide the stability required for a business to flourish. 

If you want to win patients, you’ll need to create social profiles, optimize your website for SEO and mobile, and run paid advertisements to attract new patients. 

Adopting a digital marketing plan for your practice will level the playing field so your practice can reach potential patients who are searching for services also offered by larger healthcare systems. 

At ModFXMedia, we have years of experience in healthcare/medical digital marketing. We handle Healthcare practices, Dental Practices, Regeneration Clinics, Integrative Medicine, Ophthalmology/Vision clinic as well as Veterinary clinics. And the best news is you start to see results right away! 
To learn more about ModFXMedia, and how we can help your practice, request a free strategy call with us by CLICKING HERE to fill out the form on our website. Or call us directly at 1-904-673-7587.

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How To Spice Up Your Medical Practices Social Media Content

If you’re reading this blog post, you probably already know why it’s important that your medical practice has a strong presence on social media! But, unless someone has a health condition or is specifically looking for a doctor online, gaining and keeping new followers on social media can be difficult.

I mean, it’s not like medical practices post about the hottest celebrity breakups or makeup tutorials. Instead, they post about health conditions and their services, (which is great) but let’s face it, even the most valuable client can lose interest and stop hitting that like button after a while. 

When followers stop liking and engaging on your social media posts, your content comes up less and less on their profile. Then before you know it, you’re wondering what happened to your social media presence altogether. 

So, how can your medical practice spice up your social media content? 

The goal is to post informative content, but also find ways to keep your content fresh and engaging. Easier said than done, we know! Especially when you’re trying to simultaneously run a successful medical practice. 

So, we decided to ‘assist’ and share a list of our favorite content ideas that your medical practice can use on social media. 

1) An Intro: 

Post a current photo. Introduce yourself and tell people about your training. Explain why you became a doctor, and why you are passionate about what you do.

2) A Family Photo: 

If you are comfortable doing so, post a family photo and introduce your spouse and children. Talk about your family pets, too. The more your social media visitors can relate to you, the more they’ll trust you, and likely choose you over a competitor.

3) Your Staff: 

Post a photo of each staff member and tell people about their education, training, and any special interests they have. 

Make sure you mention why they are an important member of your team, and talk about what they love most about their job.

4) Upcoming Events: 

Share information about all upcoming events that you are holding or attending.

5) Events Updates: 

Share photos and an update on how those events went.

6) Helpful Tips: 

Post short photos and videos with helpful tips for your patients.

7) Staff Celebrations: 

Share staff birthdays, parties, events, and anything else that shows your company’s culture and caring nature.

8) Products & Services: 

Share information about your products and/or services. Don’t SELL themâ€Ķteach about them. 

Explain their benefits and talk about how they can help your patients. Make sure to add photos if appropriate.

9) Success Stories: 

Post patient success stories. Use before and after photos, along with their story. 

NOTE: Make sure you have their written permission before doing so, and be sure to adhere to all HIPAA regulations!

Read our other blog on Hipaa social media rules for your practice

10) Inspirational posts: 

Post anything that can inspire your clients, help motivate them, help them to focus on healing or improve their well being. 

Post an inspirational quote or share a success story from another medical source. 

11) Awards: 

Talk about any awards you or your staff receive. Share a photo of the award and some information about it.

12) Press: 

Mention any press you receive. Make sure to share a link to the article and their logo.

13) FAQ’s: 

Answer frequently asked questions. Post a question that many of your patients ask, and then post the answer to it below. 

You can also post the answer in the comments. By adding the answer into the comments, it makes the reader click the post which raises your engagement percentage.

14) Demonstrations: 

Demonstrate how your equipment works. This can help relieve the fear of the unknown for your current and prospective patients.

15) Tests & Procedures: 

Give an explanation of specific tests or procedures that are common for your patients to have.

16) Industry Findings: 

Talk about the most recent industry findings in your field, explained in layman’s terms. 

Remember that your clients and followers don’t understand medical jargon. Always break it down for your reader to understand. 

17) Discounts or Promotions: 

Mention all discounts and/or promotions that your practice is offering. Make sure you give patients a code to use to get the promotion that is specific to the social media platform you are posting it on. Doing this will help you to know which platform is the most effective for this purpose.

18) Holidays: 

Celebrate the holidays with your social media followers. You can post photos of your office decorations. Or share pictures and videos of your in-office holiday celebrations. 

Always make sure to send out well-wishes via social media. You can do this by scheduling your posts.

19) National “Something” Day: 

Basically every day is National “Something” Day. Pick out the ones that apply to your business or patients, and create fun posts around those.

20) Reviews: 

Anytime a review is posted, on any website, make sure you share it.

21) Charity work: 

It’s important for every business to support a cause or help their community. Whatever you choose to do, share photos and information before, during and after. Invite your social media followers to participate.

22) Office tours: 

Create a short video showing your office and explain what each room is for.

23) Giveaways: 

If appropriate, consider holding a giveaway for a product or service. Make sure you have people who enter the drawing, like the post, following your social media page and tagging another individual.

You can also send them to a page and have them fill out their first name and email address in order to enter. This is a great way to add to your email list. 

NOTE: Make sure you follow all of the contest rules on each social media platform.

24) Anything & Everything New: 

If your business adds a new product, service, location or staff memberâ€Ķshare that information on social media.

25) Basic information: 

Make it easy on your viewers. Share your address, phone number and office hours every so often in a post.

26) Humor: 

Share a funny meme, quote, video or photo that is appropriate and relates to your field. Remember, people come on social media to be entertained. You can still be professional while also showing a sense of humor. People appreciate seeing that side of a doctor and their medical practice.

27) Fun facts: 

Share any useful, helpful or interesting information that relates to your area of practice.

28) Community Information: 

Share in the joy of, and congratulate any local business or organization that has big news. 

By sharing the news of other businesses, most of the time they will do the same for you. This means twice as many eyes seeing your posts and knowing about your medical practice.

29) Infographic: 

Post an infographic that will help your patients to visualize a process or an outcome.

30) Other People’s Content: 

This is basically #10 & #28 butâ€Ķ.share really good posts created by others that will be interesting or helpful to your patients. Make sure to credit the content creator. 

31) Polls: 

Create a poll to find out what your prospective patients are interested in.

32) Introduce A Colleague: 

Talk about a trusted colleague who you would recommend to your patients. Ask them to do the same for you! 

33) Staff News: 

Celebrate your staff! Share birth announcements, marriages, birthdays, promotions, awards, courses taken, etc. 

Seek a second opinion!

If after reading this, you still feel your content marketing and social media management could use a face lift, then hiring a professional agency is the best ‘treatment’!

We’re prescribing your medical practice Modfxmedia! 

At ModFXMedia, we specialize in online medical/healthcare marketing, and have created creative content for hundreds of medical practices.

If you want more traffic, leads and patients..then we’re the business for you.

Our job is to reinforce your Google Ads, SMM and SEO goals into a cohesive strategy that will transform your online visitors into paying customers.

Set up your strategy call with us today by Clicking Here. One of our experts will be in touch within 24 hours!
Want to learn how your medical practice can make ’30k in 30 Days’?!

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How to use Social media and Email Marketing for your Medical Practice.

Email marketing and social media are two of the most powerful marketing tools for expanding your audience, building your brand, and in turn, growing your practice.  The two strategies are best when you use them in conjunction to increase the reach of your content.

Companies that integrate email with social media marketing can build customer loyalty and generate brand recognition.

How to use social media without violating HIPAA

You as a healthcare providers must be careful about how you use social media in order to avoid violating HIPAA by exposing a patient’s protected health information (PHI-protected health information). 

There are a number of limitations that covered entities must consider.

So, it’s vital to know what you can—and cannot—say on social media in a HIPAA compliant manner.

Adhere to the following guidelines when using social media to avoid a HIPAA violation:

  • Understand what information constitutes PHI 
  • Never post any information that can be interpreted PHI
  • Do not disclose if a patient received or intends to receive any services
  • Do not share or allude to any specific or unique medical cases
  • Use broad terms that address “all patients” and avoid addressing individuals or their situations
  • Do not diagnose or describe any prognoses, symptoms or courses of treatment publicly
  • Use HIPAA compliant email to contact patients (or potential patients) directly—do NOT send messages to patients either privately or publicly via a social media platform.

To keep it simple: If a patient can be identified, don’t say it on social media!

Thankfully, there is plenty you CAN say online. Here are some HIPAA-friendly types of posts you can integrate into your content:

  • Share updates or news about your practice
  • Educate the public about popular or timely health topics
  • Share health and wellness tips
  • Support other local businesses and partners
  • Promote events related to your practice

The benefits of social media

Don’t let all the Hippa rules deter you from having a good social media strategy! 

More and more people around the globe are using social media. In fact, when it comes to health care, social networks play an important role in everything from information gathering to connecting with people going through similar experiences. 

Consider the following: 

  • 80% of internet users search for health information, and almost 50% would like information about a specific doctor.
  • 60% of consumers say they trust doctors’ social media posts.
  • More than 75% of Americans use social media to research their health symptoms.

As social media is becoming more integrated into our daily lives, it unveils countless opportunities for medical businesses that are looking to reach out to their target audience.

How to use email marketing without violating HIPAA

The HIPAA Privacy Rule regulates how PHI can be used for marketing. In general, HIPAA requires written authorization before a covered entity can use PHI for marketing purposes.

However, there are many types of communication that HIPAA does not consider marketing.  

After all, HIPAA is not intended to restrict providers’ ability to communicate about goods and services that are essential for quality healthcare.

Also, HIPAA doesn’t imply that doctors cannot market to clients—simply that in some instances patient authorization is required.

Also, remember that all marketing emails, including for healthcare purposes, must abide by the CAN SPAM Act as well.

The benefits of email marketing

Email marketing is also a great way to grow your business.  The average open rate for healthcare emails is 19.7% with a 2.7% click-through rate, which is above the average for all industries. This goes to show that patients do indeed engage with healthcare emails.

Healthcare email marketing can benefit your practice in many ways.  Just check out some of the examples we listed below.

Owning your contacts

There is one major difference between your email subscribers and your social media connections—you don’t own your social media audience.

You might have thousands of followers on Twitter or fans on Facebook, but if you don’t have their email addresses, you could wake up one morning to find that your Facebook business account was deleted. Those people that you worked so hard to find will be gone forever.

The best thing to do is to gain control of your social media audience by converting them into email subscribers.

Stay top of mind

The main goal of your medical practice is to keep people healthy, but you also want to maintain patient relationships for when they need you.  

Engaging with patients via email marketing can make sure that you’re their first pick when they need treatment.

Build long-lasting relationships

Email marketing is the best digital marketing channel for healthcare providers to build long-lasting relationships because it gives you a direct line of communication with your patients. When you see them, you build a rapport that makes them feel comfortable. Email lets you extend that trust throughout the year.

How email marketing and social media can work together

Social media marketing is great for reaching new people and email marketing is an effective way to convert followers into patients.

Acquisition strategies often rely on online reviews, advertising, promotions, as well as social media to get new patients. When you get that new patient, you work hard to win their trust and deliver a positive experience, which can be enhanced with an effective email marketing strategy.

The effect of both email marketing and social media will be amplified if you use them together in a coordinated manner.  We provide some ideas below.

Build a stronger, cohesive brand

It is important to maintain brand consistency across all communication platforms.  

Brand integrity implies that a company is trustworthy and pays attention to detail.

This means having everyone on your team involved in marketing communicate with each other to make sure they strike a similar tone on social media and in your email marketing.

If you are able to sync up the language, you will build more effective branding.

Include links to your social media pages in your email updates

Your email marketing and social media efforts can work together to grow your subscribers, attract a bigger audience, and increase the exposure of your content.

Email marketing can increase your engagement on social media by reminding subscribers that your brand has an active social community.

  • Put links in your social media posts and also in your email updates so that subscribing to your profiles is a one-click decision.

Leverage social media to increase email marketing subscribers

Many of your followers on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter are either current patients or potential patients who want to hear from you.  Add a link to a signup landing page on your various profiles so they can start receiving your email updates.

PS: Remember that your signup landing page must be HIPAA compliant too!

You can also encourage social media followers to sign up for your mailing lists by reminding them what kind of content you share or promotions you offer to inspire them to join.

Wondering about what kind of information patients are looking for?  Get started here: 

How to Write an Effective Healthcare Email Newsletter.

When people opt-in to your email list, your business then has a more direct and effective way of communicating with them than on social media.

Also, since they opted in, you are not limited in the types of email marketing you can send to patients, as we explained above.

Recycle your content

It’s pretty easy to recycle content between email and social media marketing channels.

For example, if you maintain a blog for your practice, you want to make sure your patients know when you post new content.

A great way to spread the word is with an email newsletter containing a roundup of recent stories or articles you have published, and you can also share your articles via social media.

As another example, if you use a Twitter thread or a Facebook post  to explain something to your audience, the next time you send an email campaign, try linking to that social media posy instead of writing new content. Once again, this will nudge subscribers to follow you on social media.

This tactic works in the other direction, too. If you tell an in-depth story in an email update you can also recycle it for Twitter or Facebook.  

If it’s too long for a tweet, separate it into multiple tweets, and tell people how they can receive more useful information from you by joining your email list.

Take advantage of social media email digests

Another idea is joining social media groups that are relevant to your practice and post useful content there.

For example, pick a popular group in your medical field on LinkedIn and start participating.  

If you add useful insight, potential patients might start following your own social media accounts or join your email list.

Conclusion

The most successful brands are able to integrate all branches of their marketing together to create an amazing customer experience.  

Are you ready to take the next step and expand your medical organization’s social media or email marketing footprint? Our award-winning digital marketing team at ModFXMedia is standing by to show you how you can do just that. Contact us today to schedule your discovery session.
ðŸ”ļïļWhy you’re here, read how your Medical practice Can Make 30K in just 30 Days! We share with you our 10 important Key Factors that we have personally used to help other practices accomplish this!

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HIPAA Social Media Rules For Your Medical Practice.

Does your Medical practice use social media? It’s a reliable way to reach, educate, communicate, and draw in new clientele. However, if your business falls into the health and medical care category, you must follow HIPAA social media rules for all online actions. These rules outline what you can and cannot share, say, or post on both business and personal pages of the establishment and all staff.

Unfortunately, many private facilities shy away from any form of social media engagement due to fear of violating HIPAA rules. This leaves these businesses missing out on valuable audiences that are not only listening, but looking for them online.

Consider the following: 

  • – 80% of internet users search for health information, and almost 50% would like information about a specific doctor.
  • – 60% of consumers say they trust doctors’ social media posts.
  • – More than 75% of Americans use social media to research their health symptoms.

Do you run or work for a business in the health care sector and are ready to take your visibility online? Follow along to discover how to be HIPAA compliant on social media and what this looks like for your pages.

HIPAA and Social Media

When it comes to health care, social networks play an important role in everything from information gathering, to connecting with people going through similar experiences. 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) established in 1996 works to protect the privacy and health information of patients to ensure complete confidentiality. This act came into play long before the introduction of social media but clearly impacts what health institutions can and cannot share online.

When in breach of the HIPAA social media guidelines, violators face lofty penalties which could include a fine or even loss of license. For this reason, the importance of HIPAA compliance on social media is crucial for both the institution and patients alike.

HIPAA outlines that any and all PHI must be kept off of social media platforms unless express permission has been granted by the patient.

What Is PHI?

In order to follow the HIPAA social media rules and maintain compliance, individuals must first understand what’s classified as PHI.

PHI stands for personal health information. This includes all information about a patient, their care, and any details that could expose their identity.

This includes but is not limited to:

— Names, including nicknames social media handles

— Address or location hints

— Dates such as birthdate, appointment dates, treatment duration dates

— Phone or fax number

— Email address

— Web URLs or social media links

— Social security number and any other account numbers

— Medical record or health plan number

— Photographs and scans

— Vehicle description or number plates

— Fingerprints, retinal scans, or voice recordings

— Anything that could give hints regarding the patient’s identity

The only time in which any of this information can be shared on social media pages is when a patient has given express written permission. However, the patient must have a clear understanding of exactly how the information will be used and the purpose of sharing their details.

A signed agreement including clear indications of how the information will be used must then remain on file. This is essential to confirm the patient’s willingness to participate. Verbal agreements are not sufficient permission. Lack of physical proof of permission may result in HIPAA violations.

What’s Not Allowed

So what does this look like for your online sharing? The PHI information outlined above must not be divulged in any way, shape, or form on a digital platform for all health and medical field professions. This includes all posts, comments, replies, or online messaging.

Posts:

A medical business account and any associated personal accounts may not share any photographs of the patients, details of their treatment, or any other PHI indicators (without a signed agreement that is kept on file).

Even if you do not mention the patient’s name or demographics, giving a detailed description of their condition, the treatment, and even the results could expose the identity of the individual and breach their privacy rights. Even if the patient has shared their story on their own page, you must gain express permission before sharing any details.

You also cannot repost anything they have posted on their account, as this would give direct reference to the individual.

▩ïļThis applies to any posts on social media, as well as blogs, forums, and any other online platforms.

Comments

A simple mistake that could breach HIPAA compliance on social media is the acknowledgment or disclosure of information in comments. These comments could be either on your own post or another user’s social media account.

Even if the information is available elsewhere, the business is not permitted to disclose details. This includes stating that they treated that particular case, when it happened, and mentioning who was involved.

▩ïļThis applies to news posts, patient posts, other medical professionals, and any other online resources.

Replies

Businesses are encouraged to respond to comments on both social media platforms and sites such as Google My Business. Responding to comments and reviews is a great way to build relationships and boost engagement for your establishment.

Unfortunately, a HIPAA violation can occur when replies reveal too much information. This can include calling the reviewer by name, making reference to their treatment, or even defending the actions of the clinic by explaining the details of a situation.

Seeing as it is human nature to defend or acknowledge details, responding to feedback can be a difficult area in the healthcare profession. If you are ever unsure about what you can and cannot communicate in a reply, it’s always best to offer less.

If a comment has asked questions or stated information that you cannot safely reply to, you can always leave a comment stating that privacy laws do not permit you to disclose certain information, and where they can contact you if they have any concerns.

Online Messaging

Online messaging platforms have made group messaging and communication easier than ever. However, if you choose to use these online messaging platforms for work applications, there are guidelines you will need to follow.Just follow the same guidelines we mentioned above in ‘replies’. 

When online messaging, you are not permitted to share any PHI in direct messages or private chats. As per HIPAA, this applies to any online and offline conversations with individuals who are not privileged to the information.

Furthermore, any online conversations with other staff members or practitioners may not disclose PHI or reveal details. Because these conversations are now part of the digital cloud of social media, the conversations run the risk of being exposed.

Also, when discussing specifics of a patient, treatment, or in-office situation, all conversations should be private and offline.

What Is Allowed

While these social media rules may feel limiting, there are still several post formats and engagements you can partake in. 

Just like any other business, health care accounts are still encouraged to engage with individuals online. Your practice can do this by offering helpful information and insights with their posts, comments, and replies.

Content ideas that you can post about on social media 

  • -Share mental health tips that may help your specific client-base
  • -Link to new research related to your specialty
  • -Share inspirational or motivational quotes
  • -Let clients know about upcoming events your practice will be hosting or participating in, that will be open to the public.
  • -Brag about any awards your practice has received.
  • -Let clients get to know you better with staff bios and photos
  • -Offer discounts or special offers.
  • -Promote posts from your website’s blog
  • -Announce new business partnerships
  • -Post your reviews anonymously 

You Can Post With Compliance

Without disclosing information, there are several posts that you are permitted to share online. Any patient-generic information or advice that could benefit your patients may be posted on both social media and blogs.

This could include tips and advice about health conditions or even research articles about a relevant concern. The key to these information pieces is not referencing actual cases. As long as you do not mention your own experiences with treating clients or the cases you have observed, you will not be in breach of any social media rules.

You may also share information about events you will be taking part in. This could include upcoming specials, promotions, or celebrations. You can even brag about accomplishments such as receiving a business award or specialist certificates.

Many practices find it beneficial to introduce their staff and practitioners online with a brief bio and photograph. This encourages familiarity for clients who wish to seek treatment from your facility and serves as a business promotion for lead generation.

You Can Respond to Reviews

Reviews have become as valuable as a personal recommendation for potential clients. How you respond to your reviews could make or break your growth. Of course, as discussed above, even information revealed in reviews does not permit you to share PHI.

When responding to both positive and negative reviews, the safest options for HIPAA compliance include:

Thanking the reviewer for their feedback:

-Ask the reviewer to contact your office for questions, clarification, or to resolve problems. 

-You can also offer a solution to problems via an in-person consultation or a free appointment.

Responding ensures your audience that you care about the client’s concerns. They will see that you value feedback and that your office takes measures to provide the best possible service and experience.

You Can Engage in Conversation

When you are online with a business account, you are representing the views of your establishment with every interaction. This means the posts you like, comments you leave, and shares you save are all reflecting on your business.

It is important to consider all online actions and understand what messages they will send to consumers. This is applicable for any industry but especially true in the health sector.

You can reply directly to comments on your posts, but make sure to do so without mentioning names or disclosing information. 

You can also comment on posts by other professionals and even share their posts on your own page with appropriate credit.

If your posts follow HIPAA social media guidelines, your practice has the opportunity to grow considerably. Just remember, if you wish to share photos of events and celebrations, make sure that all individuals who appear in the content sign a release form.

Benefits of social media for your practice

As we all know, the majority of individuals partake in social media, which means that people are likely to look up your organization on these platforms. 

It can also increase your patient volumes, help you control the accuracy of health-related information available online, strengthen your relationships with current patients, and broaden your exposure to potential patients. 

Another perk is that patients are able to easily find your office online, view any information that you post, read online reviews left by other patients and be kept up-to-date on any changes to office hours, personnel, or protocols. 

In a nutshell, using social media platforms will enable you to promote your business easier and faster than just word of mouth and traditional advertising. 

HIPAA Compliance on Social Media Conclusion

Think of social media as your digital bedside manner – and gain a competitive edge for your medical practice. When used correctly, social media can take a medical practice to the next level by utilizing the existing platforms to reach current and potential patients already accessing social media daily. So don’t shy away from posting! 

Now that you understand the purpose of HIPAA social media rules and guidelines, you can ensure your social media activity is never in breach. From understanding what you may and may not share, you can rest assured that your business will never face fines or license suspensions due to your online presence.

Are you ready to take the next step and expand your medical organization’s social media footprint? Our award-winning digital marketing team at ModFXMedia is standing by to show you how you can do just that. Contact us today to schedule your discovery session.


 ðŸ”ļCHECK THIS OUT! Why you’re here, read how your Medical practice can Make 30K in just 30 Days! We share with you our 10 important Key Factors that we have personally used to help other practices accomplish this!

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Get To Know Your Target Audience

Marketing is continuously shifting and evolving; and in the past decade, marketing has significantly shifted toward the digital landscape. One of the most important things for a successful marketing experience today is knowing your target audience in digital marketing. 

Digital Marketing:

Digital marketing offers businesses more ways to target unique and specific audiences and demographics than traditional media. 

While traditional methods focus on reaching broad audiences and large volumes of people, digital marketing is able to be much more refined to target a specific audience that is interested in and searching for your product/service.

Since moving from traditional to digital marketing, brands are able to target consumers on a multitude of levels, from the basics which are: age, location, job and education level. To lifestyle segmentation which are: preferences, hobbies, wants, needs, likes and dislikes. 

Overall, digital marketing changed the game and gave businesses an easier and faster way to reach a specific audience on a digital platform. 

Why is it important to know who your Target Audience is?

Targeted marketing develops an understanding of a consumer’s behavior. And knowing and understanding your target audience is one of the most important things when it comes to marketing and digital marketing. 

Knowing who your target audience is, will guide your campaigns specifically to people who are interested or potentially interested in the products or services offered by your company. And understanding the interests and behavior of customers and potential customers will allow your business to better target them.

The more accurate a target audience is, the better your company can advertise and market to this population which can help you experience more conversions. 

That’s why it’s so important to know how to find your target audience, otherwise you’ll just be wasting time, resources and money by targeting everyone.  

Defining your Target Audience:

A business must first understand what a target audience is before it can determine its own target audience. 

A target audience is a business’s end consumer—whoever is interested in a company’s products or services. 

Things like: Demographics, interests, lifecycles and even geolocations define the target audience. 

In a nutshell, these are the individuals with the highest chance for conversion. 

In order for businesses to improve customer lifetime value and conversion rates, they need to be able to define and target specific audiences so they know where to concentrate their sales and marketing efforts. 

This process will involve some guesswork, but for the most part it’s based on the analysis of several specific factors that inform which audience is the best fit. Those factors include:

Audience demographics: 

Characteristics such as gender and age often play a key role in determining the likelihood of a prospect to make a purchase.

Audience income: 

Income can be an important qualifier for conversion. If you’re a B2B (Business to Business) marketer, assessing your audience’s average income means determining how much revenue a company generates and whether it aligns with what you are selling. 

For B2C (Business to Consumer) marketers, you can use income-based audience targeting which focuses on individual and household income data.

Audience location: 

Some prospects may never make a purchase from you simply because you are too far away to serve their area. That’s why it’s important to establish your marketing audience based on geographic location when working with online marketing channels. 

Audience psychographics: 

Psychographics refer to characteristics of studying consumers based on psychological characteristics (understanding the consumer’s emotions and values) and traits such as: values, desires, goals, interests, and lifestyle choices. By understanding this, you can market more accurately.

What else should you research?

You can also use the following questions to further help you define and research your target audience(s):

  • –Which social media sites does your target audience use the most?
  • –What type of audience follows my competitors?
  • –What posts topics do my competitors follow and react to the most?
  • –What issues are solved by your products or services that your target audience can rely on?

Knowing Your Target Audience on Different Platforms

Every digital platform has different uses, audiences, and purposes and therefore must receive unique marketing materials and processes. 

That’s why understanding a target audience in terms of specific platforms is essential because there are countless platforms to reach consumers in the digital sphere. 

  • SEO (Search engine optimization) can target someone who is actively looking for something specific. 
  • Social media is more apt to develop brand awareness and gather information on how consumers operate to retarget them more accurately. 
  • Email marketing provides several ways to segment your audience to build an even better understanding.

With lots of platforms available, it’s crucial to choose the right ones for your specific audience. 

Once you’ve done that, next is developing a marketing plan so you can target and convert each customer better.

Facebook, Instagram, and Other Social Media Sites

Each social site appeals to a different demographic. 

Social media sites such as Facebook and Pinterest are all highly unique platforms. Each uses a unique algorithm to adjust and track impressions, engagement, and conversions. 

The Facebook umbrella contains popular subsites such as Instagram and Marketplace. These all work together with an algorithm that identifies when, where, and to whom to deliver a company’s ads across all the smaller platforms under the umbrella.

Companies should fully understand how social media campaigns impact their business before selecting which social sites to market in and which to invest ad spend in. 

For younger demographics, sites such as TikTok and Snapchat may be the most direct routes. In comparison, older demographics are better accessible on Facebook. 

Overall, the Facebook umbrella has the most extensive reach of all ages.

Google and Other Search Engines

Most people use Google or other search engines daily. 

Understanding how search engines work is essential to fully utilizing all the features and opportunities available to your business. 

There are multiple ways to market your target audience on these search engines. There’s search engine optimization (SEO), which relies on your website, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, which is ad spend. 

Search engine optimization improves the organic search rankings of a business’s website through keywords, content, and development. It’s also extremely useful in reaching people with high conversion potential.

Pay-per-click advertising on search engines increases the number of people who click into a website. These clicks have high conversion potential. 

Knowing how PPC campaigns work and successfully utilizing the many tools involved are key to seeing a great ROI with PPC.

Methods of Identifying the Target Market

As we mentioned above, the target market is the first step to developing an in-depth working knowledge of it. And there’s actually several different methods to help you accurately identify your target market for your business. One method is:

Tracking

Tracking is essential to understanding who the target market consists of. A business can determine this by sending people surveys and questionnaires. These surveys should be quick and straightforward. People have the tendency to lose interest quickly, so keeping it just a few questions is ideal. 

The next method to help accurately identify the target market for a business is by using:

Analytics Tools

Using the different tools available on a marketing platform is another recommended way to identify a target audience. A great platform is Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides website owners with real-time data on keyword rankings, results, site speeds, retargeting data, and more. That’s why investing in a platform such as Google Ads or other search engine ads comes with the benefit of highly customized analytical data. This investment helps a business better analyze who they’re reaching and those customers’ lifetime values.

Challenges in Target Audience Identification

There’s plenty of challenges when it comes to identifying target audiences, regardless of the platform used. A business owner can field and manage these challenges, but it may be difficult and time-consuming to stay on top of that’s why hiring a professional digital marketing agency can be very cost effective and useful.

Inaccurate Data

Some analytical tools simply aren’t as advanced at data collection as others. Avoid using unknown metrics or relying on just one platform for all your data. This can lead to campaigns that are based on inaccurate or outdated data. 

Shared Devices

Shared devices are another challenge when it comes to tracking and identifying target markets. 

When people share devices, it can throw off tracking. A good example of this is a family that is sharing one tablet. The data only knows this tablet as one user, but a parent and a few kids of differing ages could be using it at different times as well. 

This can get interests crossed and develop an inaccurate view of who this audience truly is. A young child may spend a lot of tablet time watching children’s videos and playing games, but a parent may be using it for work and research, thus creating a view of a tablet user that confuses most established algorithms.

A business can avoid this issue by not relying entirely on data. A well-versed professional in digital marketing knows how important it is to understand that as accurate as data can be, common sense and human scope are essential to interpreting it. 

Marketing decisions should be made by experienced people and informed by data rather than informed by data alone.

How a Digital Marketing Agency Helps with Target Audience Identification

A well-rounded digital marketing agency that takes a full-funnel approach can be invaluable to target audience identification. 

Agencies like ModFXMedia, can dedicate ample time and resources to fully understanding the needs, wants, and patterns of the real target audience for specific products and services of a particular company. 

Below are just a few of the advantages of working with professionals for target audience identification and campaign planning.

Constant Testing

One of the major setbacks of trying to understand a target audience is a lack of accurate testing. Testing should be nearly constant, and adjustments should regularly happen to ensure the information is as precise and well-developed as possible. 

For example, our professional digital marketing agency, ModFXMedia, can do more research, studies, and searches on more key terms. We can look at your company’s customer analytics, such as account-based demographics, interests, platforms, and devices.

Other benefits to working with a digital marketing agency:

  • –You can gain access to industry-leading data and tools. With this, you can discover audiences for your brand and where those audiences are consuming media.
  • –You gain a whole team who has experience with navigating new digital marketing methods. Experts in social media marketing and digital retargeting, can help your team utilize unfamiliar channels successfully.
  • –You can work with an unbiased perspective when optimizing campaigns. A digital marketing agency can examine your efforts for what’s working, and what’s not. Then, they’ll guide you through the needed improvements to exceed expectations.
  • –You can access assistance with creative endeavors as well. In addition to optimizing your channels and targeting strategy, a digital marketing agency can work with your team to create effective marketing assets.

Final Takeaway

As you can see, there are many advantages to knowing your target audience in digital marketing. The main benefit is accurately targeting the group that is most likely to convert. 

Just keep in mind that researching your right target audience(s) isn’t about just finding stats and numbers, it’s about finding people and what drives them. Just remember to focus on WHAT they want to do better, WHAT motivates them, WHAT they need, and WHO they are.

A digital marketing campaign’s success will depend on the platform, the method, the proper identification of the target market, and how you market to them to build loyalty. 

With a professional, dedicated digital marketing team behind you, your business can achieve its full potential. 

At ModFXMedia, we increase impressions, conversions, and help companies reach their goals. Our team works together to ensure your company reaches its full potential through our variety of digital marketing options. 

With state-of-the-art reporting, site analytics, & build-a-brand testing, we can track where every penny is best spent along with where your campaign is succeeding & where it needs a lift.
Click Here to learn more about what ModFXMedia can do for you & then schedule your FREE Strategy call with us today!

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What Exactly Is Permission Marketing?

How many times you have signed up to receive an email notification and special offers from different brands and services. I know the answer, “Yes, many times.” When I open my email, I can see tons of notifications and promotions about products from Etsy and Amazon, etc.  

Since I am a member of Bealls, a local departmental store, they text me on my mobile device whenever there is a special offer. This is known as permission-based marketing.

What Exactly Is Permission Marketing?

Permission Marketing is when you give the recipient of the email/message an option, whether the audience should receive the promotional message or not, it would be their choice.

Permission marketing has become a very popular marketing strategy during the boom of digital marketing and social media marketing. 

Subscription emails, application updates and emails/messages- these are all very good examples of permission marketing. 

Permission marketing is where the users have chosen to receive the emails and other promotional messages of a specific company-i.e your company. 

They do this by subscribing to your website or they install your company’s applications on their device.

How Did Permission Marketing Come About?

In 1999, Seth Godin first floated the term ‘‘permission marketing’’ in his book, Permission Marketing: turning strangers into friends, and friends into customers. He discussed the concept of permission marketing as something personal, relevant, and expected. Permission Marketing is contrary to the traditional type of direct and promotional marketing where you send one email to all the customers in the database without their permission.

Permission-based Marketing Vs Traditional Marketing

Yes, there’s a difference between Permission Marketing and good ‘ol Traditional Marketing. 

Permission marketing is when you do a little research about your target customers. For example: Better Homes and Gardens uses permission marketing when doing their giveaways. 

These giveaways are usually sponsored by other businesses, such as Honda, Lumber Liquidators, etc.  which is clearly explained while you the individuals are signing up to enter the contest. 

Another page is brought up which offers free subscriptions and permissions from the sponsors. I think most people believe they’ll have a better chance of winning if these permissions are clicked yes, and way at the bottom of this list is the enter button. 

This clever type of permission marketing got the individual to sign up for other businesses newsletters and promotions- they got their permission! But, this is only one way that Permission Marketing is used in a marketing strategy- we’ll go over more strategies in a minute. 

First, let’s move onto what traditional marketing is. 

Traditional Marketing

Traditional marketing is a type of marketing where marketers use traditional platforms such as: print, broadcast, direct mail, email and telephone/texts.

Before the popularity of digital marketing and social media marketing, traditional marketing was the choice of companies to promote their products to their customers. With the boom of digital marketing and everyone glued to their phones traditional marketing has been expanded into sub-categories in which business use to better market their products and services.

Traditional marketing falls under the type of marketing category called blind marketing. To give you a better understanding we’ll use our Better Home & Gardens example above. Better Homes and Gardens would send one (or a 4 week) blast email to all their signed up customers without mentioning their previous history with them. 

Customers receive such promotional emails all the time, and they usually avoid looking at the emails.

Benefits of Permission Marketing

Some of the benefits and advantages of the permission marketing strategy are as follows:

Cost-Effective Strategy

Sending emails and messages is much cheaper than any other kind of marketing technique. All you have to do is to research and send precise and relevant information to the customers. If the information is relevant, they won’t ignore your message and hopefully your business converts a new customer at a low cost.

Higher Conversion Rate

The conversion rate is higher in permission marketing than the traditional type of marketing because you follow the personalized approach with your target audience and develop a relationship with your targets. 

When you provide the relevant information, it makes the bond much stronger and increases the conversion rate.

Personalized

One of the most interesting features of permission marketing is the personalized approach. It means that you invoke the previous history and start things where you have left them. It makes the customers feel that you haven’t forgotten about them. By mentioning their name and the previous records/appointments/products it makes your business connect with them immediately.

Long Term Customer Relations

When you provide relevant information, you’re following the personal approach which makes them feel comfortable and valued. These types of relationships with your target customers usually last longer because they have a shared common history with your business. 

Maintain Reputation

When you follow the personal approach and ask their permission, then it makes the consumer feel under control. Because of this, when you send out an email or text blast they are less likely to ignore them and click through to your desired goal -i.e a new landing page, sale, new product, service etc. 

When people don’t avoid your messages, it means that you have maintained a good reputation in the community.

Levels of Permission in Permission Marketing

There are different levels of permission in the permission marketing strategy, which are:

Intravenous Permission

Intravenous permission is the highest level of permission a consumer can give to the consumer. The permission is in the form of a subscription.

Buying the subscription of Netflix or Hulu is a very good example of intravenous permission. When you buy the monthly package, whether you watch it or not, the channel would charge money for the whole month because it has the right.

Points Level Permission

Point- level-permission is a type of game. We mean this literally, you see this a lot in game apps. You also see this alot with credit cards and any clothing store points subscriptions. (Walgreens is another common one that uses this).

Points Level Permission is the second highest level in permission marketing. 

Points are a good way to keep a consumer’s attention, and are a good way to solve the problem. Spend more, get more points. 

Points are also a good way to reward consumers for paying attention or for buying something.

The object is- Your business would reward customers with different points if they remain attentive. In the end, customers can cash out those points. If the consumer remains more attentive, then they would earn more points, and more points means more money.

You’ll notice this with a lot of game apps. They’ll reward you with daily points or coins to get you to play. If you spend more money when you’ve used all their free points, they’ll give you a better deal and rewards.

Personal Relationships

The Personal relationship level is usually used in business relations, where you leverage the personal relation and ask something in return. It’s like word of mouth marketing.

It’s a business strategy that builds and nurtures long-term personal connections between your brand and your existing customers, increasing engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.

For example, T-Mobile captured the elusive millennial market. They began offering consumers mobile service without contracts. This approach proved wildly successful, improving customer satisfaction, engagement, and referral business.

On top of this to build relationships they provided weekly thank-you gifts and customer rewards to participants.

In addition, they focused on their mobile app, offering reward redemption opportunities and targeted offers that captured customers’ attention and enhanced engagement. 

Brand Trust

Brand trust is often the desired level of permission marketing. However, brand trust can be lost with one misstep. For example, Coke nearly lost all of its brand trust overnight when it introduced its new formula.

But don’t let this deter your business from looking into this strategy. Brand trust is a bit lower level strategy when it comes to permission marketing- you may pay a heavier price to certain brands, but the company would provide you with a high-quality product. Starbucks coffee and Campbell’s soup are a very good example of brand trust.

Situational Permission

Situational permission is the lowest level of permission where you ask for a certain thing depending on the situation.

It requires that the contact is first initiated by the customer. Once the customer makes first contact, situational marketing can occur. 

A good example is when you go to a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s. You put in your order and they would ask “would you like to supersize your order?”. Or if you’re at a restaurant and you order a margarita and they ask you if you would like top shelf tequila. These are good examples of situational permission- upselling to the customer. 

Spam (No Permission)

Spam is the level where you don’t have permission. 

Permission Marketing Examples

Some of the examples of permission marketing are as follows:

Opt-in Emails

Opt-in-email is a very good example of permission marketing. It means that the customer has chosen to receive the promotion of certain products. The company only sends emails to those clients who have chosen the opt-in email.

RSS Feeds

An RSS feed is when a company sends a notification to all of its subscribers about the latest promotion.

Loyalty Cards

Loyalty cards are when companies encourage their customers to keep shopping for their products, and the brand provides gifts to their most loyal customers.

YouTube

YouTube is a product of Google and it’s where content creators share videos. When a channel uploads something new then all the channel’s subscribers would receive the notification.

Facebook

Facebook is a social media platform where people share and post written, pictorial, and visual content. However, marketers would like to connect with those people who are influential and many people follow them. When they endorse your product, hundreds of people then try your product because of their referral.

Conclusion

Is your business interested in using the different types, levels, and benefits of permission marketing in your marketing strategy, but still aren’t sure how to effectively implement it? 

At ModFXMedia, our team is an amazing mix of analytical and creative-minded people, each of us capitalizing on our own strengths to prop up the team as a whole. We use our strengths to scale and boost your business on all platforms. 
If you’re interested in incorporating permission marketing into your marketing strategy, click here to schedule your FREE strategy call with our award winning marketing team

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