H E A LT H C A R E

Healthcare Marketing
in the Digital Age
2 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Table of Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Advancing Digital World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Making Room For Digital in the Healthcare Industry.. . . . . . . . . . . 5

Necessities For Healthcare Organizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Are You Ready For Digital?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Partner For Success.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Introduction
The healthcare industry is growing rapidly and shows no signs of slowing down. Currently,
the industry employs more than 15.5 million people in the United States, with a projected
annual growth rate of 2.6 percent through 20221. This will theoretically add 5 million jobs,
accounting for one-third of the total increase in jobs in the United States through 2022.

As the digital age advances, technology is becoming more and more prevalent in the healthcare industry.
As such, it is increasingly important for all healthcare organizations to develop a digital presence. Digital
marketing is making inroads into the healthcare industry but is taking its time compared to other industries. It
is important for you to realize the benefits of the digital realm but also to consider and prepare for the
challenges you will face as your healthcare organization becomes more digitally advanced.

This industry employs more than 15.5 million

people in the United States, with a projected
annual growth rate of 2.6% through 2022.
4 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

The Advancing Digital World

The number of tablets and mobile devices is increasing dramatically, along with the amount
of time people spend using them. Consequently, the amount of time people are spending
on the Internet is drastically increasing as well. Following digital industry trends, mobile
devices and tablets will eventually account for more Internet access than desktop computers.
With this substantial growth, many industries have developed a strong presence in the
digital space.

Currently, the United States has a population of more than 321 million people. 92% of the population owns a
cell phone, while 51% owns a tablet computer. As cell phone use continues to grow, smartphone use is not far
behind. 77% of Americans own a smartphone, and 93% of them use the Internet on their smartphones2.

Consumers are accessing the Internet from a growing number of devices

– something organizations cannot afford to ignore.

A recent study found that 86% of clinicians used smartphones in their daily office activities. Additionally,
53% of clinicians used tablets at work. Although these numbers represent a significant portion of the medical
community, the healthcare industry still lags behind other industries in digital adoption by about two years.

The most common reasons healthcare professionals cite for the lag in digital adoption are issues with patient
privacy and security and compliance standards. When a healthcare organization takes the first step to digital, it
is crucial to ensure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
and its Security Rule, along with FDA regulations.
5 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Making Room For Digital in the Healthcare Industry

Although the healthcare industry falls behind others in digital adoption, growth is not
stunted by any means. In a recent Ogilvy report on healthcare marketing, 85% of survey
respondents strongly agreed that digital media has forever changed the way the healthcare
industry needs to communicate and engage with its constituents. Similarly, 86% strongly
agreed that the healthcare industry needs to change its business model to remain viable in
the future3.

A recent survey of 230 healthcare marketers found that about half of an average hospital's marketing budget is
dedicated to digital marketing. The median marketing budget is $3.1 million with $950,000 dedicated to digital
marketing and $640,000 for website development.

The survey also noted that 65% of hospital marketing departments used a customer relationship management
system (CRM) in 2016 compared to just 50% in 2015.⁴

Technology advances are invaluable to the industry’s consumers. In a recent Google Think Insights survey, 85%
of prospective patients said that it was important that the brand they’re considering use the latest technology.

Clearly, even though the healthcare industry is said to lag behind others in digital adoption, this does not mean
that healthcare professionals are not present in the digital space. However, the industry’s success depends on
adapting to the growing digital realm and advancing along with it.

On average, healthcare marketers give their own company's website

experience a grade of 3.4 out of 5

84% of healthcare marketers say they have a mobile-first strategy

80% of hospitals use Facebook as their main marketing channel

6 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Necessities For Healthcare Organizations

As healthcare organizations become more digitally minded, there are three necessities to
consider when developing a web presence – a responsive website, search engine optimization
(SEO) and content marketing. When you set out to define your digital marketing goals and
develop a plan to achieve them, these three things will be essential to your success.

Responsive Website

With a significant increase in mobile sales over desktop purchases and the ever-increasing rate of mobile web
usage compared to desktop usage, healthcare organizations should consider the benefits of transitioning to a
responsive website design.

What is Responsive Design?

A responsive site is designed to adapt to the screen size of the device it is viewed on. Because the elements of
the site adjust and react depending on the aspect ratio of the browser, content is easier to read and navigate
with minimal resizing, zooming and scrolling. Although developing a responsive site requires more effort at
the beginning, it eliminates the need for a separate mobile site and offers a cohesive digital experience for your
audience – ensuring consistency on a wide range of devices, including computers, tablets and smartphones.

A 2015 survey indicates that 17% of patients book their healthcare appointments online, and by 2019,
a projected 64% will book their appointments online.⁵ Physicians routinely use them in-office to help their
patients learn about procedures and medications as well as to instantly access information, no matter
their location.

Additionally, managing one, responsive, efficient site allows healthcare organizations to focus on developing a
single, strong web strategy which increases visibility, reach and conversions while decreasing expenditures and
effort.

A 2015 survey indicates that 17% of

patients book their appointments
online, and by 2019, a projected 64% will
book their appointments online.
7 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Utilizing a Responsive Website for Your Healthcare Organization Will Allow You To:

I N C R E A S E V I S I B I L I T Y

With only one URL to follow, Google can crawl, index and organize content more quickly and efficiently than
sites designed to fit individual devices with different URLs. Users are also more likely to share, engage and link to
content from one site which increases visibility, as opposed to sharing from separate sites.

I N C R E A S E R E A C H

Developing one website that adjusts to the screen size of all devices will provide a greater opportunity to reach
more of your target audience. It’s impossible to know which device a visitor will use to access your site. As such, a
responsive design reduces the need to worry about this, since the content will automatically fit various screen
sizes.

E N H A N C E U S E R E X P E R I E N C E

Predicting every device and screen size your visitors will use to access your website is unrealistic. Creating a site
that functions well despite these variables will deliver a positive and more reliable user experience across many
devices and screen sizes.

I N C R E A S E S A L E S

Research shows that 93% of people who use their mobile device to research a product will eventually make a
purchase.⁶ That said, healthcare organizations that offer an efficient, easy-to-use website with
relevant content ensures visitors will have a positive experience – resulting in increased traffic, referrals and
conversion rates.

S AV E T I M E & M O N E Y

Building a single website that supports a variety of devices and screen sizes is easier to maintain and
promote, decreases website development expenditures and saves time. Site updates, content management and
optimization for one website is less time-consuming than focusing on multiple device-focused websites.

C O N S O L I D AT E A N A LY T I C S A N D R E P O R T I N G

Managing one website with one URL to track data for makes analytics and reporting that much easier. Since
Google Analytics can show you exactly which devices people are accessing your site from and the experience
they’re getting, you’re able to identify areas that need to be modified to improve the performance and rank
positioning of your responsive site in search results.
8 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Search Engine Optimization

With an ever-rising number of consumers using the web to find medical and health-related information, it
is crucial that your organization develops a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that allows you to be
found when a potential customer conducts an online search. In such a large industry, there is high competition
for search traffic. For example, if a nearby hospital has a more effective SEO strategy than yours, it will appear
higher in organic search results than yours.

Through a highly targeted SEO strategy, you can increase your search engine ranking and overall web presence.

Research keywords to find the ones that patients, physicians and healthcare professionals might be using to
search for your organization or services like yours. There are quite a few keyword tools out there that can help
you determine the competition surrounding key healthcare industry buzzwords. For example, should you
optimize for “Phoenix cardiologist” or “Phoenix heart physician”?

Choose a relevant keyword for each of your website’s pages as well as landing pages, social posts, blog posts and
any other content your organization creates and publishes. These keywords should not be set in stone – analysis
of keyword performance and adaptation are key, especially due to Google’s constant updates.

The end goal of SEO is to increase your online visibility and reach. The first step to increasing your online
visibility is going digital!

6 T I P S F O R C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G I N T H E H E A LT H C A R E I N D U S T R Y:

1 Follow industry news

Has new state-of-the-art medical equipment been introduced lately? Has HIPAA been updated?
Inform your audience.

2 Monitor social conversations

Are your patients happy with your hospital waiting rooms? Is there a certain doctor in your practice
who is being called out for going above and beyond? Engage with your followers.

3 Build a team of content creators

Make sure you have a team dedicated to writing content that knows the ins and outs of the
healthcare industry.

4 Set up style and content banks

These can be used for quick reference when trying to produce new content quickly.

5 Repurpose content
Did you recently write a blog post about compliance issues in the healthcare industry? Use it as a
foundation to write an eBook.

6 Conduct original research

Conduct surveys among healthcare professionals to find out what they’re interested in and gather
opinions on different aspects of the healthcare industry.
9 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Are You Ready For Digital?

Take a look at this checklist for what you need to consider before taking the first step.

Research your competition

What are other healthcare organizations doing to promote their services? What do their websites look
like? Do they have a social presence?

Understand security, compliance and FDA regulations

HIPAA, HITECH and FDA regulations all apply to the digital space and electronic information.

Define your goals and develop a plan to reach them

What are you trying to achieve? Make sure your whole team contributes and is aware of your timeline
and plan of attack.

Research keywords and develop an SEO strategy

Taking a guess on keywords that will help reach your audience isn’t a good approach. Take the time to
research what people are actually searching.

Create and optimize thoughtful content

Use your SEO strategy to aid your content creation. Craft relevant, interesting content that your
audience will read and share with others.

Make sure your website is responsive

Reach everyone on all devices. The amount of mobile users is increasing constantly, so make sure your
website is mobile-friendly!

Track and analyze results

Follow your campaign closely - don’t just let it run its course. Analyzing results will show you what’s
working and what isn’t.

Monitor consistently and improve accordingly

Once you start, don’t stop. The healthcare industry is constantly changing, and your organization needs
to evolve along with it.
10 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Partner For Success

Choosing a competent partner for your healthcare marketing needs is key to your
organization’s success. At Pyxl, we fuse creativity, knowledge and experience to overcome
the restraints of rigid HIPAA guidelines and FDA requirements. With digital marketing
services specifically designed for healthcare, we reach and engage your different audience
groups -- whether that's patients, healthcare providers, insurance companies or the
general public.

We have worked with a wide variety of clients in the healthcare industry and have proven
healthcare digital marketing expertise.

ProNova

Pyxl worked with ProNova to design a motion graphics video and utilized
their new brand messaging to develop a responsive website. Our team
collaborated with ProNova to create a digital brand representative of their
high-tech company. Additionally, we created marketing collateral, managed
post-tradeshow marketing outreach and executed an online advertising
campaign to help ProNova continue to reach potential customers, driving
45,000+ brand impressions in the first month.

INSYS

Pyxl worked with INSYS Therapeutics, Inc. to establish a marketing strategy

for SUBSYS Spray, a sublingual Fentanyl spray used for the treatment of
cancer patients’ breakthrough cancer pain. Pyxl created a new responsive
website that serves as a tool for both patients and healthcare providers,
allowing them to access information and easily apply for the associated co-pay
savings program. Pyxl continues to optimize their website, creates dynamic
landing pages and strategizes new digital campaigns. Since the launch of
the new site, visits have increased over 380% and organic search traffic has
increased by over 390%.
11 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

TeamHealth

Pyxl worked with TeamHealth, a leading healthcare staffing company,

to create marketing personas and implement a full branding strategy,
including key messaging, content recommendations and social media best
practices. With a deep understanding of their subsidiary companies, internal
stakeholders felt confident that Pyxl wouldn’t lose sight of their unique
differentiators while integrating their service lines under TeamHealth’s
brand promise.

Provision Healthcare

Pyxl designed and developed a new, visually appealing and engaging

Provision Health & Wellness website in 2012 to help the company compete
with other Knoxville-based fitness facilities. Part of a network of websites
managed by Provision, Pyxl created this site and all other new Provision
sites to sit on the same content management system (CMS) to allow for better
organizational efficiency.

Partnering with Pyxl will set you up for success – we understand the complexities of digital marketing in the
healthcare industry. Leveraging our past experience with clients across the healthcare spectrum, we can help
you find and attract your ideal audience. If you have questions or are ready to begin the process, please contact
us today.
12 Healthcare Marketing in the Digital Age

Visit us at ThinkPyxl.com

Boulder, CO Knoxville, TN

Managing Director Contact Us Managing Director Contact Us

Josh Phillips 939 Pearl Street Creed Huckaby 625 S. Gay St

[email protected] Suite 205 [email protected] Suite 310

Boulder, CO 80302 Knoxville, TN 37902

720.408.1515 865.690.5551

Nashville, TN Scottsdale, AZ

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[email protected] Suite 217 [email protected] Suite 140

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615.636.1454 480.745.2575