Top 5 Healthcare Marketing Trends for 2024

Healthcare is one of the industries we love at MLCworks. From pediatrics to neurosurgery, we’ve helped to connect our region’s top clinics with local patients. We supported healthcare clients with social media, Google Ads, branding, website design, and other services.

The most interesting yet challenging aspect of healthcare marketing is how quickly the industry has changed. Please note: we’re no stranger to change. Marketing in and of itself changes every day. Behaviors and attitudes have evolved so much in recent years—especially as it relates to health and wellness.

In December 2023, we had the honor of speaking to 4^th-year students at the LSU Health School of Dentistry. Jessica Palazzo, our Business Development Consultant, shared important marketing trends with healthcare professionals who are new to the field. These trends and insights are not just for emerging physicians—they’re for anyone looking to truly engage patients in the years to come.

Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond, here are the top trends you need to know.

1. Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is not a new tactic. However, there are emerging challenges affecting the execution and success of this tactic. More on that below. Whether you have or haven’t been doing SEO, it’s time to reconsider your strategy.

The Basics

People are asking “Dr. Google” questions every day.

According to LocaliQ, 7% of Google searches are health-related. In the grand scheme of things, this equals 70,000 health-related searches per minute. Furthermore, 77% of people search on Google before booking a healthcare appointment.

From “dentist near me” to “what happens during a teeth cleaning,” Google is the go-to to find health-related answers. SEO can help your practice appear at the right time and place throughout the patient journey. Through well-written content and website maintenance, you can make strides towards attracting relevant website visitors.

What’s Next

Oh, just this little thing called generative AI. Have you heard of it? It’s been the buzzword of all buzzwords in 2023.

On the horizon, we’ll see greater application and use of generative AI. For example, Google is currently testing a generative AI application in search, which will have serious impacts on SEO.

Imagine you search “what happens during a teeth cleaning.” Currently, you’ll probably find a list of results from Healthline, Verywell, clinics, and doctor websites. Google’s new AI feature you will get an answer directly in the search results, skipping other sources.

What This Means

Your SEO strategy must evolve. Having original, authoritative, insightful, and trustworthy content on your website will be more important than ever. Between online disinformation and generative AI, people will be seeking trustworthy answers to their questions. You want to be the clinic that answers.

2. Brand Storytelling

In the history of healthcare marketing, brand storytelling hasn’t been a priority. That is, until recently. In the past, healthcare systems depended on patient referrals to direct individuals to the appropriate care. Nowadays, it’s a little more complicated.

The Basics

Outside trends have long sheltered industries that our technology and consumer-driven world has impacted. People expect more out of their experiences, even as it relates to healthcare. According to Qualtrics, 60% of people believe care and compassion to be the top factor in choosing a healthcare provider.

Of course, the clinic experience can deliver care and compassion. However, we know the search for a provider occurs long before a patient steps into the clinic.

Does your online presence mirror the experience people can expect in your offices? Does your advertising also match? These are important questions to consider as you enter 2024.

What’s Next

As we look into the future, we can expect that the market will continue to saturate. Patients will continue to take control of their health and wellness journey, especially as younger generations age. With this in mind, it’ll become even more important to humanize your clinic branding.

For example, we recently rebranded Brindis Prosthodontics, a local clinic in Metairie, Louisiana. Dr. Marco Brindis and Dr. Tara Brindis both see patients who experience fear and shame around the state of their smiles. To better calm fears and emotionally connect, we humanized their branding to The Smile Effect.

What This Means

You can create an emotional bond with your patients, showing care and compassion before they come to your clinic. By focusing on what makes you unique as a physician, you can stand out from others. Having a strong online presence and genuinely connecting with others are both important.

3. Social Media

Your clinic may already have a Facebook and Instagram presence. In today’s world, this is a very basic marketing tactic. Testimonials, office announcements, and physician highlights all generate great engagement for the healthcare clients we work with at MLCworks. It’s no secret that you can better connect with patients and caregivers through social media.

The Basics

According to Forbes, the average person spends about 145 minutes a day on social media. That’s a lot of time spent scrolling feeds, watching videos, and posting selfies. As it relates to health, this channel has become a source of information. ReferralMD states that 40% of people say the information they find on social media affects their health decision making.

There’s a lot of health misinformation online. As a physician, you are keenly aware of this. It’s more important than ever for people to find trustworthy health content online.

You can utilize your social presence to educate, inform, and inspire people. You can use this channel to inspire people to better take care of their health.

What’s Next

You may have heard of influencers. You may follow a couple yourself.

In recent years, a new type of influencer has been emerging: healthcare influencers. These are verified physicians who use their own name and content to educate patients on social media. Some of the top physician influencers have amassed millions of followers on platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

From gynecology to dermatology, you can find a physician influencer for almost every specialty on social media. In a world where one out of every 5 people in the U.S. consults TikTok for health-related information, physicians need to be where the patients are.

What This Means

The idea of posting TikToks may either excite you or scare you. If you feel energized at the thought of creating your own brand and social media content, go for it! If you’re unsure of your capabilities, it’s perfectly fine to just start somewhere. Use your clinic account to begin posting educational videos and announcements to get your feet wet.

4. Video

Doctors are using social media to connect with and inform patients about their area of expertise. How are they doing this?

Through video content. Video is the top content format currently. This may not be surprising to you knowing how popular platforms like YouTube and TikTok are nowadays.

The Basics

People want to watch video content – even from brands. According to HubSpot, 90% of people report wanting to see more videos from brands. Not only is it something people want, but it also proves to be a format with a high ROI. The same HubSpot research found that 92% of marketers find good ROI with video marketing.

In healthcare, video is a powerful tool for patient education, testimonials, and physician highlights.

Just look at some of the top physician influencers on social media. One of our local favorites is Dr. Mamina Turegano, a triple-boarded dermatologist, internist, and dermatopathologist based in New Orleans. She fills her Instagram with helpful video content that educates patients on clinical and at-home skincare treatments. With over 400,000 followers, it is clear that she is providing content patients are looking for online.

What’s Next

When you think of video content in healthcare, you may think of a physician standing in a lab coat in a horizontal video frame. The video may even be close to 3-5 minutes. However, this reads as overly produced nowadays. The future of video content within the healthcare industry is much more natural and authentic.

The care and compassion we mentioned earlier can be better demonstrated in video. For our clients in healthcare, we recommend short, bite-sized video that addresses one topic. The optimal length would be between 1-3 minutes.

We also recommend filming the video in a 9:16 format – the kind you see on Instagram Reels or TikTok. You just need to talk straight to the camera without overly producing it.

What This Means

Knowing that you don’t need an expensive film crew to shoot video content, the power is in your hands. However, if you’re not keen on video trends or what to discuss, a team like MLCworks can help you.

People are searching for answers on Google and social media. Stay updated on industry trends and questions to create video content that answers these queries effectively. Video can help you drive better connections with patients and drive ROI for your practice.

5. Artificial Intelligence

We previously mentioned artificial intelligence as it relates to SEO and Google search. However, AI deserves a deeper dive as a healthcare marketing trend for 2024. In 2023, it became a household name as ChatGPT entered our world. Many people have been leveraging the software to generate quick information –even business owners and marketers.

The Basics

Artificial intelligence has been around for a few years. Marketers especially have been using the technology to manage and optimize advertising campaigns. At MLCworks, we use the technology for a variety of tasks. It helps us find the right people, make them take action, and analyze data for insights.

The technology continues to get smarter. This year, we were all introduced to generative AI and the implications of it. From ChatGPT to applications within everyday software, AI has infiltrated our daily lives.

We can use it to discover new music on Spotify. It also helps us find our way faster with Apple or Google Maps. Additionally, it can clean our homes with robot vacuums.

What’s Next

On a grander scale, tech giants like Google are exploring additional applications of AI for the healthcare industry. While these applications impact the administration of healthcare, AI has applications within healthcare marketing as well. One we will focus on in this blog is Google search.

Let’s say your goal is to attract new patients to your clinic. With people searching health-related questions on Google every day, search advertising is a great place to start. To appear in relevant searches, bid on keywords related to your specialty or related questions for your clinic. Google Ads AI helps you find the right audiences, improve your campaign, and achieve desired results.

What This Means

Greater results for your practice. By leveraging the AI built into advertising platforms, you can attract new patients. The secret ingredient is an optimized website. Landing pages that answer relevant questions, include patient testimonials, and provide an intuitive experience for act can help.

Stay Ahead of What’s Next in Healthcare Marketing

We hope that the trends above inspired you as they did for our team. We constantly seek to know what we and our clients should focus on for better audience engagement. If you’re ready to work with a forward-thinking, innovative partner, let us know. With these trends in mind, we’re ready to help you take action.