There is no getting around the fact that advertising has a role to play for all businesses, yes, including healthcare practices. In Australia, there are obligatory compliance regulations set out by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) that need to be observed to deem marketing efforts by a healthcare practice acceptable. Failure by healthcare practitioners who do not comply with these regulations is considered a criminal offence.
The reason behind this niche of advertising being heavily regulated is to protect the public from harm – to ensure that the consumer is not deceived by misinformation or taken advantage of by dishonest marketing techniques.
In its latest available Annual Report, official figures released by the Dental Board Australia, the dental profession received 784 notifications made against dental practitioners. It must be stated that the costs involved in having to defend complaints made by patients is a heavy one and extends beyond that of monetary matters – there is the cost of damage to reputation to consider too.
What to know about medical digital advertising
One of the unique and extraordinary benefits of digital marketing is that there are no limitations on the timeframe of exposure of a message – digital marketing works 24 hours a day, every day of the week. With such extensive power behind it, the question should not be why invest in digital marketing but rather, how can this incomparable tool be best utilised?
Effective digital dental marketing efforts comprise more than just having a website to refer prospective patients to. It also involves being present on social media platforms which is a great way with which to directly engage with the targeted audience.
Healthcare practitioners may well ask why they should look to the professional services of a digital medical marketing service provider to take care of their marketing campaigns. The answer is quite simple: professional medical marketing service providers work in the field of marketing and are well-familiar with the do’s, don’ts and best practice techniques that will achieve the goals identified by healthcare practitioners. For example, in setting up an optimised website it is important to:
- Ensure that high quality, high-value information is offered to the visitor.
- Convey information regarding the diverse service menu offered to patients.
- Provide a look into the philosophy practised by the practice.
Secondly, they are also aware of what the compliance regulations are and how to ensure medical marketing efforts abide by them.
In addition to this, the field of digital marketing is influenced by data and metrics, a marvellous benefit that offers invaluable insights into whether a digital marketing campaign is successful or needs a bit of tweaking to achieve desirable goals. Without this insight at hand, a business may be oblivious to the fact that the campaign drive is ineffective until much time and money is lost. Of course, to decipher these metrics and measurements, one must be skilled and knowledgeable in their interpretation and this is where professional medical marketing services play a vital role.
For more information on the implementation of compliant dental marketing services, please contact Dental Focus Marketing.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
