Digital marketing is constantly changing, and marketers and industry experts often proclaim that the next thing is the most important thing. That makes it difficult to recognize what is a passing fad and what is a bonafide trend you need to add to your digital strategy. While Forbes has laid out the twelve trends it deems important for general businesses in 2022, here are some healthcare digital marketing trends that companies should be sure to include in their digital marketing strategies.
Website Accessibility
Your website should be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability. Numerous tools are available to check accessibility levels including font size for better screen readability, focus indicators, and alt tags for screen readers to ensure your site and other digital designs are optimized and accessible for all users.
The Top Ten accessibility testing tools:
- WAVE
- JAWS
- Dynomapper
- SortSite
- Accessibility Checker by CKSource
- Accessibility Valet
- EvalAccess 2.0
- AChecker – Accessibility Checker
- Cynthia Says
- aDesigner
Additionally, the fun pop-ups can make content less accessible. They tend to block most or all of a page, which can create a bad user experience for desktop and mobile users alike.
Short-Form Videos
Social media platforms have recently seen a video-focused shift, largely influenced by Tik Tok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube “shorts.” These bite-sized videos are one of the latest trends in digital marketing, and advertising dollars are moving away from traditional social media ads as users migrate to consuming video format content. Anyone can make a video using a smartphone, whether you create a quick survey, challenge, or behind-the-scenes clip of your office. What’s important is to keep your ideal audience in mind and follow the healthcare digital marketing trends that speak to them, not the latest random video trend.
Make it Mobile-friendly
With consumers spending more time on their mobile devices than ever before, companies must ensure their websites are mobile-friendly by optimizing their online presence for smaller screen sizes. If you want to increase your rank in search engines, your site should automatically adjust for smartphones and tablets, so users can easily access all of your content, just like they would on a computer. You may also want to consider adding accelerated mobile pages to speed up load times for these users.
Clear Content Marketing
There is a lot of information and misinformation on the internet, so it’s important the content you create for your clients and audience is clear. The topics and language must be simple and understandable for the general public, even if it’s about a complex healthcare topic. Straightforward content can help you more effectively reach your target audience. Think about quality over quantity as an approach to content strategy and remember that consistency is key to see success.
Data Privacy
As data privacy regulations continue to evolve, monitoring the impact of these regulations is essential. Consumers want assurance that their data is secure and want to know how it is collected and how it may be used. Inform customers about the kind of data you may be collecting and why. Don’t harvest more data than you need, and make it easy for users to opt out when appropriate.
Laws like HIPAA and the California Consumer Privacy Act represent increased legislation around data privacy in response to consumer expectations. It’s critical to understand how data privacy laws (beyond the national standards set by HIPAA) may apply to your healthcare business..
The Digital Marketing Cookie Jar
Data privacy laws also impact how web browsers handle cookies—the text files that a browser stores on a user’s machine—which can affect your digital marketing efforts. Your current audience is likely owned by the social media networks you use, based on these third-party cookies. That means first-party data, collected directly from your audience, will become essential. Additionally, gathering zero-party data can allow you to employ more effective marketing campaigns using preference management to build trust with your audience. To activate these approaches, think about other ways to capture the data via email outreach, SEO content strategy, and website optimization instead of relying on third-party cookie tracking.
What’s Next in Healthcare Digital Marketing Trends
Google Chrome, one of the most popular web browsers, announced that it will phase out third-party cookies by 2023, while other browsers like Firefox and Safari have already done that. Google has devised other plans to allow online platforms to earn money through paid advertising while still safeguarding users’ privacy.
New digital tools can easily distract marketers with the latest bells and whistles (or memes and emojis). But the best approach to healthcare digital marketing trends for your business is to focus on your customer and be consistent. Secure and optimize your website with regular new content, pay attention to new regulations in the healthcare industry, and consider using a content marketing firm specializing in healthcare to put a strategy in place that works for your business.
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