Digital Marketing for Doctors: Top 5 Strategies to Bring in Patients

White Coat Web - blog - digital marketing for doctors

The healthcare industry is a universal lifeline, yet it pulses differently across the globe. In America, it’s not just about healing—it’s a value-creating powerhouse where doctors aren’t just saving lives but paving paths for groundbreaking research. This dynamic makes the U.S. healthcare sector fiercely competitive, like a high-stakes relay race where innovation is the baton. To stand out, physicians need more than a stethoscope—they need a strategy. Enter digital marketing for doctors. From ranking high in search results to connecting with patients through engaging content, it’s the modern-day equivalent of house calls—except now, the front door is digital.

Why Digital Marketing for Doctors

With over 1.1 million active physicians vying for patient attention in the U.S., digital marketing has become vital for doctors looking to stand out and assert themselves. Notably, 77% of patients use online reviews as their initial first step in finding a new doctor, and 72% read online ratings and reviews before booking their appointments. These statistics highlight the critical importance of a robust online presence, which is where digital marketing for doctors comes in. By leveraging online marketing, doctors enhance visibility, build trust, and reach more patients.

At the end of the day, it’s not just about promoting services—it’s about ensuring that lifesaving expertise meets those who need it most.

🥼➡ Check out our webisode on this topic: Simple Tips for Practices Who Want to Market

Top 5 Medical Marketing Strategies

  1. Build a Top-Notch Website.
  2. Keep Your GBP Updated.
  3. Implement local SEO.
  4. Put Your Advocates Front and Center.
  5. Sharpen Your Social Media Profiles.

1. The Digital Marketing for Doctors 101: Build a Top-Notch Website

When your patients land on your site, they are opening the doors to your virtual office. What do you want them to see? How do you want them to feel? What should they know? Effective digital marketing for doctors starts with your website.

Show Them

Your website should clearly state what patients can expect from you. Considering users take less than 8 seconds to form an idea of a website, the way that the information is organized and delivered is essential. Make sure that they can

  • Learn about your services
  • Read your bio and qualifications
  • Find testimonials and reviews
  • Know where you are
  • Contact you for more information or to make an appointment

Connect with Them

We’ve covered the essentials above—what patients should find. Now it’s time they decide why you are the one for them. How? By imprinting your voice and creating content that will tell them why and how you do what you do.

Talk to your patients… and your patients to be! And, of course, a good website designer will help convey your message with the right elements, shapes, and color palettes.

Here’s an example of a winning introduction and a way of connecting with your audience ⬇

White Coat Web - blog - digital marketing for doctors - Northeastern Dr. Fodero

By including a heartfelt text, Dr. Joseph Fodero is fostering a sense of trust and approachability. This transparency not only humanizes him as a practitioner but also reassures potential patients of his genuine investment in their well-being. By highlighting key aspects of his practice in his own words, he effectively engages with visitors, making them feel valued and understood, which is crucial in building lasting relationships.

Foster Patient Empowerment

Encourage patients to take control of their health by providing them with additional information and support. A great way to do that is by creating content that answers many of their questions in the form of blog posts, videos, or newsletters (or all three!). 

To pick up on the previous example, Dr. Fodero’s Northeastern Plastic Surgery website contains a blog section with many up-to-date articles about health issues within his specialty.

White Coat Web - blog - digital marketing for doctors - Northeastern blog

Bonus: Want to Diversify Your Patient Pool? Go Bilingual!

Chances are your community is growing, and becoming more diverse. Serving Spanish-speaking patients means seizing an opportunity to provide better quality and access to care for more people. If you are looking to grow your practice and keep up with the demand, you might want to consider going bilingual. By embracing bilingual communication, you are telling your patients that you care.

2. Keep Your GBP Updated

The easiest way to think about a Google Business Profile (GBP) is as if it were your listing in the local Yellow Pages. When they are trying to engage with their local community online, Google is right there handing them what they are looking for—with a little help from you.

Your GBP is like a condensed version of your office and it is crucially important that you keep it updated and that the information on it does not differ from details on your social media profiles or website. 

White Coat Web - blog - digital marketing for doctors - Northeastern GBP

When setting up (or revising) your GBP make sure you:

  • Choose the right category (“plastic surgery,” for example).
  • List the correct address and phone number of the office.
  • Write a description that reflects your voice and is optimized for search engines (more on that below).
  • Add professional photos of the office and the team.

▶ Watch this (3’): An Introduction to Google Business Profile

3. Implement local SEO

What Is SEO?

SEO (search engine optimization) is the neon sign that lights up your clinic, the GPS that guides patients to your door. SEO ranks at the top of Google’s search results and is a pillar of digital marketing for doctors. By implementing some strategies that anchor your knowledge to your community, search engines can take you to the top and make it easier for your community to find you.

How Do I Implement Local SEO for Doctors?

You can optimize your website for local SEO by implementing some of these strategies:

  • Choose a domain name that features local keywords.
  • Create a clean and friendly layout.
  • Include local keywords in your content.
  • Create a local landing page and local SEO services pages.
  • Include the local keyword in the local pages’ slugs.
  • Add local keywords to any images that you upload.
  • Remember to fill out your meta description in the backend and include the local keyword.
  • Additionally, you can reach out to online directories and ask them to include a link to your site (this is called getting backlinks). 

Admittedly, SEO is a technical skill that they don’t teach in medical school, so it might be helpful to hire SEO experts to help out with this part.

You might be interested: The Why and the How of Good, Modern, Medical SEO

4. Put Your Advocates Front and Center

Reviews bring in the queues! Do not be shy about the amazing work that you do, ask your patients for feedback so that others can learn about the quality of your service. Your best spokespeople are satisfied clients through whom you can build trust with others. 

To collect reviews, you can:

  • Implement different channels, such as surveys, comment cards, mail communications, or QR codes.
  • Seize the moment: train staff to ask patients for feedback after their consultation and implement follow-up emails to provide links to your review platform.
  • Explain that their review is valuable and not only does it help others make sound decisions regarding their health, but it helps you serve them better.

Watch this (2.5’): The Importance of Review Management

5. Is Social Media for You?

Social media takes a lot of time and energy although it looks quite effortless. In the words of White Coat Web’s digital marketing for doctors wiz Graham Dunlap, “If you’re an aesthetician, a plastic surgeon, or your specialty is something that is really, really, visually focused, it might make sense to have a robust Instagram presence.” That said, an original angle is always welcome by the community, so whatever your specialty is, you can also benefit from using social media to educate patients and make it an extension of the patient empowerment platform on your website.

Final Thoughts on Digital Marketing for Doctors

We get it—running a medical practice is already a full-time job, and adding digital marketing to your plate can feel like diagnosing a whole new set of headaches. That’s where White Coat Web comes in. From building a standout website to managing local SEO and reviews, we handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on what you do best—caring for your patients. Think of us as your marketing allies, ensuring your practice doesn’t just keep up but stands out in today’s competitive healthcare landscape. Let us take the stress out of digital marketing while you take care of your community.

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