2020 was the perfect indication that we need to take online marketing more seriously, and if you still haven't invested in it. Now is the time to start. So let's get right to it, I’m going to share 4 Strategic Ways to Pandemic Proof your Practice in 2023 & beyond.

In 2023 online marketing in the medical and aesthetic industry is all about meeting your patient's needs and adapting your previous marketing strategies for this 'new world' so that you are getting the most out of your marketing investment. The last thing you want is to be wasting your time and money on strategies that produce minimal results.

We can all agree that marketing is a fast-paced, constantly-changing field and medical marketing trends are evolving right along with it. In 2023, medical practices need to be more innovative, authentic, and authoritative in order to attract new patients and re-engage old ones.

We’re officially in 2023 and I’m sure you’re all equally excited to dive headfirst, into the new year, hoping it will be nothing like 2020.

.. What a year... right?

I want to have a heart-to-heart discussion with you and so that we can nail down some key strategies to help you invest in building a pandemic-proof business going forward.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to imply that this year is going to be a repeat of 2020.. Hopefully not.

But instead, I want you to reflect on what didn't quite work for your practice in 2020, especially during the COVID19 shutdown; and really start thinking about what you can do to avoid those setbacks in the future.

Because here’s the truth… some practices actually did pretty well, simply because they invested in creating a practice that could adapt to something as unpredictable as a global shutdown and still be profitable.

1. Create an E-Commerce Store

The first tip for creating a pandemic proof practice is to create an E-commerce Store that can drive an additional stream of revenue to your business whether or not you open your practice doors.

It still surprises me to this day, how many businesses offer tangible products in store but don’t provide customers with a way to purchase them online. E-commerce businesses are incredible because they essentially function on their own for the most part.

If 2020 was not an indication that you need to look into setting up an E-commerce store, consider exploring the possibility of launching one this year.

If that whole process sounds incredibly overwhelming to you, I'll quickly walk you through it.

First, you need to choose a product or multiple products to sell.

Take high-quality photos of the products with really compelling and well-written product descriptions, then upload your products to your E-commerce website, landing pages, or if you don’t have the time or budget to create this then consider using the Facebook E-commerce catalog.

Then you want to create a promotional strategy before you launch your store just make sure to consider each level of the customer's purchase journey.

For instance, potential patients who don't know anything about your practice should not receive the same promotional campaigns as pre-existing customers.

2. Invest in Content Marketing

It’s the most authentic, organic, engaging, informative, and hands down the most effective way of nurturing your audience and converting them into customers.

Content marketing is a very strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent material (like videos, blogs, and social media posts) to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

Instead of pitching your products or services, you are providing truly relevant and useful content to your prospects and customers to help them solve their issues.

Practices that invested in content marketing did exceptionally well during the pandemic.

Even during the lockdown they were continuously creating and sharing online content with their followers to keep them connected to their brand so that once things reopened, their business was already top of mind.

So if you haven’t already, you should definitely add content marketing to your list of pandemic-proof marketing strategies for 2023.

If you’re ready to start creating a solid content marketing strategy for your practice then I’d highly recommend that you grab our free content marketing guide to get step-by-step techniques that will help you stand out from competitors online and strategically improve your marketing efforts.

Alright, so moving on to my third tip for creating a pandemic proof practice in 2023 and beyond.

3. Explore Options in Telemedicine

Every practice should invest in telemedicine and I mean specifically offering things like virtual consultations.

Video conferencing is kind of a thing now, I mean it was before but in 2020 we started having things like zoom weddings and baby showers … and video conference parties with hundreds of people dancing alone in an empty room but feeling like people are physically with them because they’re on a conference call.

I know it’s still kind of weird for most people and some of you are 100% not for it.

BUT it’s better to have the option for patients who prefer to have that virtual experience than to miss out on a customer because you refuse to do it.

In fact, they may end up going to a competitor instead of you simply because they cater to that remote virtual experience and you do not. Just something to consider!

4. Track & Measure your Marketing

Okay, here’s my final takeaway tip for anyone who wants to create a pandemic proof practice in 2023 and beyond is to Track Your Marketing.

Let's talk about your marketing budget. One of the most common mistakes is to cut your marketing budget when you're in a crisis.

A downturn is actually the smartest time to invest in marketing because you need to bring in new business and keep current customers engaged.

While you should never cut out marketing entirely, there may be times when you need to reduce your budget.

But in order to do this correctly, you need to start tracking your marketing performance data. This is such a vital part of strategic marketing.

In 2023 you need to start tracking your marketing performance for all your campaigns in order to see which strategies, mediums, and platforms are most successful and which are not.

If you need to make cuts during a crisis, you'll already know which campaigns to cut because you know which ones are least successful.

OKAY so wrapping up here, if you take those 4 key strategies in 2023. I believe you will have a prosperous pandemic proof year and you will create a business plan that is prepared for anything that comes your way.

Do you need help putting these tips into action?

Our team of content strategists, content creators, and creative marketers would love to help. Book your free virtual consultation with us at any time.