In today’s digital age, the quest for quality healthcare goes beyond a mere Google search. Patients now seek more than medical assistance; they seek assurance, transparency, and trust. This is where digital marketing emerges as a key player, empowering patients with authentic insights for informed decisions.
Leading this transformative landscape is Healthcare DMS, a dedicated healthcare marketing agency committed to facilitating healthcare providers’ success in the digital realm. From crafting captivating online campaigns to optimizing search engine visibility, their suite of services is carefully designed to boost patient engagement and fuel practice growth. Offering a comprehensive range of solutions, including online marketing, website design, and SEO, Healthcare DMS’s primary objective is clear: to assist healthcare practices in expanding their patient base through tailored digital strategies.
Guiding Healthcare DMS as the Vice President is Sangeeta Kumar, a seasoned professional boasting over 22 years of experience in online marketing. With her expertise, Healthcare DMS remains steadfast in its mission to support healthcare providers with innovative digital solutions, navigating the complexities of the healthcare landscape to achieve their goals. Sangeeta’s passion for empowering healthcare professionals resonates through Healthcare DMS’s commitment to delivering effective, results-driven strategies.
Let us dive into the dynamic world of healthcare marketing and discover how Healthcare DMS is transforming the industry, one client at a time!
Mission in Indian Healthcare Marketing
Sangeeta highlights two key aspects of the healthcare landscape in India. First, while larger corporate hospitals have the resources to promote themselves effectively, smaller independent practices run by doctors who prioritize patient care may struggle to gain visibility. These doctors often provide personalized attention and social service but may not have the budget for extensive marketing efforts. Healthcare DMS aims to help all healthcare providers, regardless of their size or budget and establish a strong online presence so that patients can make informed decisions about their healthcare options.
To achieve this mission, Healthcare DMS follows an approach that is both inclusive and technology driven. The organization ensures the authenticity of healthcare providers by verifying their registration details. Additionally, it has partnered with a US-based company to gather genuine patient reviews and ratings. These reviews serve not only to guide patients but also to provide valuable feedback to healthcare providers, enabling them to continuously improve their services.
By bridging the gap between patient-centric care and healthcare providers’ desire to offer genuine patient-centered services, Healthcare DMS aims to create a healthcare ecosystem where every provider, regardless of their size or budget, can succeed while prioritizing the needs of their patients.
From HTML to ROI— Sangeeta’s Career Transition into Marketing
Sangeeta’s journey into digital marketing started with her IT background. Back in the day, blogs were a big thing, and platforms like Google’s Blogger were popular. Making those blogs look nice, required design skills and knowledge of HTML, which Sangeeta happened to have. While working for a copywriter, she kept up with the latest trends and suggested ways to boost his online presence. This led to more opportunities, like optimizing accounts for other companies on the side.
Even though marketing wasn’t her original expertise, Sangeeta found herself diving deeper into it. She realized that digital marketing was more about understanding the customer journey, which could be tracked online. Unlike traditional advertising, digital marketing offered a more scientific approach. Tools on websites allowed her to see how audiences were interacting, like where they were from and what topics interested them the most. This analytical side of marketing fascinated her and eventually led her to pursue it full-time.
Her true calling emerged when she joined GMR Web Team in 2006 as an account executive. Witnessing the evolution of digital marketing firsthand, Sangeeta worked her way up the ranks, ultimately becoming the Vice President of the company in 2010. During her tenure, she oversaw operations in both India and the US, leading a team dedicated to delivering top-notch digital marketing solutions.
One of the most significant milestones in Sangeeta’s career came with the expansion of GMR Web Team into healthcare marketing. Recognizing her leadership potential, she was entrusted with the responsibility of heading the India operations, thus paving the way for her transition to Healthcare DMS.
Global Expertise, Local Impact
GMR Web Team, or Global Marketing Resources is a company based in the United States. Initially, GMR began by providing outsourced services for healthcare organizations. However, as they started receiving inquiries from clients in India and aimed to focus more on the Indian market, they formed a partnership with Healthcare DMS.
One significant aspect of this partnership is the integration of the strict processes and standards followed by US-based healthcare companies into its operations in India. This includes ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations and maintaining a rigorous verification process for all information provided by healthcare providers. By incorporating these stringent standards into their marketing practices, Healthcare DMS aims to uphold the same level of reliability and integrity as their US counterparts.
Principles in Healthcare Marketing
There are three key principles that underpin Healthcare DMS’s approach to healthcare marketing. First and foremost is transparency. The organisation believes in openly communicating with their healthcare provider clients, outlining their processes and setting clear targets for the work ahead. If they fall short of these targets, they ensure that the client is informed through a robust reporting system. Additionally, they steer clear of unethical practices, avoiding anything that could be considered “black hat” or dubious. Their commitment to ethical marketing stems from the values of their parent company, JMI Web Team.
Secondly, the team at Healthcare DMS prides itself on being forward-thinking. They closely monitor shifts in patient behaviour, particularly in how people use search engines, and adapt their strategies accordingly. By staying ahead of trends, such as the transition from string search to semantic search, they ensure that their clients remain visible and relevant in the digital landscape. Currently, they are exploring partnerships, such as with ScoreDoc, to enhance their offerings and provide patients with comprehensive directories and ratings of healthcare providers.
Lastly, the approach revolves around collaboration and partnership. By forging alliances with organizations like ScoreDoc, they aim to leverage data and insights to drive improvements in healthcare services. They believe in a cyclical process where better services lead to positive reviews, which in turn attract more patients, creating a virtuous cycle of improvement.
Focusing on Authenticity and Client Communication
Sangeeta discusses the differences in approach between healthcare marketing in the US and India. In the US, healthcare providers often rely on footfall and established processes for patient feedback, whereas in India, providers may view themselves as digital marketplaces and offer advice on marketing strategies.
Maintaining quality and authenticity is a top priority for Healthcare DMS. They avoid working with diagnostic clinics due to the challenges of verifying the authenticity of their processes. For other healthcare providers, they have encountered situations where they had to assert their expertise and integrity, sometimes even advising clients to trust their process or seek services elsewhere.
One unique aspect of their approach in India is the employment of a full-time customer delight executive who regularly communicates with clients, ensuring their satisfaction and addressing any concerns. Despite challenges in the Indian healthcare market, Sangeeta notes a significant portion of clients who understand and appreciate their process, while acknowledging a churn rate due to differing expectations.
Sangeeta discusses the inherent challenges of delivering genuine marketing, including the expense involved in hiring skilled personnel and adapting to changes in algorithms, such as those implemented by Google. Despite not having control over external factors like algorithm updates, they proactively inform clients and prepare them for potential fluctuations in search results.
The Power of Relatable Content
Sangeeta recalls an interaction with a client who wanted to focus solely on a specific medical term for their digital marketing efforts. However, the team at Healthcare DMS emphasized the importance of using layman’s terms that patients can understand, as simply optimizing for technical terms may not effectively reach the target audience. Despite their explanation, the client was hesitant to accept this approach, insisting on sticking to their professional designation.
There is a generational difference in openness to innovation among doctors, noting that younger, upcoming professionals are more willing to embrace new ideas. They highlight the impact of engaging content, such as an informative video created by another doctor discussing the effects of wearing high heels on back posture. The team at Healthcare DMS found this video compelling and even used it to convince some clients of the effectiveness of engaging visual content in their marketing strategies.
This experience highlights the importance of using relatable and engaging content to effectively communicate medical information to patients. It also demonstrates the influence of innovative approaches, particularly visual media, in capturing audience attention and driving engagement.
Leveraging Case Studies and Social Media in Healthcare Marketing
Healthcare DMS utilizes case studies to demonstrate the impact of their digital marketing strategies to clients. These case studies provide measurable data, allowing clients to see the tangible results of various actions. Additionally, they have comparative case studies showing the difference in outcomes between clients who implement recommended strategies versus those who are resistant to change.
They note that in certain medical specialties, such as surgery, senior doctors are more adaptive to new marketing strategies, especially when presented with case study evidence. However, in fields like dermatology or IVF, some doctors may be more resistant to change. Despite this, they emphasize the importance of showcasing industry data, such as the fact that a significant percentage of potential patients rely on doctor reviews before making a decision, to underscore the necessity of effective digital marketing.
One notable shift in strategy has been a greater emphasis on social media, driven by doctors’ desire for validation through likes and engagement. While initially, Healthcare DMS focused more on processes like obtaining reviews and ratings, they have adapted to prioritize social media engagement, particularly for their Indian clientele, where social media validation holds significant importance for doctors. This change reflects the evolving landscape of healthcare marketing and the need to meet the preferences and expectations of clients in different regions.
Adaptability and Technological Innovation
Sangeeta identifies two key aspects that contributed to Healthcare DMS’s success. Firstly, its venture into the Indian market, with Nutrali being their first client, was a significant learning experience. While Nutrali embraced their services fully, Healthcare DMS quickly realized that the Indian market was different and required tailored approaches. They promptly revised their processes to better suit the Indian context, leveraging the expertise of their experienced team. Importantly, they didn’t compromise on the processes inherited from GMR Head Team but augmented them to fit the Indian market’s needs. This adaptability and swift adjustment allowed them to navigate the challenges of the Indian market effectively.
Secondly, Sangeeta highlights the importance of leveraging technology to streamline processes and enhance services. With their own development team, Healthcare DMS could implement technical solutions such as secure websites, online form fillings, appointment scheduling, SMS verifications, and automated review reminders without outsourcing. This internal capability not only ensured cost-effectiveness but also enabled them to maintain control over the quality and implementation of these technological solutions, ultimately contributing to their success in delivering efficient and effective digital marketing services to healthcare providers.
Vision for Healthcare DMS
Sangeeta stresses on Healthcare DMS’s initial vision to become the go-to company for doctors and healthcare providers seeking digital marketing services. The company aimed to achieve this by prioritizing customer delight, ongoing education, and building long-term partnerships rather than mere client relationships.
Healthcare DMS’s approach emphasizes responsiveness to client needs and a commitment to continuous education in the ever-evolving field of digital marketing. They aspire to build partnerships where clients view their account managers as trusted partners rather than just service providers.
While they acknowledge progress in this direction, Sangeeta notes that they have only covered around 60% of their vision so far and still have room for improvement. However, they find motivation in the responsiveness of Indian clients and the direct feedback they provide, allowing Healthcare DMS to adapt and refine their processes accordingly.
Sangeeta highlights the importance of employee satisfaction and retention, noting that their team members have remained engaged and fulfilled in their roles. She attributes this to the positive work environment and the motivation derived from client feedback. Drawing on the successful employee retention practices of GMR Web Team, she aims to cultivate a similarly supportive and stable work culture at Healthcare DMS.
Eyes on Excellence
Netralayam is an eye hospital based in Kolkata. Initially, Healthcare DMS worked with a doctor for his individual profile and were impressed by his strong background and work ethic. When the doctor decided to open Netralayam, he entrusted Healthcare DMS with its marketing.
Before the hospital even opened, the team at Healthcare DMS began planning, ensuring the online presence was optimized, including creating a logo and setting up a Google Business Profile with a launch event. As patients started providing feedback through the review rating system, the hospital implemented improvements based on their suggestions. For example, after patients expressed a desire for a pharmacy and optical section, Netralayam added these services. Additionally, feedback about the cleanliness of the operating theatre led to the decision to invest in an all-steel OT, demonstrating a commitment to enhancing customer service.
The hospital’s responsiveness to patient feedback paid off, as they quickly recouped their initial investment within three years of opening. This success story highlights the importance of listening to patients and continuously improving services to meet their needs effectively.
