With all of the changes that have come in 2020, there are many new needs and updates in online marketing which leave us to question, what can we expect in 2021 for digital marketing?

First of all, expect the unexpected! As we learned early into 2020, the needs of consumers can change in an instant so always be prepared for change.

Of course we can’t predict everything that will happen in 2021 but we have clear insights into what your business can expect when it comes to 2021 trends along with different digital marketing tips and strategies that are worth utilizing.

Following are some top trends to set your sights on for 2021!

An Updated Look at SEO: Zero-Click Searches

Have you ever made a search on Google and gotten the answer without having to click a link? Well, that means you’ve already experienced a zero-click search!

We’ve broken down the specifics behind zero-click searches on our Google Strategy page, so make sure to check it out.

Now, when it comes to 2021, we can expect consumers to continue to rely on online searches more than ever before.

As we always remind our clients, you want to be at the top of the heap when it comes to Google and now, zero-click searches are a great way to get there.

When it comes to staying ahead of this trend and making sure your business appears in these featured snippets without even needing to click, there are a few different things to keep in mind.

Remember that Google uses automated systems to determine if a certain page would serve as the right fit for the zero-click snippet. To get your business featured, make sure your website has content that answers common questions that your consumers may have.

So, if you run a med spa, make sure you have blog content or new articles that answer questions about your top services for the year or the benefits as to why people need your products/services.

Your chances to appear as a zero-click search result will grow exponentially!

The New King of Content: Short-Form Videos

We know, we’re always talking about it. But the phrase, “Content is king” still holds true!

Except, maybe not in the way we knew it to be in the past.

So, what does content look like now? What makes it “king”? Well, it all goes back to the video content that we’re constantly pushing the importance of for your local business.

That’s right, content looks different now. It’s not long, detailed blogs or highly produced promotional videos, it’s all about the short-form videos.

Remember, we’re talking about trends here, and what’s trendier than video content on social media? I’m talking about quick videos on platforms like Instagram Reels, Facebook Live and, naturally, TikTok.

Attention spans are short but customer value is long, so it’s time you bring in consumers with short-form videos. This content is highly engaging, making it the ruler of all things content for your business.

We only see this trend becoming bigger as we head into 2021! In fact, TikTok has rolled out its TikTok for Business feature which offers different paid promotion and advertising outlets.  

The Latest Way to Connect: Personalization and Improved Communication

We emphasized it last year and we’re emphasizing it again for 2021!

With limited in-person interactions between you and your customers, online communication and personalization have ramped up dramatically and it’s only going to continue as we transition into the new year.

So, how can you achieve this? Look at your different resources for direct communication and utilize them to be personal to your customers.

With social media, make sure you are interacting consistently and encouraging your followers to have a conversation! Ask questions, respond to shares, etc. as a way to build your connections through a new means.

Personalize your interactions by making automated emails that are addressed to your specific customers. This is a simple but thoughtful way to reach some of your most loyal customers and email subscribers!

You can even take personalization and improved communication to a new level by writing individualized notes.

If a brand new customer makes a purchase, write them a quick thank you note, or send a short but personal thank you email to your loyal customers as a way to show your appreciation for their continued support.

Personalization and increased communication may seem simple, but it makes all the difference when it comes to customer loyalty, especially as the new year takes shape.

So, it’s time to get talking and building connections!

How to Keep Customers Up to Date: Optimized Google Listings

Some of the biggest Google news to come out of 2020 was the addition of new attributes to GMB listings that include details about whether a business has online care, appointments, estimates or classes.

All of these additions have come out of the growing need for online services and this need will be present and have room for more growth in the new year.

To get your Google listing set up with these new attributes for 2021, make sure to follow our step-by-step details.

Optimize your page even more by going through the approval process to add a Google Guarantee badge to your profile. This simple checkmark can build reliability and legitimacy in your business.

Customer Convenience is Changing: New Options for Accessibility

2020 reigned in the era of increased customer convenience and 2021 will require that even small businesses offer these means for accessibility.

What exactly does small business accessibility look like? Well, you’ve probably heard of the option to “buy online, pick up in-store” (BOPIS) and it’s centered around this concept.

As a small business with now limited means for bringing customers in-store, offering a BOPIS option for your customers is a great opportunity to keep the momentum going for your business.

On top of this, when customers are choosing between a business that offers BOPIS versus one that does not, they are likely to visit the one that is more convenient and requires less physical interaction.

Naturally, this can put your business ahead of your competitors. It makes it clear to customers that you are ahead of necessary trends and customer needs and it also makes the process of purchasing your products even simpler!

With a new year ahead of us, we see the need for business accessibility to grow and ultimately, the resources for achieving this to expand beyond the current buy online, pick up in-store feature.

So, is your local business set up to offer this buy online, pick up in-store to your customers?

Final Thoughts

As 2021 is now upon us, take this information as a chance to adapt and integrate these upcoming trends for your 2021 marketing.

You’ll find your business ahead of the curve with the help of these trends!

It’s a tricky thing, figuring out how to promote and market your private practice in a time of crisis. On the one hand, many small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, hoping they will be able to weather the storm and reopen when the crisis is over. On the other hand, nobody wants to appear callous or opportunistic.

That said, there are still ways to promote your business during unsettling times. The key is to do four things at once:

1. Meet your patients where they are.
2. Provide clear value in a time of need.
3. Be sensitive to the times and avoid missteps.
4. Take advantage of special advertising offers and promotions.

Here are some suggestions to help you.

Meet Your Patients Where They Are

In some ways, the fact that most people are staying home and avoiding social gatherings gives small business owners a unique opportunity. At the risk of seeming too cavalier about the seriousness of the situation, you have a captive audience.

That means that the people you want to reach are spending more time than they usually do online. Digital marketing is going to be more important now than it ever has been – and medical practice owners can and should take advantage of it.

This is a good time to revisit your marketing mix. You should consider pulling money from things like direct mail marketing, if that’s something you’ve been doing, and putting it into:

• Social media advertising
• Search engine advertising
• Email/SMS marketing

It’s also a good time now to revisit your analytics and see what’s happening with them. Do you have a bunch of new followers on Facebook? Your marketing budget should reflect that.

Provide Clear Value in a Time of Need

While many Americans are scared and out of work, there are a lot of people who are working from home and eager to support local businesses. This is a good time to get creative and think about how to serve them.

For example, I’ve seen some businesses offering “Buy Now and Save Later” promotions where they introduce offers even if the business is closed right now. It’s a good way to keep your audience engaged and buying from you – and to create some continuity to help you through a temporary closure.

Another option is to find ways to put your regular services online. This isn’t a solution for everybody, but a lot of businesses have adapted in ways that are truly inspirational. If you can figure out a way to harness technology to help your audience, now is the time to do it.

Refine Your SEO

Your marketing should reflect what you’re doing to provide value. If you’re providing emergency services or virtual services, you may want to put some money into SEO for keywords related to the changes. Think about how restaurants are now focusing on takeout and delivery to ensure they reach their customers.

However, it’s not a good idea to stop spending for your regular keywords completely. Remember that both Google and Facebook have ad credit programs for small businesses to use during the pandemic. It’s still important to maintain your Google rank for your usual target keywords. If you don’t, then you may find that your ranking takes a hit – and if that happens, it may be difficult to recover when we return to business as usual.

Keep the Conversation Going

If your business is closed temporarily or providing limited services, you can still invest in “soft” marketing to keep your audience engaged and involved. Two of the best ways to accomplish this task are social media marketing and email marketing.

The same is true of social media marketing. Your organic posts offer an opportunity to spark conversation, find out what your followers are thinking, and remind them of your value. Promoted posts can do the same thing.

Be Sensitive to the Times and Avoid Missteps

One of the trickiest things about marketing during a crisis is striking the right balance between sensitivity and business concerns. Any business that is seen as trying to take advantage of people is likely to suffer unpleasant consequences.

The first thing to do is to avoid any marketing that appears to be taking the present situation lightly or being dismissive of the very real pain and fear people are feeling. Empathy is the word of the day and businesses that demonstrate are will be rewarded by their customers.

The second thing is to keep your focus on your patients and not on your financial worries. There’s nothing wrong with being worried about the survival of your business, but if it seems like the only thing you’re worried about, you may end up alienating the people you want to attract.

Be Adaptive

None of us know what next week or next month will bring. It may be that a marketing campaign that works today will be twice as effective in a week, or that it won’t deliver any results and you need to revamp.

I realize that might not be reassuring, but I truly believe that with the right mindset, it can be a good thing. Check your analytics regularly. If you can afford it, do some A/B testing to refine your campaigns. Change things as needed – and be prepared to change them again if you must.

Marketing your private medical care practice is still a must during a pandemic, but you’ll need to think on your feet and do everything you can to serve your audience. If you can do that, then your business will come through the crisis.

To maximize keyword rankings in Google Maps and Map Packs, a business must set up and continuously nurture four primary local SEO focus areas that include: business data, local landing pages, off-page visibility, and online reputation.

Google claims to use three focus areas in its Google Maps rankings for businesses, known as the Google Local Algorithm:

1. Relevance
2. Distance (Proximity)
3. Prominence

Relevance

Relevance refers to how well a local listing matches what someone is searching for. Adding complete and detailed business information can help Google better understand your business and match your listing to relevant searches.

Distance or proximity

This is just what it says on the tin – how far is each potential search result from the location term used in a search? If a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google will calculate distance based on what’s known about the user’s location (this is visible at the bottom of SERPs and is not always 100% accurate).

Prominence

Prominence refers to how well-known a business is. Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and search results try to reflect this in local rankings.

Prominence is also based on information that Google has about a business from across the web (like links, articles, and directories). Google review counts and ratings are factored into local search ranking: more reviews and positive ratings will probably improve a business’s local ranking. Your position in organic search results is also a factor, so general SEO best practices also apply to local search optimization.

The somewhat obvious signal Google Maps will start with before displaying search results is the distance from the searcher’s location. After all, why would Google show you a business listing 10 miles away, when there is a business offering the same product or service only 1 mile away?

The distance focus point is thought to be based on the algorithm created by a computer scientist named Edsger Dijkstra, known simply as Dijkstra’s Algorithm, which finds the shortest paths between nodes in a graph, such as road networks.

The remaining ranking signals for businesses can be influenced by the local search engine optimization specialist. These attributes include:

• Managing the accuracy of business data
• Optimizing local landing pages (if you’re dealing with more than one location)
• Improving off-page visibility in search engines, navigation engines, local-social, industry, and regional directories
• Improving online reputation as it relates to ratings, reviews, and perhaps even sentiment

It’s critical to the success of a local SEO strategy to have the mindset of treating these factors like a needy plant, with constant sunlight and water. Many businesses lose traffic by simply deciding to rest on their laurels, resulting in a competitor earning more reviews, business listings, or having a better landing page.

Managing the Accuracy of Business Data

Anyone can create a Google My Business profile with a valid phone number and address, even if they are not conducting business from either (although this is against Google’s guidelines), just so long as Google can verify through a phone call or postcard. This might explain why there is so much spam in the search results, something Google has continuously said they are working to address.

To authenticate whether a business is real or not (and to improve location accuracy), search engines use a number of data sources. The most well-known are listed below, but it’s likely Google is using a number of other sources as well.

• Foursquare
• Factual
• Data Axle (formerly Infogroup)
• Localeze

Managing business data can be challenging. Thankfully, there are platforms and services available (such as our platform) that have direct connections with these data sources, often called data aggregators, who receive bulk rates and pass the discounts down to their clients.

Optimizing Local Landing Pages

In the Google My Business guide mentioned above, Google states that “Your position in web results is also a factor, so SEO best practices also apply to local search optimization.” To rank in web results, a corresponding page must exist, and on-page search engine optimization best practices should be used for that page.

Many of these optimizations are discussed in Google’s SEO Starter Guide, including basic SEO focal points, such as:

• Web Security
• User Privacy
• Accessibility
• Browser and Device Compatibility
• Unique Content
• Mobile Usability

It’s important to compare your pages to competitor pages and ask questions that might include the following:

• Does this page give you enough information to help you make a decision?
• Is it easy to find the information that’s most important to you when choosing a place like this one?
• Which of these two pages is the most helpful? (Compare against another competitor, use additional questions for each other competitor.)
• By looking at this page, is it convincing enough to compel you to not go back to Google and comparison shop?
• Can you fill out a form on this page (if applicable) quickly and with one hand?
• Are the buttons and links easy to click or too small?
• How could this page be improved to give you everything you need to want to contact business?

Pro Tips for Local Landing Page SEO

Listings that stand out in organic search results often have more rows than competing listings.

Improving Off-page Visibility

Similar to an organic SEO strategy, a local SEO campaign meant to improve rank in Google Maps requires trust from external sources, mainly other websites. Google itself states this requirement in the guide mentioned above and highlighted below. In particular this hint:

Improving Online Reputation

For obvious reasons, very few search engine users prefer to click on unrated or low-rating listings in Google Maps or blended Map “Pack” listings. As a result, less desirable businesses and their listings are typically demoted over time.

“What’s this got to do with reputation?” you ask. Well, while Google does not say they use clicks on listings based on their reviews when they describe how to rank in Google Maps, they do say they use reviews and positive ratings in their algorithm, as shown below.

Google Maps Prominence and Online Reviews

If a business does not have an active strategy for earning and improving reviews, it’s possible that over time rankings will plummet, and right along with them, leads.

Final Thoughts

If one were to choose a single actionable item to focus on to improve online performance, that item might be to get everyone in the organization excited about learning how to rank in Google Maps, be it through the Cheat Sheet mentioned above, the Marketing Portal, or through recommended training.

By nurturing the areas of local SEO each month, either through KPI goals or percentage of growth improvement, a business can climb their way to the top of Google Maps and stay there for an array of target keywords.

Keep in mind that algorithms don’t just store data; they analyze patterns. Avoiding a “set it and forget it” mindset could be the one strategy that sets your business apart from its competition.

Most business owners are aware of the power reviews can have for their company. Reviews can be impactful both positively and negatively. Potential customers are increasingly relying on reviews to make decisions about the products and services they intend to avail themselves to.

Generating reviews for any business is a critical component of SEO, specifically local SEO. First-hand reviews help build your brand and reputation, while 3rd party reviews offer proof your business does what it says it does.

Basically, online reviews are referrals for your business. Having consistent, positive sentiment being offered about your business is a great way to stand out among your competitors. People will trust what is said about you more than they will trust what is said by you.

Why should you ask for reviews?

There are many great benefits to attaining reviews for your business. One of the main benefits is that reviews build trust in your business and brand.

Continually being recognized in your reviews as the best, most reviewed, expert, timely, etc. by customers is invaluable. These reviews can also assist you in driving new messaging for your business. If you see a pattern in review communication, you can begin to turn that into a core message. For instance, if many of your reviews are mentioning how well you perform your services, you can add that as a core to your business values.

Attaining reviews is difficult, takes commitment, and is a long-term investment. It is a good idea to spread out reviews to different platforms as well. To regularly attain reviews on various websites is difficult and time-consuming. People tend to trust those reviews more because it is more difficult to fake those reviews.

Unfortunately, purchasing fake reviews is common. Sometimes, a business will purchase reviews for a particular platform, Google, Facebook, etc., to increase the number and rating of their business reviews. If your business has a good number of reviews from various platforms, customers are more likely to trust those rather than 1,000 reviews on one platform.

Having solid reviews and ratings on different review platforms will also help your people choose you over your competitors. The way customers are talking about you is just as important as you attaining reviews. Having a positive footprint across review platforms will help drive business. Having an array of positive reviews will also encourage others to write their own reviews about your practice.

There are numerous benefits to attaining reviews for your business.

On Google, once you attain at least five reviews, your business will begin showing stars in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). This is a huge advantage if you are listed in the Local Pack. It is an even larger advantage if you have stars on your listing and your competitors do not. Stars will make your listing stand out above the rest. The more reviews you attain, the better off you will be.

For non-Google or niche review websites, they may also have stars in the SERPs. This can be another benefit to your business if you have positive reviews on those sites as well. If a potential customer searches for your business and sees a SERP page full of review stars of your business, the odds are likely you will win that customer’s business.

Google My Business counts reviews as a ranking factor. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely you will rank in the Local Pack above your competitors. GMB reviews also surface in the Google Q&A section when customers are searching for answers.

A recent study said that 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, with the average consumer reading 10 reviews before being able to trust a business. The more reviews you can attain, on a variety of platforms, the more potential customers will find your business and trust the reviews they see.

Reviews go hand in hand with loyalty. Customers who take the time to leave a positive review are more likely to feel a sort of loyalty, be a repeat customer, and tell others about your business. All of this will increase your brand awareness and reputation in your business.

Reviews will provide you with valuable feedback about your business, service, and employees. Customers will let you know what is working, and what needs to be improved. If they are continually talking about how terrific your service is, you can turn that into a selling point for your practice. If patients are discussing a need to improve, you can make that a point of emphasis to improve your business.

To make a larger impact and create a stronger review foothold, it is important to attain reviews from various review platforms. The most important platform is Google.

Remember, once you have at least five reviews on Google, you will receive review stars in the Local Pack. From there you should focus review efforts on other digital platforms like Facebook.

Attaining a steady stream of reviews is more difficult than it seems. To keep getting reviews for your business, you need to be proactive. At Mobile Marketing Helper, we can help you do just that.

If you want to be successful in today’s digital marketplace, you simply need to take advantage of the numerous opportunities and benefits reviews can provide your business. If a review campaign is not something you have given much thought to or have yet to begin, you are already behind. It’s not too late, though you must start soon. Having a well-designed review strategy with the opportunity to attain reviews regularly is key. If your business is not taking advantage of reviews, you can bet your competitors are.

Marketing is necessary for the continued success of any business, and that includes medical care providers. However, medical professionals cannot market in the same way other industries can. Why? Because of HIPAA.

The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records. It restricts the way that covered entities can use and share protected health information (PHI).

Thankfully, there are many marketing channels that you can use in a HIPAA compliant manner to help grow your brand and market your medical care practice.

Here is an overview of HIPAA compliant marketing channels and solutions you should try in 2020. But first, let’s discuss the challenges of healthcare marketing in general.

Why is healthcare marketing so difficult?

To excel in healthcare marketing is to comprehend HIPAA compliance. You must fully understand how HIPAA defines marketing and choose your strategies—and solutions—from there.

HIPAA outlines specific standards for healthcare industry communication. Providers must take extra precautions to secure and safeguard PHI and other confidential details about patients. That’s why HIPAA compliance should be the foundation of your marketing plan.

Ensure your website is HIPAA compliant

When considering a modern healthcare strategy, start with your website.

93% of all business decisions starts with an online search. This makes having a website vital for any business, including medical care providers. However, healthcare providers need to take extra precautions to be sure they have a HIPAA compliant website.

A good website can help providers be “found” in online searches, give them credibility, and provide a way for potential patients to contact you. For healthcare providers, a good website can also make operations more efficient.

Imagine having patient intake forms available to be filled out and submitted online. Labs can create secure portals for doctors to view results and upload needed documents. Patients can get access to results and prescriptions.

A quick note about HIPAA compliance and websites

It’s important to remember that HIPAA compliance for any covered entity means making sure reasonable steps are taken to ensure there are technical, physical and administrative safeguards in place to keep protected health information (PHI) safe.

For websites, this means that any time PHI is transmitted or stored, there’s proper procedures and policies in place to go along with the technical security we’re going to talk about in this article.

For example, you can have secure cloud storage to hold PHI, but not have policies in place when it comes to sharing that information with others. Someone could still accidentally share or leak that information when they weren’t supposed to, which can result in a HIPAA violation.

When does a website have to be HIPAA compliant?

The first thing to do is assess what things you want visitors to do when they visit your website. Do you want visitors to be able to send an email, do a live chat, fill out forms, upload documents, or access a patient portal?

Once you identify how a visitor will interact with your website, you can work on making sure those interactions result in a user-friendly, but secure, experience by considering the following:

• Are you transmitting any PHI online?
• Are you storing PHI on a server you are hosting?

If you are handling any PHI on or through your website, then you need to be sure it is HIPAA compliant. This includes even “simple” transactions like setting an appointment.

How do you make a HIPAA compliant website?

Remember the two things we’re going to consider? Are you transmitting any PHI, or storing PHI? Your answer to these questions will make the steps you need to take different.

Chances are, most healthcare providers will transmit PHI at some point through their website if they allow for any sort of communication. Remember, even appointment setting is an example of transmitting PHI because it has identifiable personal information that will be used in relation to the care of a patient.

The first step that should be taken is to use SSL to secure your website. This will make sure that the initial leg in the transmission of PHI from the patient to the web server is secure. From there data can be either:

• Passed through to someone via email
• Stored on your web server
• Stored on someone else’s web server

If you pass through PHI

This is probably the easier method to use because it lowers the amount of additional work (and liability) needed to secure PHI.

If information is collected on a form and then passed through and emailed to an inbox, the data needs to be encrypted in transit and at rest.

If you store PHI on a server

Whether you choose to store data on your server or a third-party, it’s important to understand how to ensure that the hosting is HIPAA compliant.

Our friends at HIPAAHQ put together a great checklist that will assist you in ensuring the hosting provider you choose does incorporate needed systems, procedures and technologies needed.

Some of the items on that checklist include policies to address physical security of the servers, established policies for the disposal of data if needed, and logs and audits of software and hardware use and access.

Many hosting providers can be configured to become HIPAA compliant, but there are also hosting companies like Atlantic.Net who specialize in HIPAA compliant website hosting.

Let technology work for you

There’re far more benefits than risks when it comes to having a website that adds value to your business. Utilizing the right technology in securing your website can improve your workflows, increase business and let you focus on patients and clients, not checking off boxes and adding extra steps.