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Best Healthcare Advertising Platforms and Channels

Healthcare providers face intense competition for patient attention. With an increasing number of healthcare options available, it’s more important than ever for healthcare providers to invest in effective advertising strategies to reach and engage their target audience. Advertising platforms and channels play a critical role in the success of healthcare marketing campaigns. From search engine […]
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Healthcare providers face intense competition for patient attention. With an increasing number of healthcare options available, it’s more important than ever for healthcare providers to invest in effective advertising strategies to reach and engage their target audience.

Advertising platforms and channels play a critical role in the success of healthcare marketing campaigns. From search engine marketing to social media advertising, display, and programmatic advertising to video and OTT/CTV advertising, there is a multitude of options available to healthcare providers.

But with so many different platforms and channels to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. This guide will provide a comprehensive breakdown of the different healthcare advertising platforms and channels, with practical tips on how to leverage each one for optimal results. Whether you’re a new healthcare provider looking to build your patient base, or an established provider seeking to expand your reach, this guide will help you navigate the complex world of healthcare advertising and reach your target audience effectively.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

If you’re looking to attract potential patients who are actively searching for healthcare services online, SEM is an effective way to do so. SEM involves placing paid ads on search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords that are relevant to your healthcare practice.

How SEM Works

SEM involves bidding on specific keywords that your target audience might use to find healthcare services. When someone types in one of your keywords in the search engine, your ad appears at the top or bottom of the SERP. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, which is known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

an example of SEM. Searching for blood pressure monitors. Learn about platforms and channels

Examples of SEM Platforms

Google, which has its own advertising network called Google Ads, is the most used search engine for search engine marketing (SEM). Another well-liked SEM tool to take into account is Bing Ads. These platforms give you the ability to design and manage your advertising, set your budget, and target particular audiences based on things like location and demographics.

Advantages of SEM

One of the major benefits of SEM is that it enables you to connect with potential patients who are actively looking for medical services, which increases the likelihood that they will become clients. You can more successfully contact your ideal patients by using SEM to target particular audiences based on their geography, interests, and other characteristics.

Some more advantages of SEM are:

  • High visibility: SEM ads are placed at the top or bottom of the search engine results page, making them highly visible to users who are searching for specific keywords. This can help increase your brand awareness and drive more traffic to your website.
  • Measurable results: SEM provides detailed analytics and reporting, which allows you to track your ad performance and make data-driven decisions about your campaigns. This can help you optimize your ad spend and improve your ROI over time.
  • Fast results: Unlike organic search engine optimization (SEO), which can take months to see results, SEM can drive traffic and conversions to your website within a matter of days or even hours.

Social Media Advertising

With over 4.26 billion social media users worldwide, social media advertising is a powerful way to reach potential patients where they spend their time online. Social media advertising includes both paid social media ads and social media influencer marketing.

Types of Social Media Advertising

  • Paid Social: Paid social media advertising entails developing and marketing advertisements on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Based on variables like geography, age, hobbies, and habits, paid social ads can target particular audiences.
  • Social Media Influencer Marketing: Social media influencer marketing entails collaborating with well-known social media personalities who have a large number of engaged followers. These influencers can spread the word about your healthcare brand to their followers, usually through sponsored posts or product reviews.

Below are some examples of Social Media Ads we have run in the past.

Some social media ads that our company has run in the past

Examples of Social Media Advertising Platforms

Some popular social media advertising platforms include:

  • Facebook Ads: Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms with over 2.96 billion active users. Facebook Ads allow you to create and promote ads to a targeted audience.
  • Instagram Ads: Instagram is a popular photo and video-sharing platform that over 2 billion people use once a month. Instagram Ads allow you to create and promote ads in various formats such as stories, posts, and reels.
  • Twitter Ads: Twitter has 192 million Monetizable Daily Active Users. Twitter Ads allow you to promote ads on the platform and target specific audiences.
  • LinkedIn Ads: LinkedIn is a professional networking platform with over 900 million active users. LinkedIn Ads allow you to create and promote ads to a targeted audience of professionals.

Social media platforms are constantly evolving, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with new features and trends to make the most out of your social media advertising efforts. By leveraging the right platforms and creating engaging, relevant content, healthcare providers can attract new patients and build brand awareness on social media.

5 Advantages of Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising offers healthcare providers a powerful way to reach potential patients where they spend their time online. By leveraging popular social media platforms and creating engaging, relevant content, healthcare providers can increase their brand awareness, attract new patients, and build lasting relationships with their audience. In this section, we’ll explore the advantages of social media advertising and how it can help you achieve your marketing goals.

  1. Targeted audience: Social media advertising allows you to target specific audiences based on factors such as location, interests, and behaviors, which can help you reach the right people at the right time. Check out our in-depth article about targeting and audience segmentation.
  2. High engagement: Social media users are highly engaged and are more likely to interact with and share content they find interesting, which can help increase your brand awareness.
  3. Cost-effective: Social media advertising is generally more cost effective than traditional advertising methods, as you can set your budget and only pay for clicks or impressions.
  4. Measurable results: Social media advertising provides detailed analytics and reporting, which allows you to track your ad performance and make data-driven decisions about your campaigns.
  5. Influencer marketing: Social media influencer marketing allows you to leverage the influence of popular social media personalities to promote your healthcare brand to a highly engaged audience.

Display and Programmatic Advertising

The placement of advertisements on websites, mobile apps, and other digital channels is referred to as display and programmatic advertising. These ads can take many forms, including banner ads, native ads, and retargeting ads.

How Display and Programmatic Advertising Works

Display advertising entails displaying advertisements on websites or other digital channels. These ads can take many forms, including banner ads, native ads, and retargeting ads. Ads that retarget users who have previously interacted with your website or other digital content are known as retargeting ads.

Programmatic advertising is a type of display advertising that targets specific audiences in real time using automated bidding systems and machine learning algorithms. Because it allows you to target specific audiences more precisely and at a lower cost, programmatic advertising can be more effective than traditional display advertising.

The Video below from Google Digital Garage provides an overview of display advertising and how it can help advertisers target specific audiences more effectively.

Video Advertising

Video advertising involves creating and promoting ads through video content on digital channels such as social media platforms, streaming services, and video-sharing websites. Video ads can be displayed before, during, or after video content and can come in various formats such as pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads.

Types of Video Advertising

Video advertising comes in various formats, such as pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads. Pre-roll ads play before a video and typically have a duration of 15-30 seconds, while mid-roll ads play during a video and post-roll ads play after a video. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the right choice depends on the specific goals and target audience of the healthcare provider. For example, pre-roll ads can be effective for building brand awareness, while mid-roll ads can be better for promoting products or services during longer videos.

Examples of Video Advertising Platforms

Healthcare providers have a variety of video advertising platforms to choose from, each with its own strengths and limitations. Some popular video advertising platforms for healthcare providers include:

  • YouTube Ads: YouTube ads can be targeted to specific audiences based on factors such as interests, demographics, and location.
  • Facebook Video Ads: Facebook Video Ads can be targeted to specific audiences and can appear in various formats such as in-stream ads, carousel ads, and stories.

Other platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat also offer various video ad formats and targeting options to reach younger audiences. The right platform for a healthcare provider depends on their target audience and campaign goals.

image displaying two young people on tik tok

OTT and CTV Advertising

Advertisements displayed on internet-connected TV devices such as smart TVs or streaming devices are referred to as over-the-top (OTT) or connected TV (CTV). These ads can come in a variety of formats, including pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads.

Definition of OTT and CTV Advertising

OTT advertising is video advertising delivered over the internet via streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. In contrast, CTV advertising refers to video advertising delivered over the internet via internet-connected TV devices such as smart TVs or streaming devices.

Advantages and Disadvantages of OTT and CTV Advertising

Advantages

  • Large audience: Streaming services and CTV platforms have a large and growing audience, providing healthcare providers with a large pool of potential patients to target.
  • High viewability: OTT and CTV ads are typically non-skippable, which means that viewers are more likely to see them and engage with them.

Disadvantages

  • Limited inventory: OTT and CTV platforms have limited ad inventory, which can make it challenging to secure ad space during peak viewing times.
  • Higher cost: OTT and CTV advertising can be more expensive than other digital advertising channels because of their large and growing audience and high viewability.

Get a Tailored Healthcare Advertising Solution

At Webserv, we understand that digital marketing in the healthcare industry can be a challenge. That’s why we specialize in providing tailored digital marketing solutions for healthcare providers. Our team of experienced professionals can help you navigate the complex landscape of healthcare advertising platforms and channels, and develop customized strategies that are designed to achieve your business goals. 

If you’re looking for a reliable and experienced healthcare digital marketing agency that can help you drive more patients to your practice, we’d love to chat. Book a meeting with us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your digital marketing goals.

We also recommend checking out some of our other healthcare articles such as, The Power of Content Creation and Healthcare Brand Strategy.

Healthcare Advertising Platforms and Channels FAQ

What are Healthcare Marketing Platforms and Channels?

Healthcare Marketing Platforms and Channels refer to the various digital tools and platforms used by healthcare organizations to promote their services, products, and brands to potential patients or clients. These platforms and channels can include websites, social media platforms, search engines, email marketing, and digital advertising.

What are the benefits of using Healthcare Marketing Platforms and Channels?

The benefits of using Healthcare Marketing Platforms and Channels are numerous. These tools and channels allow healthcare organizations to reach a wider audience, increase brand awareness, drive more traffic to their websites, and generate more leads and revenue. By leveraging the power of digital marketing, healthcare organizations can also track the effectiveness of their campaigns and adjust their strategies as needed.

What are some effective Healthcare Marketing Platforms and Channels?

There are several effective Healthcare Marketing Platforms and Channels that can help healthcare organizations to reach their target audience. Some popular platforms include social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, search engines like Google and Bing, email marketing, and digital advertising through platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads.

How can healthcare organizations ensure their marketing efforts are compliant with regulations?

Healthcare organizations must be vigilant in ensuring their marketing efforts comply with regulations such as HIPAA and FDA guidelines. To achieve this, healthcare organizations should work closely with their marketing teams to develop clear policies and procedures for their marketing efforts. It is also important to have a compliance officer on staff who can review marketing materials and ensure they are compliant with all applicable regulations.

How can healthcare organizations measure the success of their marketing campaigns?

Measuring the success of a healthcare organization’s marketing campaigns is critical to refining and optimizing their strategies. Healthcare organizations can use metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, and social media engagement to track the effectiveness of their campaigns. It is also important to establish clear goals and objectives for each campaign, so the success can be measured against those specific goals. Additionally, tools such as Google Analytics can provide detailed insights into user behavior on a website, allowing healthcare organizations to further optimize their marketing efforts.

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