Today, whoever wants to be successful in the private medical services market must be on the internet. This medium has become an inexhaustible source of information for those seeking answers on health issues.
Although many patients tend to seek information in a self-taught way to solve a health problem, others prefer to contact a medical professional who can guide them about their condition through a virtual consultation.
The coronavirus pandemic served as a trigger for virtual medical consultations. Only in January 2021 the platform Doctoralia reported that more than 11,500 online queries were generated in Mexico. By this means, doctors can communicate with patients to follow their treatment, which makes the virtual medical consultation a viable and comfortable alternative.
However, despite the opportunities and benefits that the virtual consultation represents, according to the Study on Internet Habits of Physicians In Mexico, only 44% of doctors have been encouraged to carry them out. To solve this problem, some actions can be initiated to break the apprehension towards virtual consultations and have more patients online.
Step 1. Creation of a web page. A well-designed web page highlights the professional image of the doctor and gains the trust of the patient, since he will value the appearance and content of it.
When building it, it is important to visualize the information that the patient considers important. Some necessary elements are: contact information, professional information and photograph of the doctor, the diseases he treats and the list of fees for the services provided.
The doctor can build his page with free wizards such as WordPress, Wix or Weebly, or have it done with a specialist or agency. The design must be attractive and intuitive, and the content can be displayed correctly on various devices.
Step 2. Organic positioning and adwords. Publishing a web page on the Internet does not guarantee that patients will visit it, so you have to work on its positioning in two ways: free and paid, using a service such as Google Adwords. This second type of positioning is immediate, in such a way that the page will be reflected in the first positions of Google in a matter of minutes.
It should be considered that the Google algorithm responds to the keywords that are inserted in the search engine, positioning in high positions those web pages that have original and valuable content, are well displayed on smartphones or tablets and have links that lead to they.
Step 3. Presence in social networks. To have a successful content positioning it is necessary to put into practice the tools offered by Facebook, which is, according to Statistical, the most popular social network in Mexico. This information exchange platform offers many advantages for doctors who have a private practice.
Facebook allows users to create a professional page similar to a simple web page, including photos, as well as necessary information such as notes, articles, links to publications and audiovisual material. To have a strong visibility in this network it is necessary to publish content frequently.
Step 4. Presence in a specialized portal. It is essential to create a profile on a specialized website where patients can search and choose the medical specialist. There are sites that offer Premium profiles with additional tools, such as online appointment booking. When choosing the portal, those that are better positioned and enjoy credibility and prestige should be considered.
In four simple steps, any doctor can access the field of online consultations, expand their number of patients and publicize the portfolio of services they offer.
