Why Do Physicians Need to Blog?

Why Do Physicians Need to Blog?

Being a physician, you have a very hectic schedule dealing with patients day in and day out. But even in this busier-than-ever environment, you need to put aside some time to write a blog. Why blogging? Because blogs are a valuable way to increase traffic on your website and promote your practice. Obviously, your patients need to know more about you and your practice. You need to showcase your thought leader personality in front of the world, and that can be achieved through a unique blog.

Let’s categorize the benefits of blogging in two aspects, i.e. ‘marketing and personality,’ and discuss each of them in detail.

  • Marketing Aspect

Most people search health information online, and to get visibility on the first page of a search engine, it is necessary to market your services. Blogging is content marketing that engrosses the target audience. It is an inexpensive way of marketing that serves your website popularity and enhances your online presence. Regular blogging increases your website’s index pages that help you become popular online.

In addition to increased indexed pages, blogging helps you generate inbound links or backlinks. With your growing online presence, you are cited on other websites. An inbound link is a connection built through hyperlinking whenever other sites cite your homepage or blog. The greater number of backlinks you have, the better your listing is in Google’s record.

You should even add backlinks to your blog to make it rank higher in the search results. For instance, if you are a dermatologist selling your own products, then create a backlink which connects your blog to that particular product. This will act in two ways: It makes your practice and blog rank higher in Google search results and increases the sale of your products by diverting the reader to the linked product page. Another option is to backlink your new and old blog posts.

The journey of a reader should not be limited to your blog, but end with a conversion. For this, you need to have “Contact Us” or “Schedule Appointment” links or buttons on the page. The instant impact of the blog will surely make them ignore any other practitioner.

You can even share your blog on your social media pages and increase shares and visits of your writing. Social media today has become a marketing platform where you acquire new clients and a huge audience to pitch your services and products. It’s not limited to just sharing photographs and contacting your friends and family. Engage with your patients over Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook via your blog and take an extra step to contact people who respond to your writing. Since you are reaching a large audience, try to keep your writing easy and personal.

Take the first step to protect your online reputation and request your Online Reputation Assessment.