Long gone are the days when you could rely on a small team of “marketers.” Today’s healthcare marketing team consists of different job titles in highly specific roles, advanced marketing tools that test the efficacy of your campaigns, and a bunch of moving parts all within the larger scope of your company philosophy (your “story”). Here’s one way to think about building an effective inbound marketing team, with special considerations particular to the healthcare industry.

How To Build An Effective Healthcare Inbound Marketing Team

1. Determine What Job Titles You Need.

We run a relatively lean ship with the following positions covered:

• Digital Marketer –  A dedicated digital marketer keeps tracks of all the tools and marketing trends within the healthcare marketing industry to ensure you are operating the most efficient marketing and advertising machine possible.
• Content Marketer – You can have one or more content marketers to focus on blogs, web pages, newsletters, third party site articles, eBooks, and press releases.
• Social Media & Email Marketer – Engaging with customers and clients on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Livestream, and other social media platforms is a full-time job. Our social media marketing helps out with email campaigns, too.
• Analytics and UX Specialist – Once the digital marketer determines what tools you need to capture data, the analytics specialist analyzes the data and makes sense of the vast amount of information coming in to determine the future course of your marketing plan.
• UX Specialist – Who tests your site for effectiveness? User Experience is an increasingly important aspect to consider. A UX specialist will help you understand how users are interacting with your website and how to optimize your site for conversions.
• Communications / Project Manager – This person assigns tasks, coordinates all moving parts of the team, and keeps everyone working toward their respective goals and deadlines.
• Video Marketer – You can have one person capable of filming, editing, and publishing your videos — or you may have multiple professionals assigned to a video marketing team, depending on how much emphasis you want on visual media.
• Web Developer –  Who maintains your website to make sure it’s always up, with no errors? You need an internal person whose main responsibility is to update and maintain your website.
• Graphic Design & Branding Specialist – You want a designer who can develop your brand image across platforms using colors, logos, imagery, and language to convey the essence of your healthcare organization.
• PPC & SEO Specialist – Paid advertising and Search Engine Optimization ensures that your name gets out there and reaches your core demographic. Google is always changing the algorithm, so it’s important to stay on top of the game.

2. Decide In-House or Outsourced.

As you might guess, it can be very expensive to pay for all those salaries and benefits packages in-house! For that reason, many healthcare companies choose to outsource some or all of these functions to an outside team. We can do turnkey services for you (like creating fresh content or provide holistic SEO services), but we most commonly perform consulting work for clients like you. We offer branding and design advice prior to the launch of a new website. We research the best tools for your particular enterprise and market. We sort through your analytic data to guide your strategy. We let you know how to tell a more compelling story and link your marketing and sales efforts.

Discover how a combination of in-house and outsourced talent fuels monster growth. Download Our Free Guide Today: How to Build Your Remote Agency Dream Team!

3. Assign Someone To Lead On Compliance Issues.

Healthcare companies must comply with regulatory guidelines like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and FDA fair balance disclosures. We recommend having a lawyer or Content Compliance Manager on the payroll to make sure your content and marketing efforts are within the scope of the law. You also want to make sure all patient information is securely encrypted to avoid serious penalties. Automating compliance monitoring and auditing will ensure you are never left unprotected.

Read: 8 Surprising Ways You Violated HIPAA Today by Mandy McEwen

4. Determine & Document Your Strategy.

The best marketing strategies are cohesive and well documented. You’ll need senior management, sales, and marketing teams all on the same page, aligned behind a united strategy. What messages do you want the public to hear about your company? What makes your entity unique? What problems do you solve for your target market? 

5. Hire A Healthcare Marketing Consultant.

As the saying goes, “Two heads are better than one!” Investing in a few hours’ worths of advice from an experienced healthcare marketing consultant can go a long way in stretching your marketing dollars and setting you on the right path. For more information, consider scheduling a one-to-one consulting session with Mod Girl® to devise an inbound healthcare marketing strategy or receive feedback on the effectiveness of your current marketing efforts. We can help you build your dream team quickly, efficiently, and affordably.

6. Building Your Healthcare Brand

Another area that you may want to consider with regards to healthcare marketing, is getting your healthcare branding onto everything from uniforms to facemasks. You can have a browse online to find facemasks that can be customized. You may also want to consider lanyards and other items of apparel.