We Present 6 Best Healthcare Lead Generation Strategies [2024]

Helpful Summary

• Overview: In this article, we cover top healthcare lead generation strategies, including CRM use, content creation, SEO, and marketing automation.
• Why you can trust us: We specialize in creating conversion-focused multi-step forms that help healthcare businesses generate more leads efficiently.
• Why this is important: With strict regulations and changing patient behaviors, effective lead generation is critical for attracting new patients, boosting revenue, and improving patient retention.
• Action points: Focus on building an online presence, leveraging healthcare CRMs, and creating targeted, SEO-optimized content.
• Further research: Visit the Growform blog for more lead-generation tips.

Looking for the Best Healthcare Lead Generation Strategies?

Traditional methods like cold calls and generic ads often fall short in healthcare companies. Prospects in this industry prioritize reputation and thorough research before trusting a service or product. With strict regulations like HIPAA, building relationships is crucial, requiring patience and effort.

Despite these challenges, we outline the top 6 healthcare lead-generation strategies in this GrowForm article. 

But first…

Why Listen To Us?

At Growform, we understand the challenges healthcare organizations face with lead generation. That’s why we’ve designed easy-to-use, conversion-focused multi-step forms to improve lead capture and patient engagement. 

We’ve successfully helped businesses, both large and small, achieve impressive results— like Nearly Real Florals, which almost doubled their conversion rates after switching to our solutions.

What Is Healthcare Lead Generation?

Healthcare lead generation is the process of identifying and attracting potential clients and customers who might be interested in your medical services. 

It typically includes: 

• Identifying potential patients: Understanding who might need your services based on demographics, interests, and other factors.
• Attracting interest: Making your services and products known to these prospects through various channels.
• Engaging prospects: Interacting with potential clients to answer their questions and provide information.
• Converting leads: Encouraging potential patients to make an appointment or use your services.

The goal is often to create awareness about your services or products, build trust, and get prospects to take the desired action. 

6 Best Healthcare Lead Generation Strategies 

1. Create Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a clear description of your ideal clients. It combines quantitative and qualitative data like demographics (age, gender, location) and psychographics (challenges, motivations, beliefs).

How do you create an ICP?

Healthcare providers can develop an ICP by gathering internal and external data.

Internal data comes from working with sales and customer service teams to get insights about existing clients. External data comes from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau and social media analytics to confirm demographic trends.

Example of ICP for a fitness app

By engaging with your sales team, you might discover that many clients are health-conscious individuals aged 25-40. Surveys could reveal that they value convenience, prefer mobile solutions, and seek community engagement.

Consumer insights from platforms like BuzzSumo can also confirm that this demographic often engages with fitness and wellness content.

With these insights, your ICP may look like this:

• Demographics: Health-focused individuals aged 25-40
• Challenges: Maintaining a consistent fitness routine
• Motivations: Seeking a flexible fitness app that fosters community
• Beliefs: Trust in technology to enhance their wellness journey

Working with this ICP, you can tailor your marketing strategies to attract qualified leads and increase chances of conversion.  

2. Build and Manage an Extensive Online Presence

Another potent lead-generation strategy for healthcare organizations is having a strong online presence. It helps you connect with patients, build trust, and enhance visibility. 

Here’s how you can build and manage your online presence in the healthcare industry: 

• Develop a User-Friendly Website: A well-designed website is the foundation of your online presence. It’s what connects you with potential clients and helps you convert visitors into leads. 

For example, Cleveland Clinic offers a user-friendly site with authoritative health information, appointment scheduling, and other resources, making it easy for potential patients to engage.

• Use Social Media Platforms: Social media is a powerful tool for interacting with patients and the community. It allows healthcare brands to share updates, promote services, and educate the public. 

Cleveland Clinic, once again, actively shares health tips and patient stories on Facebook and Instagram, including regular healthy recipes that encourage interaction and attract new patients.

• Collect and Engage With Users/Patients/Customer Reviews: Monitoring and responding to online reviews is essential for maintaining a positive online reputation. 

You can ask your patients to leave reviews on your website and platforms like Google Business, Vitals, ZocDoc, CareDash, etc. Respond to these reviews, whether positive or negative, to build trust and show prospective patients that you care about their feedback.  

3. Combine High-Quality Content with SEO

Combining high-quality content with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can boost healthcare lead generation strategies. This strategy helps you get the most out of the user-friendly website created in the previous strategy. 

Why do you need high-quality content? 

Creating useful and informative content builds trust with potential patients. Blog posts, articles, and videos that answer health questions or provide wellness tips can engage visitors and encourage them to return. 

For example, the Health Library section of Cleveland Clinic’s website covers valuable topics like Diseases and Conditions, Symptoms, Tests and Procedures, Books and Subscriptions, etc., which can be valuable to visitors. 

What is the role of SEO? 

Having valuable content isn’t enough on its own. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) improves the visibility of your content on search engines like Google. 

 Here is how can create high-quality content with SEO: 

• Keyword Research: Find keywords that your potential patients are searching for.
• Content Creation: Write engaging articles or create videos that include these keywords.
• On-Page SEO: Optimize your content for search engines.
• Share Your Content: Use social media to promote your articles and engage with your audience.

For example, by using relevant keywords and optimizing titles, headers, and descriptions, Cleveland Clinic ranks higher in search results. Below is an example of its “Health Library” rank on a Google SERP: 

SEO optimization extends your content reach significantly, bringing more traffic and potential leads to your website.

4. Amplify Your Reach with Paid Search and Digital Advertisements

Healthcare brands can make use of paid search and digital advertisements to improve lead generation. This allows targeting specific demographics and ensures that your services are visible to those actively searching for healthcare solutions.

Paid Search Ads

Paid search ads, like Google Ads, enable healthcare providers to appear at the top of search engine results for relevant keywords. It is effective and, more importantly, economical– businesses make $2 for every $1 spent on paid search ads. 

This is different from SEO-influenced organic ranking. Here, you target specific keywords and bid on them. When a prospect searches for these keywords, your ad appears at the top of the search results.

Social Media Ads

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram conduct highly targeted advertising based on user interests, behaviors, and location. Healthcare organizations can use the Lead Ads option on these platforms, which captures leads without them having to leave.

Alternatively, you can redirect the ad viewers to your website.   

Here are a few tips to get the most out of ads: 

• Highlight your expertise clearly through your ads. 
• Use emotional language to connect with your audience.
• Regularly monitor and optimize your strategy based on the results. 
• Run retargeting ads to re-engage prospective leads who dropped off after visiting your website. 

5. Improve Your Email Nurturing Efforts

Email nurturing involves the use of emails to build relationships with potential clients or customers. These emails are often part of your overall lead-generation campaign and can drive brand awareness significantly.  

For example, UF Health Cancer Center partnered with Smart Panda Labs to develop a targeted email marketing strategy. This improved open rates by 35% and CTR by 138%, driving patient appointments and brand awareness.

How email nurturing works: 

• Welcome Email: Greet new subscribers warmly and thank them for joining your list. Briefly introduce your healthcare organization in a friendly tone.
• Offer Value: Share informative content in the next emails. Offer health tips, insights, or resources related to your expertise. 

For example, a dental practice might share tips for maintaining oral health, while a medical device company could highlight advancements in prosthetic technology.

• Present Your Offers: Gradually introduce your healthcare services in later emails. Explain how these services can benefit your subscriber’s health and meet their needs.
• Include Clear Calls to Action (CTAs): Each email should have a clear CTA like scheduling an appointment, downloading a guide, or subscribing to a newsletter. Make sure the CTA is easy to follow.

6. Use a Healthcare CRM

Implementing a healthcare CRM can greatly improve lead generation by centralizing patient data and streamlining relationship management. Systems like Salesforce Health Cloud offer a complete view of patients, enhancing care coordination and engagement.

Healthcare CRMs also provide valuable features like:

• Audience Segmentation: Personalize communication based on patient needs. For example, VirtaMed used HubSpot CRM, leading to a 39% increase in website traffic and an 18% rise in organic traffic.
• Marketing Automation: Save time and ensure consistent outreach with automated campaigns.
• Performance Tracking: Use detailed analytics to refine lead generation strategies.

By integrating a healthcare CRM, you can better manage leads, engage patients, and drive improved outcomes for your practices.

Benefits of Lead Generation in Healthcare

Standing Out in the Market

Effective lead generation helps healthcare providers stand out in a crowded market. By focusing on strategies that attract new patients and improve access to services, organizations can offer better care, increase visibility, and build a strong reputation within their community.

Adapting to Changing Consumer Needs

Consumers are prioritizing health more than ever, with 60% preferring telehealth visits over in-person ones, for instance.

Healthcare providers must adapt to these changes, targeting patients with digital health solutions and devices that cater to their preferences.

Attracting and Retaining Patients

Effective lead generation is key to acquiring and retaining patients. It costs five times more to gain new patients than to keep existing ones, and increasing retention by 5% can raise profits by up to 95%, highlighting the value of strong retention strategies.

Improving Revenue 

Generating more leads often results in more patients, directly increasing revenue for healthcare providers. A strong lead generation strategy ensures a steady flow of new patients, supporting both the financial stability and growth of the organization.

Streamlining Operations

Lead generation tools can automate tasks like scheduling appointments and sending reminders, making daily operations easier. This reduces the workload for staff, allowing them to spend more time focusing on patient care and improving overall efficiency.

Transform Your Healthcare Lead Generation Efforts with Growform

Maximizing healthcare lead generation requires strategic tools, and our no-code form builder can improve the process.  

By simplifying complex inquiries into easy steps, you can boost patient engagement, increase form completion rates, and reduce drop-offs with Growform. Combined with the strategies mentioned above, our multi-step forms streamline healthcare lead collection and convert more website visitors into patients. 

Sign up on Growform today for free and start building customized forms to optimize your healthcare lead generation.