The Ultimate DME/CRT Online Marketing Cheat Sheet
This is the exact digital strategy I used to double my branches revenue in less than two years!
- Create online tools for referral sources to reference (this one worked by far the best)
- Optimize the website for long tail keywords that caregivers and referral sources were searching for.
- Optimize the Google business profile
- Actively request reviews to post on our website
- Update the website regularly with products that were in stock and pricing
- Create a blog post/newsletter monthly and share it with all referral sources.
- Promote website on marketing materials and sales calls.
- Promote products with Facebook and Google Ads
- Collect email addresses to be used for communication
Create online resources.
The online resources that work the best are:
- Create a flow chart that explains the process for each piece of equipment to be covered through insurance. This can include documentation required, does the insurance company require a PA, and how long the process generally takes.
- Create a list of items not covered by insurance under any circumstances.
- Create a step-by-step process of what is required by your referrals to order a piece of equipment.
- Create a chart recommending different pieces of equipment or medical supplies for specific diagnoses.
- Create a document listing all the insurances you are in-network for and the ones that are out of network.
The next step is to ask your CSRs, sales reps, and field staff what are the most common questions they get asked each day and create tools to answer those questions. If a patient is asking those questions to your staff you know they are also looking online to get the answers.
Optimize your website with long-tail keywords that clients and referrals are searching for.
A long tail keyword is multiple words put together for example; a wheelchair would be considered a keyword, and a lightweight wheelchair Atlanta GA would be considered a long tail keyword.
It is easier to rank for long tail keywords and your searches will be more relevant.
I found that adding the city + equipment or service was the easiest way to increase my search traffic.
Optimize your Google business listing
For a local business, an optimized listing is critical. Google is very good at using the near me search parameters. Google is more likely to show business that is in close proximity to where the searcher is searching, especially if that searcher is using a smartphone.
The easiest place to start is with your NAP (name address phone). This needs to be consistent throughout your website and with other businesses that link to you on their website. Bright local and Yext both do a very good job of updating everything throughout all of your local citations from external websites.
Photos
Quality photos are critical to a strong local listing. Google wants to verify that the business truly exists. It is always looking for confirmation that the business profile should be in its search results.
Google has many photo categories but the ones I have found to be the most useful are:
- Images of the front of the store and entrance to the store
- Images of the interior of the store. These images should represent the ambiance of the business.
- Images that contain the logo of the business like: exterior signage, images with the company logo, and awards with the business name.
- Image of a business card
- Image of store hours sign
- Image of payment accepted (cash, credit card logos, or insurance accepted)
- Images of the brands you carry if it is a well known brand
- Images of the most important staff (any staff who someone may be searching for their name)
- Images of your best products
- Create a virtual tour of your showroom
Use JPG file formats and the resolution should be 1920-1080 commonly referred to as HD. The size of the image should be 16:9 or close and add Geotags if appropriate. Time/Date should be on all photos as this make Google’s AI interpret the photos as authentic.
Ideally, new photos should be added at a minimum monthly but weekly is best.
Reviews:
The more positive reviews that you have on your website the higher Google will rank your website with all things being equal.
Your best reviews should be upvoted to the top (hit the thumbs up button) and all negative reviews should be responded to in a positive way.
Update Your Website Regularly
Updating your website with relevant updates will go a long way to gaining the trust of your customers and referral sources.
- Update your in-stock items
- Updated the prices
- Update your hours of service
- Update your employee pics
These updates can be time-consuming but they should be done. You can lose a lot of credibility with referrals and customers when your website is different than their in-store experience.
Blog
Quality content is the easiest way to show potential customers your expertise.
The best content provides value without trying to sell them anything.
A new blog post should be published once a month at a minimum but weekly or bi-weekly is better.
Your blog post should be centered around providing value for the patient or referral.
Content ideas:
- Insurance updates
- Insurance information
- Equipment updates
- Advice on specific medical conditions that your service treats
- Industry updates
- Community resources for your customers
- Introduce new equipment
- Cite peer studies showing how other professionals are using your products.
- How to use your products
- How to service your equipment
- Most commonly asked questions
- How to choose between specific products
- Features and benefits of specific products
- Comparison between products or services
Online Ads
Google ads and Facebook ads can be one of the quickest ways to drive traffic to your website.
The nice thing about these ads is they can be targeted to your best customer.
They can also be location specific.
You should use google ads to promote and sell your services or products and to promote some of your blog articles. If you write a high-quality blog article that is peer-reviewed you should promote it within your community so they can start to see your expertise in the subject matter.
Further reading here
Why local SEO is important to your business
10 of the most common mistakes that are hurting your rankings.
How to identify and beat your brand’s top SEO competitors
