It’s no secret how diagnostic testing has been key to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s the initial yet critical step to take when infectious diseases spread. The purpose of testing is to identify cases, provide urgent treatments, and isolate infected individuals to curb the spread of infection.
In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, laboratory clinics and centers have been on their toes. Whether performing RT-PCR tests or POC tests (NAAT, antigen, and antibody tests), they must provide accurate and quick COVID-19 testing results.
But as a laboratory, you must be robust in promoting your lab services. You want to ensure that you get clients who will avail of your COVID-19 tests. You want to partake in fostering public health while boosting your business profit. That’s where digital marketing comes into the picture.
That said, here’s how to virtually promote your COVID-19 testing lab during this pandemic:
1. Get active on social media
We can no longer ignore the power of social media. Not only do people use them for personal interaction, but they also employ these channels for marketing. Whether Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, these channels allow you to reach out to your customers or clients. That’s where social media marketing comes into the picture.
First, you can create Facebook ads promoting your lab services and target them to your potential local clients. Also, you can publish and share COVID-19 updates on social media to boost your customer engagement. Lastly, your clients can even use social media apps to schedule an appointment for COVID-19 testing with you.
2. Have a functional website
Apart from having social media pages, it’s imperative to have a business website. As a lab for COVID-19 testing, you must have an online representation of your business. Your website serves as an online hub, where you’ll promote your lab services and educate your clients about your COVID-19 testing. It is also where they can set an appointment with you.
As such, make sure that your website isn’t only visually appealing but highly functional. So when updating your site, have your user experience (UX) in mind. An excellent UX means having a well-structured user interface (UI), streamlined elements, relevant content, calls-to-action (CTAs), easy navigation, and fast loading time.
3. Implement SEO for your website
It’s not enough that you have a business website for your COVID-19 testing lab. In a highly saturated web and digital competition, you want to ensure that your website stands out. But more than anything else, you want your lab to have a web prominence. That’s where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in to increase your online visibility and website traffic.
The SEO process involves three key aspects: technical, on-page, and off-page SEO. While technical SEO requires optimizing your website itself, on-page SEO entails producing content with keyword integration. The last has to do with promoting your lab services outside of your website.
4. Get your lab listed on online directories
It’s one thing to implement general SEO. It’s another to focus on local SEO. Local SEO has to do with reaching out to potential clients or customers in your locality. When the locals look for a lab for COVID-19 testing, you want to ensure that your website appears first on the search engine results pages (SERP) environment.
To boost your local SEO, start by getting your lab listed on Google My Business. Plus, don’t forget to list your website on online directories like other search engines (Yahoo and Bing), social media (Facebook and LinkedIn), and others (Yelp and Business Bureau).
5. Advertise your lab services through PPC
If SEO doesn’t work wonders on your lab business, venture into the pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign. This digital marketing strategy has the same marketing goals as SEO: boosting your online visibility and website traffic.
However, what sets it apart from SEO is that PPC is a paid search. It means that Google will allow you to display your ads on SERP to promote and highlight your laboratory with a power system protection. However, you must pay for successful clicks, which can translate into a boost in website drive traffic for your business.
6. Send promotional emails
The last on the list is to harness the power of email marketing. Yes, you can promote your lab services by sending emails. But when it comes, you have two target markets in mind: old and new clients.
For regular clients, come up with a list of their email addresses. From there, send them promotional emails about your lab services. You can even provide special offers to medical facilities that would like to collaborate with you in this fight against the pandemic. On the other hand, be sure to carry out research and due diligence to get a list of prospects. From there, send them emails about what your lab can offer.
At this point, you now know what it takes to promote your COVID-19 testing lab. Consider the digital marketing strategies recommended above, from getting active on social media to sending promotional emails.
In addition, you can either take the DIY route for your online promotional tactics or work with professional digital marketers specialized in healthcare. With robust digital marketing strategies, you can boost your business profit and ensure your overall success. Ultimately, you’ll help promote the health and well-being of people amid the COVID-19 crisis.
