With more and more patients turning to search engines and social media platforms to find medical practices to address their health needs, it’s no wonder that practices are now turning to paid search and paid social advertising to attract potential patients. Key differences in paid social vs. paid search include appearance, targeting ability, user engagement and intent, and cost.
However, the question remains: which is better for medical practices? This blog takes a closer look at the distinctions between paid search and paid social marketing campaigns and which one would be best suited for medical practices.
Paid Search: The Key Characteristics
With paid search, medical practices can optimize their online presence to reach more patients and influence their choice of care providers. Here are the key takeaways for paid search:
- Gets in front of healthcare consumers who are typically motivated to obtain care
- Primarily text-based ads
- Cost linked to keywords and competition
- Targets patients based on their search queries
- Quicker results
Paid search campaigns also offer the advantage of measurable results, allowing you to see what’s working and what’s not. You can track your campaigns’ performance through metrics such as clicks, impressions, and click-through rates, giving you the data you need to optimize your campaigns and improve your ROI.
Paid Social: The Key Characteristics
Social media platforms give medical practices an opportunity to connect with potential patients in an engaging and more personal manner. The following are the advantages of bringing paid social advertising into your healthcare marketing strategy:
- Good engagement with audiences during the “awareness phase”
- Builds brand awareness over time
- Utilizes visually rich image and video formats
- Fosters brand recognition for users who are not actively seeking your services
- Generally, lower cost-per-click, but can be expensive with high competition
- Effective for reaching users at the awareness or consideration stages
As with paid search, you can easily measure the effectiveness of your paid social ad campaigns by keeping an eye on key metrics such as reach, engagement, impressions, click-through rates (CTR), cost per click (CPC), and conversion rates. Both paid search and paid social provide tools that provide engagement data and insights.
Ad Formats and Appearance in Healthcare Marketing
One of the biggest differences between paid social vs. paid search is the intent of the users who see them. With search ads, users are generally active in searching for a specific product or service, meaning they’re more likely to book your services. On the other hand, paid social ads are displayed to users who may not necessarily be looking for a specific service. Instead, they are looking to engage with content in general and may not be motivated to interact with your ads or promoted posts.
Format of Paid Search Ads
PPC search ads, also known as search engine marketing (SEM), have specific characteristics that make them unique:
- Text-based format – Paid search ads for services are primarily text-based and consist of a headline, a description, and a display URL. These ads do not include visual elements like images or videos, focusing solely on the traditional Google results format that lists links.
- Placement on SERPs – Paid search ads usually appear above the organic search (unpaid search visibility) results on search engine results pages (SERPS).
- Relevance for healthcare queries – When users search for specific healthcare-related terms or keywords, the search engine algorithm matches those queries with the relevant paid ads.
- Targeting and customization – Advertisers have the ability to target specific keywords, demographics, geographic locations, and other factors to ensure their ads reach the right patients in their market.
- Cost structure – Paid search ads follow a pay-per-click model, where advertisers only pay when a user clicks on their ad.
- Performance tracking and analytics – Paid search ads provide detailed metrics and analytics that help you evaluate performance.
The Visual Appeal of Paid Social Ads
In the competitive landscape of social media advertising, the visual appeal of paid social ads is an essential component for capturing attention, conveying messages effectively, building credibility, and driving engagement. Using images and videos to capture patients’ attention, healthcare brands can leave a lasting impression on those who may need their services in the future. Benefits include:
- Capturing attention – In the fast-paced world of social media, visual appeal is crucial for grabbing users’ attention as they scroll through their feeds.
- Storytelling – Visual elements in paid social ads enable healthcare marketers to tell a story or convey medical practice values and care philosophy.
- Building trust and credibility – High-quality visuals in healthcare advertising on social media platforms can enhance the trust and credibility of the brand.
- Showcasing products and services – Visual appeal allows healthcare providers to highlight their products or services in a way that stays in a consumer’s memory.
- Emotional connection – Visuals have the ability to evoke emotions that resonate with and foster a connection with the audience.
Targeting Capabilities in Medical Practice Marketing
By effectively targeting the right audience, healthcare advertisers can maximize their campaign’s impact and achieve better results. Targeting capabilities in PPC campaigns for medical practice marketing are essential for increasing relevance, optimizing ad spend, reaching the right audience, and maximizing the effectiveness of your advertising efforts. Here are the reasons why targeting is key:
- Relevance – Smart targeting tactics ensure that your PPC ads are shown to the individuals most likely to be interested in your medical practice or services.
- Cost-effectiveness – PPC marketing campaigns can be more cost-effective when targeting is more precise.
- Geographic targeting – Geographic targeting is particularly important for medical practices as their services are often location-specific. For example, setting the right parameters prevents your ads from being clicked on by someone on the other side of the country.
- Demographic targeting – Healthcare providers often have specific demographics they want to reach based on factors like age, gender, or other characteristics.
Keyword-Driven Targeting in Paid Search
Keyword targeting allows you to choose relevant keywords related to your medical practice or specific services. This targeting approach ensures that your ads are shown to users with high intent, decreasing the chances that someone who has little interest in your services will see or click on your ad.
Understanding User Intent and Engagement
User intent is another way to differentiate between paid social vs. paid search. It can be categorized into different levels, such as:
- Informational intent – Seeking information
- Navigational intent – Looking for a specific website
- Transactional intent – Intent to make a purchase
- Commercial/awareness intent – Researching products or services without immediate purchase intent
In the context of medical PPC ads, understanding user intent is crucial, as it helps healthcare providers target their ads more precisely and tailor their messaging to meet the needs of potential patients. Here’s why user intent is important:
- Relevance – Ensures that their PPC ads are relevant to the patient’s search query or online behavior.
- Targeting – Generates valuable insights for targeting the right audience. For example, if a user’s intent is transactional, indicating a readiness to book an appointment or seek medical treatment, healthcare providers can design their PPC campaigns to target such users specifically.
- Ad copy and messaging – Prompts compelling ad copy and messaging that speaks directly to the patient’s needs.
- Keyword selection – Assists in the precise selection of keywords for PPC campaigns.
- Landing page optimization – Guides design and content optimization of landing pages.
Overall, understanding and leveraging user intent allows healthcare advertisers to connect potential patients with services at the right moment by providing them with the information and solutions they are actively seeking. Strategic considerations for leveraging user intent in medical PPC ad campaigns include:
- Conducting thorough keyword research to identify keywords that reflect user intent.
- Creating separate ad groups or campaigns that target each level of user intent.
- Testing and optimizing ad copy to better resonate with user intent and improve click-through rates.
- Developing landing pages that cater to specific user intents and lead users to follow through with desired actions.
- Continuously monitor and analyze user behavior and ad performance to see where targeting and messaging strategies can be improved.
Paid Search Serves Immediate Healthcare Needs
Paid search plays a significant role in connecting patients to immediate medical services or information. Paid search campaigns target patients who tend to have an urgent need for healthcare solutions. This advertising method is valuable in reaching patients who are ready to secure medical services now because it provides:
- Immediate visibility – Paid search ads will be the first thing patients see for many Google searches.
- Targeted reach – Ads are shown to patients who match a specific target audience.
- User intent alignment – Runing campaigns based on target keywords that reflect immediate healthcare needs. Users searching for terms like “emergency room nearby” or “symptoms of XYZ condition” demonstrate a clear intent to find immediate medical assistance or information.
- Local targeting – Reach patients in your specific local market, and only patients within your geographical location.
- Mobile-friendly ads – Be prepared to connect with patients who rely on the convenience of mobile devices to run their busy lives.
Paid Social Nurtures Long-Term Connection with Patients and the Community
Paid social can nurture patient and public relationships from the awareness stage to the consideration stage in the following ways:
- Elevating practice visibility – It has been said that it takes at least seven touchpoints to convert a consumer. Exposure on social media visibility counts as one of those touchpoints.
- Content distribution – Sharing content on your social media channels reinforces public perception of your medical practice brand by reflecting what you care about and how you serve people.
- Engaging with patients – Comments, likes, and shares not only help you stay connected with patients between visits but also demonstrate how much loyalty you have to the general public.
- Segmented targeting – Paid social tools assist in highly precise targeting based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, so that ads are shown to users most likely to have an interest in specific medical services or treatments.
- Building trust and credibility – Paid social provides a platform for healthcare providers to share testimonials, case studies, or success stories from satisfied patients. This social proof helps build trust and credibility, encouraging potential patients to consider the provider’s services and strengthen their relationship with the brand.
- Brand awareness and recall – Consistent exposure to paid social ads helps increase brand awareness and recall among potential patients.
Budget and Strategic Considerations in Healthcare Advertising
Budget management can make or break the ROI of healthcare digital marketing, especially when it comes to PPC campaigns. Here are the key aspects of budget management in healthcare advertising:
- Optimizing PPC campaigns – By carefully allocating funds and adjusting campaigns according to performance metrics – such as cost-per-click – advertisers can make data-driven decisions to maximize their ROI.
- CPC costs and keyword selection – Advertisers should carefully assess the competitiveness of healthcare keywords and manage their budgets accordingly while maintaining visibility to effectively reach their target audience. In cases where the budget is limited, exploring alternative keywords that yield similar results can serve as an alternative.
- Network selection – Which advertising platform you choose will impact budget allocation and overall campaign performance. For example, Google Ads offers robust targeting options for healthcare advertisers, while social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram provide a more granular targeted reach among specific demographics.
- CPC dynamics – The average CPC for healthcare-related keywords helps advertisers set realistic budgets and optimize their campaigns to achieve desired results within their allocated budget.
- Ad saturation and competition – Healthcare advertising often faces high levels of ad saturation and competition, particularly in highly sought-after areas such as elective surgeries or specialized treatments. This is likely to hamper the results of your campaigns.
- Continuous monitoring and adjustments – Budget management is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and adjustments. Not only do you want to stay on budget, but you also want to make sure you are getting results from your efforts and are not missing out on opportunities to optimize spending.
Paid Search vs. Social for Comprehensive Coverage
Integrating paid social vs. paid search strategies is crucial for comprehensive medical marketing coverage. By leveraging both tactics, healthcare marketers can effectively target and engage with their audience across the stages of the patient journey. The following key points demonstrate the strategic importance of this integration:
- Covering distinct stages of the buyer journey – Integrating paid search and social media allows healthcare marketers to reach potential patients at various stages of their decision-making process. Paid search can capture the attention of users actively searching for specific medical services, while social media can generate awareness and foster engagement among a broader audience.
- Targeted advertising – Paid search and social media platforms offer advanced targeting options that enable healthcare marketers to reach their desired audience with more precision.
- Increased brand visibility – By utilizing targeted keywords in paid search and delivering engaging content through social media, marketers can increase brand awareness and establish themselves as trusted providers in the minds of potential patients.
In evaluating paid social vs. paid search, both support consistent messaging across different channels. A unified message helps reinforce the brand identity and ensures a cohesive experience for patients throughout their consumer journey, fostering trust and loyalty.
Summary: Paid Social vs. Paid Search
Paid social and paid search are different yet complementary digital advertising strategies, each with its own strengths. While paid search is effective for targeting high-intent users ready to secure care services, paid social excels at building brand visibility and engaging users at the awareness stage. Both paid search and social are subject to continued evaluation for effectiveness so that expenses incurred from these efforts are offset by the revenue generated. Both paid search and paid social offer opportunities to precisely target a specific demographic, but they also provide robust tools for ad creation and performance tracking.
While most medical practices opt for paid search because patients are more motivated to secure services at that stage, some will turn to paid social to amplify their messaging to a specific demographic. It all depends on the business goals of the medical practice.
Partner with iHealthSpot to Maximize Your PPC ROI
When comparing paid social vs. paid search, you may still be unclear on which method of digital advertising you need to gain more patient volume. IHealthSpot is here to guide you to the best solutions for your medical practice growth. Our digital advertising experts make sure that ad campaigns are optimized to meet our clients’ business goals and best utilize your budget. Contact us to learn more about our robust PCC marketing strategy for healthcare.
