Today, healthcare organizations can’t afford to sit on the sidelines when it comes to marketing and paid media. Patients aren’t just searching for doctors–they’re searching for answers. . With 5% of all Google searches being health-related, it's clear that patients are using the internet as their go-to healthcare resource.
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The Digital Shift in Patient Behavior
Search engines are the first stop for most patients looking for care. Search drives three times more visitors to hospital sites than non-search channels, proving that if your practice or hospital isn’t optimized for search, you’re missing out—big time.
But search is just one part of the equation. Patients expect convenience, and that means user-friendly digital experiences. Online scheduling is on the rise, with 29% of patients booking appointments through provider websites and 16% using patient portals—and that was back in 2019. These numbers are only going up.
It’s not just about making it easier to schedule an appointment. Patients want self-service options. AI-driven chatbots, telehealth visits, and digital forms are becoming the norm. 80% of patients now expect online appointment scheduling, and 68% are more likely to choose a provider who offers it.
Healthcare providers that don’t keep up risk losing patients to those that do. If your competitors are making it easy to schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments online—and you’re still relying on phone calls and paperwork—you’re falling behind.
The Power of Paid Social Media in Healthcare
Social media isn’t just for engagement—it’s a powerful paid media tool for healthcare organizations looking to attract new patients. Relying on organic reach alone won’t cut it anymore. With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube allowing hyper-targeted ad placements, paid social media ensures your message gets in front of the right people at the right time.
Healthcare marketers already know this: 98% run Facebook ads, 94% invest in YouTube, and 92% use Instagram ads. Why? Because paid social media works. It allows you to target specific demographics, retarget users who have visited your website, and drive more appointment bookings—all while being measurable and cost-effective.
If your competitors are running paid social campaigns and you’re not, you’re losing patients to them. It’s not a question of if you should advertise—it’s a question of how many patients you’re willing to miss out on by not doing it.
The 7 Advantages of Paid Media
Digital technology has given marketers a plethora of tools to allow marketers to be more focused and strategic in getting their message in front of the right people at the right time. Here are some of the ways paid media goes to work for you:
- Paid media is targeted.
- Paid media provides flexibility across channels.
- Paid media invites mobile engagement.
- Paid media is faster to market.
- Paid media is easily measurable.
- Paid media maintains top of mind awareness.
- Paid media can go viral.
Here's a great resource on how to increase brand awareness with paid search advertising. You're probably still thinking, "I can't afford to spend money on advertising." But I'd argue that you can't afford not to! If that's the only thing you take away from this article, then I've done my job.
How Much Should Healthcare Brands Spend on Paid Media?
One of the biggest questions healthcare organizations ask when planning their paid media strategy is: How much of our budget should we allocate? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all—it depends on several factors, including your revenue goals, patient acquisition costs, and overall marketing budget.
According to HubSpot, here’s what to consider when setting your paid media budget:
- What investment is needed to reach patient acquisition goals?
- How much of the marketing budget can be allocated to digital ads?
- What is the lifetime value (LTV) of an average patient?
- How effectively are website visitors converting into leads and patients?
- What is the cost per lead or patient acquisition?
And here’s the key: Commit to at least three months of paid media. Digital ads need time to collect data, refine targeting, and generate real results. Expecting instant success is like expecting a billboard to bring in patients the same day—it doesn’t work like that.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Paid Media Budget
This is really going to depend on how you approach it.
First things first, determine how much you can afford to spend. Know your goals and do your research on buyer personas and demographics, buyer's pain points, buyer's journey stages, and your closest competitors. You will need this information no matter who does your paid media strategy. Check out these three tips for paid search advertising to generate leads online.
If you don't have any experience with digital advertising, it would be a good idea to hire an inbound marketing agency that has experience with marketing strategies and digital advertising. That way, your budget will be used effectively, and you will begin to see results from your digital advertising efforts. HIVE Strategy can help decide what's the best option for you. We'd love to chat!
