Pharmaceutical brands often take a backseat role in patient health by encouraging patients to talk to their healthcare provider about treatment options. However, today’s healthcare consumers are asking for a different approach. Instead of spending hours on search engines looking for a healthcare provider, consumers now look to drug manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and other health-related brands to provide them with resources to make informed decisions. 

One way to do this is through a physician directory. Physician directories allow consumers to discover and compare provider ratings and reviews. Having a comprehensive and accessible directory on your website may give your potential patients the retail experience they crave and help boost conversions in the digital age.

A Deeper Look Into the Digital Healthcare Journey

Healthcare and pharmaceutical brands are expected to spend 15 billion dollars on digital advertising in 2023 and for a good reason. With the rapid rise of digital connectivity, patients are increasingly using digital channels at every stage of their healthcare journey.

Long before an in-office or telehealth visit, patients turn to digital mediums to research medical conditions, compare treatment options, and find physicians. Research shows patients rely on online resources nearly 2x more than doctor referrals when selecting a new healthcare provider. That said, the digital healthcare journey begins as soon as a consumer starts their search for a healthcare provider.

Unfortunately, the gap between what patients want and what pharmaceutical brands offer is still quite large. By providing your leads with a retail healthcare experience that is paired with a physician directory, you may begin closing the gap between your brand and the digital patient journey. This may ultimately assist you in turning your brand website into a conversion powerhouse.

Capitalizing on the Retail Experience

Consumers are beginning to put the traditional way of finding a healthcare provider to the wayside. What used to be an offline process that consisted of word-of-mouth referrals or a primary care physician’s recommendation is now an online experience. And much like the retail industry, patients want to be able to research, compare, and find the best healthcare provider that meets their needs.

While your typical search engines may be the most popular way to find a new healthcare provider, they aren’t the most efficient. Search engines provide patients with an overwhelming amount of information and options that may be difficult to navigate. Because of this, many healthcare consumers are turning to physician directory sites such as Zocdoc and Healthgrades to find new providers. With 44% of consumers stating that finding the right doctor is a barrier to their treatment, including a doctor directory on your brand website may be the key to success. Furthermore, in a study of over 1,000 healthcare consumers, 83% said they would be more likely to use or recommend a pharmaceutical brand that helped them find a provider through an online directory. 

What Does This Mean for Your Brand?

A study conducted in 2020 found that 71% of surveyed patients use online reviews as the first step in finding a new provider. With a vast majority of consumers now using the internet as a resource for finding healthcare providers, medications, and prescription drugs, it’s time for pharmaceutical brands to take note. Offering potential patients a physician directory on your brand website may improve the patient experience and help you keep up with the demand for a seamless digital healthcare journey. This places an opportunity at the forefront for pharmaceutical companies to increase brand awareness, improve conversion rates, and boost ROI.

Leveraging Your Physician Directory for Successful Conversions

A physician directory is a powerful tool that pharmaceutical brands may use to improve their websites’ conversion rates. In order to make the most of your directory, consider the following tips:

• Use physician reviews and ratings to your advantage
• Optimize your physician directory for SEO
• Make physician contact information easy to find
• Keep your physician directory up-to-date

Following the above tips may ensure your physician directory is working to its full potential. Offering your potential patients a better digital healthcare experience and helping your brand website convert leads into patients are just a few ways a provider directory may improve your brand’s bottom line. If that’s not incentive enough, including a directory on your website may help increase awareness by facilitating discussions around your brand and product. Moreover, incorporating a directory into your digital marketing strategy may give you the unique opportunity to improve your SEO ranking by giving you another avenue to include keywords.

Maximize Your Patient-first Approach with Levo Health

Offering a physician directory on your brand website is one way to put patients first. However, if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution that will help drive conversions, boost brand awareness, and take your digital marketing strategy to the next level, consider partnering with Levo Health. Contact us today to learn more about how our expert healthcare marketing services can help turn your brand website into a conversion engine.