Is RCM Marketing Using TikTok Right for Your Medical Billing Business?
Over the last decade, we’ve seen the rise of numerous social media and video platforms. TikTok has emerged as a sensation, but it’s just one of many platforms that have captured the public’s attention—with more certain to follow. As a medical billing business owner, you might be wondering if RCM marketing using TikTok is a smart strategy for generating leads and attracting healthcare clients.
Understanding TikTok’s Potential
TikTok is undeniably impressive with over a billion monthly active users—an extraordinary amount of traffic. Users typically spend significant time on the platform, creating opportunities for engagement, which is a critical component of effective marketing.
But the question remains: Is RCM marketing using TikTok the right investment for your medical billing company? Let’s take a step back and explore how to evaluate whether this or any platform deserves your marketing budget.
Strategy Before Channel
The first principle to understand is that a channel-first or media-first strategy is doomed to fail. I’ve seen many medical billing companies ask, “Should we advertise on TikTok?” or “Should we invest in trade shows?” without first addressing more fundamental questions.
Your starting point should always be your target market. If you haven’t identified a clear, relatively narrow target market, that’s where you need to begin. Assuming you’ve already defined your target audience, the next step is to determine which channels they actively consume or can be effectively reached through.
This customer-centered approach will naturally guide you toward the right platforms. According to MarketingProfs’ B2B channel selection framework, companies that align their channel strategy with audience behavior see 37% higher engagement rates than those using a platform-first approach.
Evaluating RCM Marketing Using TikTok
With this framework in mind, let’s assess TikTok specifically for medical billing services:
1. Is Your Target Audience on TikTok?
If you’re targeting physicians, medical practice managers, or hospital administrators, there’s a fair chance that a percentage of them have TikTok accounts. So the first box—audience presence—might be checked.
2. Are They in the Right Mindset?
The critical question isn’t just whether your audience is on the platform, but whether they’re receptive to business messages while there. When users log into TikTok, they’re typically seeking entertainment—videos of cats, people dancing, or other light content. They’re not in a business-focused mindset.
Unlike YouTube, where people often search for instructional content (including business-related tutorials), TikTok isn’t primarily used for B2B information consumption. Even when healthcare professionals are on TikTok, they’re usually there for a mental break from work—not to make medical billing vendor decisions.
3. Content Format Compatibility
The short-form, entertaining video format that dominates TikTok isn’t ideally suited for explaining the complexities and value propositions of revenue cycle management services. Creating engaging RCM dashboards is one thing, but trying to make medical billing look exciting in 15-60 second clips presents significant creative challenges.
The Verdict on RCM Marketing Using TikTok
Based on these considerations, RCM marketing using TikTok is generally not recommended for medical billing businesses. While your target audience might have accounts on the platform, they’re not in a receptive mindset for business propositions while scrolling through TikTok.
This doesn’t mean newer platforms or video content aren’t valuable for your marketing strategy. YouTube, for instance, could be highly beneficial because users often turn to it for educational and business-related content. LinkedIn’s video capabilities might also offer better alignment with your audience’s professional mindset.
According to Healthcare Financial Management Association, healthcare financial decision-makers spend 3x more time consuming business content on LinkedIn and specialized industry platforms than on general entertainment apps like TikTok.
The Right Channel Strategy
The evaluation process outlined here applies to any marketing channel you’re considering:
- Define your target audience clearly
- Understand where they consume information
- Determine if they’re in a receptive mindset on that platform
- Assess whether your content format works within the channel’s constraints
- Consider the cost-efficiency compared to other channels
For most medical billing companies, specialized healthcare platforms, LinkedIn, targeted email marketing, and even YouTube will likely deliver better results than RCM marketing using TikTok efforts.
Remember: always lead with your audience’s information consumption habits, not with the latest trendy platform.
