The Problem with Medical Billing Marketing
Most medical billing companies are looking to grow, but they typically haven’t had much success in doing so. Historically, they’ve relied on word-of-mouth referrals to grow their businesses. As they decide to grow more aggressively, they often consider investing in new ways to acquire clients, and one of the first things that comes up is creating a new website.
Why a New Website Won’t Bring More Deals
Before jumping into building a new website, it’s essential to consider how it will actually bring more business. In most cases, it won’t. Think of a website as the front door to a retail store, like a grocery store or Starbucks. While your products or services are inside the store, putting a new door on it won’t necessarily bring in more customers or generate more sales.
Most medical billing company owners are operators, not marketing experts. So, when they think about digital marketing, a slick website seems like the obvious step. However, a new website alone will not drive traffic or increase leads. It’s simply the gate that visitors pass through, but it doesn’t bring them there.
The Cost of Investing in the Wrong Marketing Strategy
Spending money on a website without seeing an increase in leads can be frustrating, and it might even discourage further marketing investments. However, there are certain situations where upgrading your website could benefit the company.
When a Website Upgrade Could Make Sense
Returning to the retail metaphor: if the door is too small and customers can’t get in, they might leave in frustration. This situation is rare, but if you believe your website is actually hindering conversions, it’s worth reviewing the data. Look at your traffic sources, bounce rates, and other key metrics. If you believe improving the website can significantly boost your lead conversion rates, then it might make sense to invest in an upgrade.
However, before proceeding, ensure you have projections based on industry benchmarks. Without this, you could be wasting money.
Considering SEO: The Long Game
Another potential reason for upgrading your website is search engine optimization (SEO), or improving your organic search traffic. However, SEO is a long-term strategy that can take months, if not years, to yield results. You can’t simply throw up a new website and expect immediate leads.
Ranking well through on-page SEO alone is difficult, but SEO can be a legitimate reason to consider a website overhaul. If this is your plan, estimate the potential benefits in terms of deals and leads, calculate the associated costs, and project your return on investment (ROI). Only if these numbers look promising should you proceed with designing pages that target SEO goals. Keep in mind that SEO requires a comprehensive marketing campaign, not just a new website.
Focus on Other Marketing Strategies First
For most medical billing companies, upgrading the website isn’t the best place to start. In fact, it’s often better to leave the website alone at the beginning of your marketing efforts. Instead, focus on outbound marketing strategies, collect data, and once you see an increase in traffic, then consider upgrading the website—or even just a single page on the site.
