What’s potentially the most underutilized medium in healthcare marketing? (Hint: It’s not social media.) It’s IP targeting. Now, you might be thinking, “IP targeting doesn’t work well for healthcare because we have to worry about HIPAA compliance.” But that’s where you’d be wrong.
The beauty of IP targeting is that it doesn’t use “big data” to track people’s online activity, and we can use a targeted approach that dials in on your ideal audience without getting so granular that it becomes a compliance issue.
We often call IP targeting the Swiss Army knife of marketing, because there’s so much it can do and there are a ton of benefits to using it. For your purposes, it’s a great way to recruit employees and grow your service lines. Let’s break it down.
What is IP targeting and how can it be used for healthcare marketing?
IP targeting allows us to send digital ads to your ideal audience, and there are two ways we can do that.
The first is by uploading a list of people you’d like to target, and then we match their home address with an IP address. Anytime a smartphone or computer connects to that IP address, your digital ad will show up in their website advertising as they’re searching and scrolling online. This is how we’d use it to grow your service lines. Based on what services you’re promoting, we would curate your audience list based on demographics that match the kinds of people you’d like to target. And that’s how we’d identify who should receive your ads.
The second way to use IP targeting is by GeoFraming™ a business or event location – which is a great way to recruit new employees. For example, we could GeoFrame™ competing healthcare organizations and remove anyone who is likely a patient (someone who was at that location one day versus every day). Or, if there was a big healthcare conference, we could GeoFrame™ the location of that event and send digital ads to the professionals who attended it.
What are the benefits of using IP targeting?
- Proactivity: You can proactively promote your services and organization. These are cold leads, so the people seeing them may not be familiar with what you’re trying to promote, or maybe the service you’re offering isn’t on their mind yet. But that can be a benefit, because you are proactively advertising healthcare services people need.
- New Audiences: It allows you to reach new and current audiences. This strategy doesn’t rely on email addresses, so you can expand your horizons and get in front of new people.
- Frequency: IP ads show up, on average, 15 times per month for each person you’re targeting, which is a huge plus because it takes (on average) 7 times for someone to see an ad before they act on it.
- Multi-Channel Opportunities: It can be paired with direct mail to increase your odds of success. Multi-channel marketing is the most effective strategy, because it puts your ads in front of people several times in different ways. If someone sees your digital ad and then sees a postcard from you in the mail, it increases your brand recognition and the likelihood that they’ll complete your call to action.
How can IP targeting enhance other marketing mediums?
Without sounding like a broken record, pairing different tools together is your best path toward growth. Why? Because people will come to you from different avenues. Some people will be actively searching for what you’re offering (in which case search engine advertising and website SEO are impactful). And some people will see your ad and realize they should schedule an appointment (in which case, IP targeting, social media ads, direct mail, billboards and more will be impactful). The more people see you, the more likely they are to come to you.
And everyone responds to marketing differently. Some people are more likely to trust a postcard, whereas others like the quick access of a digital ad. Some people will see something once and decide to act. And some people will need to see it 15+ times before they respond. It would be so much more convenient (and cost-effective) if this wasn’t true. But alas, humans are fickle creatures, and so we need a marketing strategy that reflects that.
Parting Thoughts
If your organization hasn’t used IP targeting, give it a try! In the same way that you want your patients to live healthy, fulfilling lives, we want your marketing to amplify your organization so you have a bigger reach and impact on your community. If you have questions or concerns about how IP targeting could work for you, reach out to us at info@imageworksdirect.com. We’re always here as a resource.