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We've rounded up the most essential marketing books for the healthcare industry for doctors and healthcare marketing professionals.

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Marketing

10 Best Healthcare Marketing Books to Elevate Your Digital Presence

There are thousands of blogs and YouTube videos teaching about marketing, but sometimes, you just need a good ole' fashion read. We've rounded up the most essential marketing books for the healthcare industry for doctors and healthcare marketing professionals. From how to cultivate your brand message to creating an exceptional patient experience, you'll be leveling up your practice in no time.

Let's dive right in.

1. Building a Brand Story- Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

At the end of the day, you're selling to people, and your patients are also your customers. And...what do people like more than anything? People like to be entertained.

They want a succulent story to draw them in.

Since the beginning of time, humans have relied on storytelling to keep traditions alive. Something magical happens when we hear a story. Our whole body is infused, and we're more likely to recall what has happened.

For this reason, Building a Brand Story by Donald Miller is just what the doctor ordered to foster your own unique story so patients become intrigued with your practice.

This New York Times bestseller teaches you:

  • The reason behind why customers (patients) make decisions
  • The universal story elements humans are infatuated with
  • A step-by-step guide to capturing and elevating your brand message
  • How to showcase your message on social media formats to elevate your patient experience

With so many doctors competing against each other, you'll stand out and be remembered by incorporating your brand story in your marketing strategy.

2. Influence: The Psychology of Influence

Coming in at number two on our Amazon book list for healthcare marketing is another New York Times bestseller. Not only is this book written by an American Psychologist himself, but Dr. Cialdini also teaches Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.

If you're a Psychologist (or in a related field) you know more than anyone the influence knowing this information has on the digital world and buying decisions. Inside this book, you'll learn the six universal rules of persuasion including:

  • Reciprocation
  • Commitment and consistency
  • Authority
  • Social Proof
  • Scarcity
  • Likability

You may know these components from a scientific standpoint, but understanding and applying them to your marketing plan will help you make better patient-focused decisions.

3. Social Media for Healthcare Professionals: Strategies for Successfully Engaging in an Online World

Tell us if this sounds like something you've experienced...

Your patient walks in for their annual visit and comes to you with raised eyebrows and a puzzled look. After careful analysis you come to find (let's call your patient Amanda) Amanda scared herself half to death scrolling through her symptoms on the internet, concluding that she has a rare autoimmune disease.

Turns out, she just has a rash.

With misinformation spreading like wildfire, it has become more prevalent that doctors must step into the social game and properly educate patients.

This book provides healthcare organizations with the tools needed to engage on social media, best practices to follow (regarding client confidentiality), content creation, and how to find your niche as a healthcare provider.

Another profound reason this book is high on our list is for its thorough information on why healthcare providers should build a personal brand.

4. Content-Based Networking: How to Instantly Connect with Anyone You Want to Know

Piggybacking off the last book, this one speaks on how to create the authentic content that'll build relationships. Often creating content can feel like a chore that you push off because maybe you think "you're not good at it" or maybe you just don't have the time.

This book discusses how you should focus on taking a journalistic approach to content creation so that you aren't feeling pressed to post or come up with content. For instance, maybe you spontaneously go live and do a 'day in the life' stream before your next patient comes in.

By seeking out opportunities to collaborate with other people in your niche, you can make content creation fun, tap into a larger network, and create more intentionally.

Although this isn't specifically for doctors, this digital marketing book provides a valuable approach to how you can deepen relationships with patients by crafting authentic content.

5. The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising

Let's be honest, most of your patients are probably on Facebook. With that said, if you aren't utilizing the intelligent ad capabilities on this platform for your marketing campaigns, you're missing out on a whole lot of potential. However, if you don't know how to properly set up, craft, and maintain your Facebook ads then you'll simply be throwing money out the window.

This thorough guide by Perry Marshall is perfect for doctors because it takes you through every step of the process from setting up your Facebook pixel to including the right type of copy in your ad. There are thousands of blogs and Youtube videos out there about Facebook ads, but this one offers a simplified version (with lots of examples) all in one space.

From awareness to conversions, this book will help you get more quality eyeballs on your health services.

6.  Top of Mind: Use Content to Unleash Your Influence and Engage Those Who Matter to You

Have you heard the saying, 'content is king'? From blogs to Tiktok videos, content is everywhere and it's the main way to nurture relationships between you and your patients. Elevate your healthcare branding with a well-thought-out content marketing plan.

In this complete guide, you'll learn how to craft top-of-mind content marketing so that more patients refer you to others. Here's how:

  • Through understanding how patients' expectations and needs have shifted and how you can meet them where they're at
  • By creating more consistent value for both your patients and yourself
  • By incorporating proven digital marketing efforts to promote sustainable growth in your patients' lives

7. Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Creating a Mass Movement of People Who Will Pay for Your Advice

Russell Brunson, also the co-owner of ClickFunnels (a funnel software) has popularized funnels in the digital world. As a New York Times bestseller, he has successfully trained thousands of entrepreneurs to craft a million-dollar message, cultivate a tribe of enthusiastic followers, and use a funnels system to convert those followers into paying customers (or in your industry, patients).

You might have a functional website, social media marketing plan, and a subscriber list, but if you don't have an effective funnels system set up to guide prospective patients, they'll likely lose interest.

This book is made for other entrepreneurs who're looking to learn from a funnel industry leader that has been scaling companies for over 10 years now.

Because you don't have a lot of spare time laying around as a doctor, this book is perfect because it provides scripts to use, step-by-step guides, and is simple to implement into your marketing plan.

8. Red Team: How to Succeed by Thinking Like the Enemy

This book offers a different perspective to your marketing efforts because it urges you to 'think like your competitors. Micah Zenko discusses many real-world organizations that have benefited from using this tactic and how you can think like your competitor to discover flaws in your own marketing research.

Say, for instance, another local doctor that has the same specialty as you offers a discount for first-time patients that book online. Once you make yourself aware of this, you can think about how you could integrate a better (or different) offer to make your practice more appealing for new patients.

By applying these marketing principles you'll learn how to stay objective so you can reflect and strive forward. Essentially, it could become easy to get lost in all the tasks one must uphold for their digital marketing, but it's always necessary to stop, think, and adjust to stay relevant.

9. Book Now! Internet Marketing for Healthcare Practices

Long are the days patients physically come in or pick up a phone to book an appointment. All they need to do is whip out their smartphone and click, 'book now!' to see you. As the digital landscape has changed how patients interact with doctors, we must adjust the way we market.

With that said this book goes into depth about how you can:

  • optimize your website so that it consistently converts new patients
  • get your website seen on search engines so that new patients can easily find you
  • craft a winning online reputation through managing reviews, so that referrals are consistently flooding in
  • increase patient interest through consistent valuable content marketing

Navigate the new realm of health system digital marketing with ease!

10. The Patient Will See You Now: Why Visibility, Patient Experience, and Digital Marketing are Key to Helping Medical Practices Thrive

Coming in at number ten is an Amazon read specifically made for doctors looking to understand why they should have a digital presence and how to cultivate an out-of-this-world patient experience.

You'll learn an easy-to-follow way to 'wow' your patience from the moment they book an appointment with you to the time they leave your office. Added bonuses include how you can optimize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to get seen on Google and how to utilize directories to get in front of more eyeballs.

Ultimately, patient experience and reviews have come to dictate how successful (or unsuccessful) doctors are, so when it comes to prioritizing where your time should go... it certainly should be on making your patients happy.

HealthCare Marketing Books to level up your Marketing Strategy: The Recap

These books give you a plethora of knowledge from building your brand story to building a funnel and optimizing your Facebook ads, however, the saying 'knowledge is power is a lie. Without application, you won't move forward. So, if you're feeling stuck and need some extra guidance, DearDoc would love to help you take a giant step forward:

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