What Are the 5 Ds of Digital Marketing?

In today’s digital age, traditional marketing tools cannot help your healthcare practice in the long run. You can have the best practice in town, but if you don’t have an optimized digital marketing strategy in place, you stand to lose patients to your competition.
 
Digital marketing is all about the 5 Ds—digital devices, digital platforms, digital media, digital data, and digital technology. When utilized effectively, the 5Ds increase the brand visibility of your practice and drive more patients your way.

But what are the 5 Ds, and how can they help your practice attract attention and build credibility? Keep reading to know more.

1.  Digital Devices

When we say digital devices, we mean your smartphones, laptops, tablets, computers, iPads, smart televisions, and more. Your patients learn about and engage with your practice through digital devices.

Did you know that the number of smartphone users worldwide has jumped from 2.5 billion in 2016 to 6.6 billion in 2022? This means that people are more likely to search for a local practice on their phones than on their computers or laptops. Having a fast, mobile-friendly website can ensure that you attract and retain interest from potential patients. If your mobile site isn’t as user-friendly as a competitor’s mobile site, you could lose patients to the competition.

2.  Digital Platform

Tailor your marketing strategy to suit digital platforms that are frequently visited by your patient pool. Some popular platforms that can help promote your practice include Facebook, Google, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
 
Enlist professional reputation management services to ensure that your patient feedback is managed efficiently. About 94% of healthcare patients of healthcare patients use online reviews to evaluate providers. So while a good review can boost credibility, a bad review can make prospective patients reconsider their opinion of your practice.

3.  Digital Media

Connect with both old and prospective patients alike using paid, owned, and earned communication channels. These channels can include emails, messaging, social networks, and search engines. You can create an SEO-optimized site to ensure that your website receives increased traffic.
 
If you have a blog or media page on your website, include a subscription button so that interested patients can get notified when you post. You can also set up text and email marketing campaigns to educate prospective patients about recent disease trends or technological advancements within your area of practice.

4.  Digital Data

Attract more patients to your practice by creating a patient profile. You can do so by narrowing down on a target demographic of patients. For example, if you’re a pediatrician, your marketing campaign needs to target parents with young children.
 
You can collect digital data about your target demographic based on patient inquiry forms, search preferences, and previous medical history.

5.  Digital Technology

Digital technology includes any electronic tool, system, device, or resource that helps generate, store, or process data. For example, cloud computing software and artificial intelligence can collect data about prospective patients. And based on that data, AI offers chatbots and predictive searches to patients.

Want to make your practice more visible in the local community and increase appointment calls? Contact Clinician Box—we can help put your practice on the map. Our medical marketing strategies help build online trust, authority, and reputation. Visit our website, call us at (833)254-6269, or contact us online to learn more about our services and how we can work together to improve your digital presence.