Brand Reputation in the Medical Industry: Understanding of Marketing Regulations

Online brand reputation in the medical industry is more important than ever.

The medical industry is an intensely competitive arena as the average healthcare consumer becomes empowered with more choice and accessible knowledge.

Not only does your website needs to be up to scratch, it also needs to offer the best representation of your brand, its values and your industry.

While you create marketing strategies for your business, keep in mind the regulations surrounding the marketing communications of your industry

Follow Advertising Regulations to Build Brand Reputation in the Medical Industry

Online brand reputation for healthcare providers builds credibility for the business, as it builds and online community.

Content marketing in the medical industry can be intimidating as there are many regulations and compliance to navigate and follow.

While content marketing is a wonderful way to answer the questions of your prospective patients, it’s critical to adhere to rules and regulations within your industry, otherwise you may find yourself in breach of the National Law and face a penalty in the thousands of dollars.

Why Follow the Guidelines for Advertising Regulated Health Services?

• Advertising can be a useful way to communicate the services health practitioners offer to the public so that consumers can make informed choices
• Advertising that contains false and misleading information may compromise health care choices and is not in the public interest
• The unnecessary and indiscriminate use of regulated health services is not in the public interest and may lead to the public purchasing or undergoing a regulated health service that they do not need or require.

- Medical Board of Australia

Use Online Marketing to Build Credibility but Always Follow Regulations

When you have identified your target market clearly you can begin planning your marketing goals and begin developing your digital marketing campaign.

The language used for your marketing material is of the utmost importance.

Be sure to use language that highlights your professional credentials and affirms your credibility. Be wary of only using language specific to your industry and has the potential to mislead prospective patients.

For example;

Don’t call yourself a specialist without registering with AHPRA or you may find yourself in breach of the Medical Board of Australia’s rule and regulations.

Language that exaggerates your skills can cause unrealistic expectations for your patients, if you are not a registered ‘specialist’, you cannot say you are specialising in a particular field.

Before and after photos are a popular marketing tactic in the Cosmetic Medicine industry. They grab a visitor’s attention and invite the perception that they too can see results like the type displayed.

Before you jump right into using the popular ‘before and after’ marketing tactic, remember…
You have a responsibility to your clients to provide informative and legitimate representations.

Ensure that you have written consent from the patients who are photographed.

‘Before and after’ photographs are less likely to be misleading if:

• the images are as similar as possible in content, camera angle, background, framing and exposure
• there is consistency in posture, clothing and make-up
• there is consistency in lighting and contrast
• there is an explanation if photographs have been altered in any way, and
• the referenced procedure is the only visible change that has occurred for the person being photographed.

- Medical Board of Australia

When you follow the regulations and guidelines specific to your industry you save yourself future hassle and avoid the lawyers who come knocking at your door due to false advertising.

When You’re Building Brand Reputation, Language is Key

Language and vocabulary is critical in the marketing communications of the medical and healthcare industries.

You want a website that is attractive to your prospective clients and demonstrates mastery, while providing information that is clear, accurate and in no way misleading.

The digital marketing company that takes the time to understand your industry’s nuances, its regulations and guidelines is likely to be the one that will help you communicate to your market in the right way.

Whether you're in the medical industry or any industry for that matter, if brand reputation is important to your business, speak with the team at Conversion Leadership. It costs nothing and may end up saving you thousands.