Medical Tourism in India – How to Make the Best of it?

Gaurav Dhingraby Gaurav Dhingra06 April, 2018

Do you know that medical tourism in India is expected to grow to $7-8 billion by 2020?
What is it that attracts so many people to visit India for medical procedures?
What exactly is medical tourism and how can the healthcare organizations in India make the best of it?
Can digital marketing help?

These are just some of the questions most of the healthcare organizations in India have in their mind. While there is no doubt the medical tourism industry in India is growing, how can a typical healthcare organization attract the most number of patients to their organization? Let us find answers to all these questions, but first, let’s find out what medical tourism actually is.

Medical Tourism – What is it?

Medical tourism, as the name suggests, is touring another country to get some medical treatments done. Medical tourism is on the rise in India. This is particularly true because of the fact that medical value travel to India is highly cost-effective as compared to other countries. According to the Medical Tourism Market Report of 2015, India offers one of the highest quality and cost-effective medical tourism destination offering a variety of medical procedures costing just one tenth of what they would cost in the US. Most of the medical tourists coming to India are from the US and the UK. Afghanis and Bangladeshis also make a good portion of the foreign patients in India. Chennai has come to be known as India’s Health Capital owing to a huge number of foreign patients coming for treatments.

Medical Tourism – An Opportunity for all Indian Healthcare Organizations

Affordable healthcare offered in India attracts many patients each year from all over the world. The main way these patients are able to reach Indian healthcare organizations is through the internet. We are all global citizens today tied to one another through the internet. The first thing any foreign national does when looking to tour India for a medical treatment is the healthcare options they have. Almost all of them run a Google search, which means they are highly likely to choose one of the healthcare organizations that appear on the first page. They are going to read reviews, visit websites and the social networking profiles before making contact with you. Thus, the market is equally open for all Indian healthcare organizations to attract foreign patients. What makes them different from one another is the amount of time they have invested in digital marketing. You would be able to make it to the top of the search engine rankings if you are doing your digital marketing right. If not, your chances of attracting foreign patients to your healthcare service drop exponentially.

Digital Marketing Strategy for Attracting More Foreign Patients

If you want to stay on top of your game in medical tourism industry of the country, you need to have a well-planned and executed digital marketing strategy. Only then will you have a chance against the top healthcare organizations. Not sure how to do it? Let us guide you.

1. Make a Mobile Friendly Website

First things first, you need to invest in a mobile friendly website. Most of the people today use their mobile devices to use the internet. This means, just having a desktop website is not enough anymore. Since your website is the main source for the foreign patients to see what your business is and what treatments you offer, you need to invest in it to attract more traffic and hence more patients.

2. Invest in SEO

If you want to drive qualified leads to your website, organic search is what you should be after. You need to rank well for the terms that the foreign patients are searching for over the internet. If done right, you will be able to come to their attention the moment they type in a search query. They will be directed to your website, where they can find relevant answers and how your organization can help them with the procedures and treatments.

3. Create Your Social Media Presence

If you want to generate more leads and convert them into customers, it is important to have social media presence that allows for a one-to-one interaction. Foreign customers are going to search for your business on various social media channels, and not seeing you on one would turn them off. They will prefer a healthcare organization that is not only present but also active on social media. Thus, make sure you are present there and are active as well.

4. Let them Interact with Doctors

Another great way to attract more foreign patients to your healthcare organization is to let the patients interact with the doctors live before making their decision. This increases your chances of attracting more foreign patients when they know how qualified your doctors are. It also increases their confidence in your healthcare organization as you are showcasing your best talent to them.

5. Invest in Content Strategies

Investing in content strategy helps you get more leads in a natural way. The idea is to make a content strategy that delivers answers to any questions the foreign patients might have. The more they are informed about your services and expertise, the more likely they are to choose you over others. Investing in a good content strategy also help you rank high in search engine, which automatically increases your chances of getting picked by them.

Medical tourism in India is growing by leaps and bounds.
Are you making the best of it?

You need a digital marketing expert by your side to make things as good as you imagine. Refresh Healthcare offers all healthcare organizations in India a chance to make their presence felt in medical tourism industry. With the perfect website and the best digital marketing strategies, we help you attract more foreign patients every day.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gaurav Dhingra is digital marketing expert for healthcare companies, backed by robust technology team to develop strategy and execute plans to perfection. He is a passionate, dedicated and truly empathic listener, who has made a life of designing and delivering digital
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