Google recently announced that they will no longer show ads promoting speculative and experimental medical treatments starting on October 1, 2019. The list of treatments banned include stem cell therapy, cellular therapy, gene therapy, platelet rich plasma, bio-hacking, and gene therapy kits. This list appears to encompass any non-FDA approved treatments. Google explains that the main reason for disallowing these types of ads is because these types of treatments are “unproven” and lack significant and formal clinical trials to justify widespread use. They also cite that the use of these treatments can “lead to dangerous outcomes”.
So, what can one do now that they are not able to promote these types of treatments on Google Ads?
First off, we hope that your marketing provider has not recommended a one-sided marketing strategy. You should never rely on just one marketing method. It is important to use a diverse marketing strategy that includes multiple avenues for advertising your services – not just in the medical field, but for all industries. In the digital world, it starts with a great website. This is the foundation. Your website should be visually pleasing, mobile friendly, provide great content, and have specific calls-to-action.
The next step in your digital strategy is how to bring potential patients to your site. If you are solely relying on Google Ads, you may want to rethink your strategy especially if you are only advertising these newly banned treatments. Think about all treatments and procedures your clinic provides. You should consider choosing a few different ones and create Google ads for each type of service. Just like you can’t rely on Google Ads as your sole marketing platform, you shouldn’t rely on just one type of medical treatment to advertise.
Another type of marketing strategy to employ is an organic approach. By writing two to three blog articles per month and adding to your website, you can really improve your search engine optimization (SEO) which helps users to help find your website organically through non-paid methods. Other types of initiatives to consider are Facebook Ads, Display Advertising, Email marketing, or even your own Podcast.
Google’s banning of these specific types of ads doesn’t mean the end of the world for a clinic that practices these specialties. There are many other digital marketing options available. If you or someone you know has a health clinic and need expert advice, please feel free to contact us or call us at 713-309-6380.