5 Ways to Improve the Marketing of Your CME Course

Investing the resources necessary to deliver world-class continuing medical education (CME) courses isn’t enough to succeed in today’s digital world. To attract busy physicians and other healthcare practitioners, you have to get noticed, and relying on word of mouth is only part of the solution. These five methods of improving the marketing of your continuing education courses will ensure that learners turn to you first for their continuing education.

Search Engine Optimization of Course Descriptions

Search engine optimization, also referred to as SEO, acknowledges the intricate algorithms search platforms like Google use to select and display results. While the specifics of these algorithms are a closely held secret, web experts have come up with some useful tips:

• Consider how physicians and others practitioners will search, and make sure you include obvious search words and phrases in the course description in your CME learning management system (LMS). Search engines display the most relevant results first.
• Invest in quality web page design for your CME LMS. Search engines favor sites that are easy to search and navigate, include internal links, and encourage visitors to explore further.
• Make the most of images by tagging them correctly in your CME LMS. While search engines can’t “see” images, they will note the text descriptions, which means your image — and therefore your course description — is more likely to be displayed in search results.

Email Promotion

Though email is giving way to text messages and instant messaging platforms in casual conversations, it is still a strong marketing technique for CME courses. Maximize the impact of your email campaigns with these simple techniques:

• Don’t send mass emails that cover large demographics. Instead, create customized lists for the relevant medical specialties of your course.
• Pay attention to response rates. High-quality email providers offer analytics that measure the effectiveness of each campaign. Use this data to improve your next set of emails.

Inbound Marketing

Reaching out to prospective customers via email alone is a staple of CME marketing, but current trends show that inbound marketing is more effective long-term. This technique relies on using digital platforms such as blogs and social media to offer potential customers valuable content. Over time, you will build a loyal following, and your followers will think of you first for their CME needs.

Online Advertising

The dramatic increase in use of mobile technology has changed the way people get their information. Online activity isn’t limited to periods of sitting in front of a computer at home or in the office. Consumers can access digital media anytime, anywhere, which means online advertising is a critical component of every comprehensive marketing plan. These tips will help you maximize the return on every dollar you spend to advertise online:

• Make the most of data and analytics. Any platform that allows you to advertise offers detailed information on the effectiveness of each campaign. Examine the details to see what’s working — and quickly make changes when ads are ineffective.
• Content comes before marketing. Instead of focusing on your marketing message, create ads that deliver valuable content. Today’s consumers are more interested in videos and images that deliver information than they are in old-fashioned advertisements.

Remarketing Ads

When you are using data properly, you are going to come across a discouraging statistic: the number of people who visited your CME LMS without registering for an course. Fortunately, new technology has made remarketing ads easier than ever before. These campaigns target people who have interacted with you in the past, either by clicking an ad or visiting your site. Remarketing reminds these consumers to pick up where they left off, increasing the likelihood of a registration.

What’s Next?

For help improving the delivery of your CME courses, contact us today for a free demo.