Working in healthcare search engine optimization (SEO) and digital marketing agencies can be time-consuming. You must be familiar with privacy laws, insurance companies, and medical jargon. At the same time, you need to keep up with SEO’s endless updates and changing algorithms. You also have to meet rigid deadlines, post on different social media platforms, check in routinely with your team, and somehow take care of your life outside of work.

Have you ever considered what would happen if you could simplify time management and workflow? As impossible as it may sound, it can be done. Simple strategies can help you hone your time management skills and maximize productivity. But first, let’s discuss the unique challenges of time management in healthcare digital marketing.

Time Management in Healthcare Digital Marketing

Time management is using your time in the most useful, effective, and intelligent way. There are several reasons why managing time well is essential in healthcare digital marketing:

• Tight regulatory guidelines: Healthcare has privacy laws like HIPAA that require strategic planning to ensure compliance. These laws may even vary by state. 
• Time-sensitive information: Remember when COVID-19 was at its peak? Health information and trends constantly change. Important updates and services that affect consumers can be time-sensitive.
• Fast-evolving healthcare landscape: Healthcare evolves rapidly. This dynamic requires constant research, learning, and adaptation to keep up with new treatments and regulations. 
• Multi-channel approach: Managing multiple social media channels, email marketing, and content creation needs significant time, coordination, and creative energy. 
• Strict deadlines: Events, product launches, and healthcare seasonal trends must be completed on schedule to maximize audience engagement.

5 Essential Time Management Tips for Healthcare Digital Marketing Agencies

The secret to mastering time management in healthcare digital marketing is to harness your resources and maximize your arsenal of knowledge, tools, and skills. Let’s explore these concepts a little further.

1. Assess your priorities.

Before you start each day, take a few minutes to map it out. What events, product launches, and seasonal trends must you complete this month? Determine which tasks have the highest priority. Stay organized by creating a healthcare editorial content calendar to help you share your tasks with the team and maintain communication on the go.

2. Delegate and automate.

Aim to work smart so you can meet those deadlines. Sort out tasks you can delegate to your team to increase productivity. Utilize strategies like the Eisenhower Matrix to help you sort urgent versus important tasks. Explore social media automation tools like SocialBee to schedule posts across all your channels.

3. Invest in education.

Encourage your team members to continuously develop their knowledge and skills to keep up with the fast-evolving healthcare landscape. Take advantage of platforms like LinkedIn and Coursera, which offer SEO courses and certifications. Resources like the Search Engine Journal can provide fresh insights for new and seasoned team members. Keep up with healthcare marketing trends with reputable sites like The Digitalis Blog.

4. Avoid common time management pitfalls.

Be mindful of pitfalls like procrastination, overcommitment, and a lack of flexibility, which can steal your time.

• Procrastination: Whenever possible, complete assignments at least a day before the deadline. This strategy can give you some wiggle room in case something unexpected happens. Make it a habit to check in with your team members regularly to ensure that tasks are progressing as planned. 
• Overcommitment: Avoid spending too much energy on a single project, as this may steal time from other crucial assignments. Create time blocks in your schedule and take breaks to recharge.  
• Lack of flexibility: Some tasks may consume more time and energy than you planned. Don’t be afraid to reassign tasks if others have more capacity or to outsource to experts.
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5. Adopt a mindset of continuous improvement.

Lastly, monitor your progress and adjust the strategies as needed. Information develops rapidly in the online world, so it’s essential to adopt a mindset of continuous improvement.

• Evaluate: Check the infographics for your engagement data. When do your consumers interact the most? Do you need to adjust your schedule or use an application to help you manage your interactions?
• Consolidate: Perhaps you’ve tested different applications that can streamline the process for your multi-channel approach. Gauge which ones work the best for you and your team and eliminate the ones that don’t.  
• Collaborate: Schedule monthly meetings to review strategies. At these check-ins, you can evaluate tasks and ask your team for suggestions to improve workflow.   

Effective time management strategies can be a game-changer in healthcare SEO and digital marketing. Prioritization, delegation, education, and continued growth are integral time management skills that can result in tangible outcomes, reduce stress, boost creativity, and improve team productivity. Try implementing these strategies and see how managing time and team workflow can be made easier than you think.

FAQs

Is time management vital to healthcare digital marketing?

Healthcare digital marketers face unique time management challenges. They are bound by privacy and HIPAA regulations, so they must find creative approaches to reach their target audience while keeping up with the latest SEO trends. They must also leverage a multi-channel approach to expand their reach in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. These strategies take significant time and effort.

How can outsourcing help with time management and directly improve outcomes?

Knowing your limitations and seeking expert help can free up time to continue providing high-quality services. Here’s an example of how Write RN helped a healthcare software company upgrade its search engine visibility and rank first in search results. 

How can the Eisenhower Matrix help with delegation? 

The Eisenhower Matrix provides a visual reference to help you differentiate between urgent and important tasks. It can help you organize your thoughts and decide which assignments you can delegate to your team—or not do at all.

What other social media automation tools can you use?

There are many! Choose the one that fits your budget and workflow. For example, Sendible is an all-in-one application that can help you schedule, source, customize, and collaborate while checking reports, trends, and audience engagement across your channels. Another is ContentStudio, which has pre-built workflows, bulk uploaders, and autopilot options for evergreen content.

Should you use AI to help with time management?

It’s worth exploring, albeit with caution. Artificial intelligence cannot replace writing, especially for content that requires subject matter expertise. However, AI can help with outlines and keywords, saving you time.

References

Baker, L. (2022, October 16). Learn SEO: A blueprint from beginner to advanced. Search Engine Journal. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo/best-seo-resources/ 

Connel, A. (2024, March 12). 14 best social media automation tools for 2024 (comparison). Blogging Wizard. https://bloggingwizard.com/social-media-automation-tools/ 

Digitalis. (2023). All the healthcare marketing statistics to pay close attention to in 2023. https://digitalismedical.com/blog/healthcare-marketing-statistics/ 

Fazlioglu, M. (2023, March 28). Filling the void? The 2023 state privacy laws and consumer health data. The International Association of Privacy Professionals. https://iapp.org/news/a/filling-the-void-the-2023-state-privacy-laws-and-consumer-health-data/ 

Kheeler, J. (2021, January 28). The unique challenges of health care marketing. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/01/28/the-unique-challenges-of-health-care-marketing/?sh=4f9bf97a2b11

Nevins, M. (2023, January 5). How to get stuff done: The Eisenhower Matrix (aka the urgent vs the important). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/hillennevins/2023/01/05/how-to-get-stuff-done-the-eisenhower-matrix-aka-the-urgent-vs-the-important/?sh=c8b1611b58fe