What to Check Before Choosing a Healthcare Advertising Agency

If you are a director who has opened or run a hospital, you have probably searched for ‘hospital advertising company recommendations’ at least once. However, when you look at the search results, each company introduces itself as a ‘specialized company’, so it is not easy to decide which one to choose. Recommendations from acquaintances are not bad, but it is difficult to trust them as the results may vary depending on the size of the hospital, department of treatment, and regional circumstances.

In the end, the safest way is to have ‘selection criteria’ first. If you prepare a list of unwavering questions in advance no matter what company you meet, you can objectively judge the person in charge's capabilities at the first meeting. In this article, we outline in Details the standards and precautions you must check when choosing a hospital advertising company, and introduce how SUMMITFEED approaches hospital marketing.

First, is content planned from the patient's perspective? Content simply for the purpose of attractive design or search exposure is unlikely to lead to actual patient consultation. You need to check whether the company is a company that analyzes what keywords patients search for and what information they want and reflects it in the content.

Second, is the focus on revenue flow rather than short-term numbers? Metrics such as impressions, clicks, and followers can be increased to some extent by increasing advertising costs. What really matters is whether those numbers are linked to actual patient visits and hospital sales. It is better to choose a company that explains ‘how to lead to sales’ rather than saying ‘we guarantee numbers’.

Third, is there a sufficient understanding and communication process with the hospital and director? No matter how much marketing experience the external company has, if it does not properly understand the strengths and treatment philosophy of the hospital, the message will be blurred. During the initial onboarding process, find out how deeply we want to learn about the director's practice style, main patient base, and the hospital's location.

Fourth, is this a company with which we can achieve long-term results together? Marketing effects are difficult to see in a short period of time. It takes at least several months to understand the needs of patients in the area surrounding the hospital and connect them to the hospital's strengths. Rather than a structure where a company quickly leaves after a short-term contract, you should look into whether the company operates on the premise of a mid- to long-term partnership.

Fifth, do you have specialized practical experience in hospital marketing? General digital marketing and hospital marketing are different. Effective messages must be created within the constraints of the Medical Advertising Act and Labeling Advertising Act, and patient behavior patterns are different for each medical field. There may be differences in practical approaches between a team that specializes only in hospital marketing and a team that deals with a variety of industries.

What you need to be most careful about is the expression ‘guaranteed results’. Marketing performance is a combination of hospital internal factors (consultation quality, service environment, pricing policy, etc.) and external factors (number of competing hospitals, regional population characteristics, seasonality, etc.). Companies that 'guarantee' certain numbers often prioritize inducing contracts over trust, so you need to be careful.

You should also be wary of companies that only verbally explain their performance without a portfolio. You must be able to show specific examples of the actual flow of hospital marketing carried out in the past, what channels were used, and what changes were made. If the company only repeats “we can do it well” without numbers or examples, it may be a new company lacking practical experience or an exaggerated promotion.

Lastly, you should carefully check the terms and conditions of the contract. In addition to the monthly cost, it is important to check in advance whether there are additional items such as content production fees, advertising operation fees, and early termination penalties. Actual operating costs may be much higher than the initially quoted amount, so make your decision based on whether the company transparently discloses its entire cost structure.

There are various marketing channels that hospitals can utilize, including Naver blogs and cafes, Naver advertisements (search advertisements and display advertisements), SNS such as Instagram and YouTube, Kakao channels, and Google search advertisements. Since each channel has different target age groups, content formats, and cost structures, it is important to design a channel mix that suits the hospital's medical departments and main patient groups.

For example, if you are an internal medicine or orthopedic surgeon whose main customers are patients in their 40s to 60s, Naver search-based content marketing may be effective. On the other hand, dermatology, plastic surgery, and dentistry, which have a high proportion of people in their 20s and 30s, use visual-oriented channels such as Instagram and YouTube Shorts. Instead of relying only on a single channel, a strategy is needed to connect channels according to the patient journey (search → information exploration → consultation reservation).

Recently, the number of cases where hospital information is cited in AI searches (ChatGPT, Naver AI searches, etc.) is increasing. Beyond simple keyword exposure, AI’s ability to create content with reliable structured information will become an important standard for hospital marketing in the future. SUMMITFEED applies this AI search-friendly content strategy to hospital marketing.

SUMMITFEED provides specialized hospital advertising and content marketing services. Rather than simply producing content or running advertisements, we operate by first understanding the hospital's treatment characteristics and local patient needs and then designing a strategy.

In particular, SUMMITFEED applies a content strategy optimized for the AI ​​search environment (GEO, Generative Engine Optimization) to hospital marketing. We design structured information and highly reliable content so that our hospital is mentioned first when AI search tools such as ChatGPT and Naver AI cite hospital information. This is SUMMITFEED's unique approach that differentiates it from existing SEO-centered marketing.

Additionally, SUMMITFEED produces content in a way that clearly and persuasively conveys the strengths of the hospital within the scope of the Medical Advertising Act and Labeling Advertising Act. We place emphasis on designing messages that can give patients confidence without exaggeration or legal risks.

If you start your first meeting with a company with a vague 'I wish you all the best', there is a high possibility that you will receive service that is different from your expectations after signing the contract. If you prepare the list of questions below before the meeting, you will be able to get a much clearer picture of the company's capabilities and operating methods.

List of questions to ask: Can you show us marketing examples from a specialty or region similar to ours? How are content creation and advertising operations separated, and which team is responsible for each? What is the monthly report method? How do I report metrics linked to sales? Are there any additional costs other than advertising costs? What are the contract terms and conditions for early termination? Do you have a content strategy for AI search (ChatGPT, Naver AI, etc.) exposure?

A company that can answer these questions in Details and without hesitation is likely to have practical experience and an operating system. On the other hand, if abstract answers or responses such as 'you have to try it to find out' are repeated, it is a good idea to reconsider carefully.