Healthcare Marketing

Telehealth Marketing: Reaching Patients Before They Search

By Harrison Hill· Founder & Chief Strategist
9 min read

Telehealth removes geographic barriers—but also traditional referral networks. Without a physical location for patients to walk past or GPs to recommend, digital marketing becomes your primary patient acquisition channel.

At iNDEXHILL, we help telehealth providers build patient acquisition systems that scale. The strategies differ from traditional healthcare marketing because you're not just competing locally—you're competing nationally.

The Telehealth Marketing Landscape

Telehealth adoption accelerated dramatically and shows no sign of slowing. The market opportunity is significant, but so is the competition.

Key Differences from Traditional Healthcare

  • National competition — You're competing with every telehealth provider, not just local practices
  • No referral networks — Traditional GP referral pathways don't apply
  • Convenience positioning — Speed and accessibility are key differentiators
  • Trust barriers — Patients may be sceptical of "virtual" care quality
  • Lower switching costs — Patients can easily try competitors

Primary Patient Acquisition Channels

  • Paid social (Meta Ads) — Awareness and demand generation
  • Paid search (Google Ads) — Capturing active searchers
  • SEO — Long-term organic visibility
  • Content marketing — Authority building
  • Partnerships — Corporate wellness, insurance panels

Meta Ads for Telehealth

Meta Ads excel at reaching patients before they actively search—building awareness and consideration for when they need care.

Audience Strategies

  • Demographic targeting — Age, location, life stage
  • Interest targeting — Health and wellness, fitness, parenting
  • Behaviour signals — App usage, online shopping patterns
  • Lookalike audiences — Based on existing patient profiles

What You CAN'T Target

Meta prohibits targeting by health conditions. You cannot target:

  • People with specific conditions
  • Users of health-related apps
  • Medical history signals

Creative Approaches

  • Convenience messaging — "See a doctor from home in minutes"
  • Social proof — Patient testimonials (with proper consent)
  • Problem-solution — "Tired of waiting weeks for an appointment?"
  • Lifestyle integration — Healthcare that fits busy lives

Campaign Structure

  • Awareness — Video content introducing the service
  • Consideration — Testimonials, how-it-works content
  • Conversion — Direct booking CTAs, limited-time offers
  • Remarketing — Re-engage website visitors

Search Strategy for Telehealth

While Meta builds awareness, search captures patients actively looking for telehealth solutions.

High-Intent Keywords

  • Service searches — "online GP", "virtual doctor appointment"
  • Condition + online — "online prescription for [condition]"
  • Convenience searches — "see doctor today", "same day doctor appointment"
  • Branded searches — Your telehealth brand name

Content for Organic Search

  • Service pages — Comprehensive telehealth service descriptions
  • Condition pages — "Can [condition] be treated online?"
  • Comparison content — "Telehealth vs in-person: when to use each"
  • How-it-works guides — Reduce barriers to trying telehealth

Google Ads for Telehealth

Healthcare ads on Google have additional requirements:

  • Certification may be required for certain services
  • Prescription medication advertising is restricted
  • Landing pages must meet quality standards
  • Claims must be substantiated

Building Trust in Virtual Care

Patients may hesitate to trust a doctor they've never met in person. Your marketing must overcome this barrier.

Credential Visibility

  • Practitioner profiles — Full qualifications, experience, photos
  • Registration verification — GMC/GDC numbers prominently displayed
  • Specialist credentials — Highlight relevant expertise
  • Team introductions — Video introductions humanise the service

Social Proof

  • Patient reviews — Google, Trustpilot, platform-specific reviews
  • Testimonials — Video and written patient stories
  • Ratings — Aggregate scores prominently displayed
  • Case studies — Anonymised patient outcomes

Quality Signals

  • CQC registration — Regulatory compliance
  • Insurance panels — Accepted by major insurers
  • NHS partnerships — If applicable
  • Clinical governance — Safety and quality processes

Conversion Optimisation for Telehealth

Telehealth has a significant conversion advantage: patients can book and consult immediately. Optimise for this speed.

Reducing Friction

  • Minimal registration — Collect only essential information upfront
  • Clear pricing — No hidden costs or surprises
  • Immediate availability — Show next available appointment prominently
  • Multiple payment options — Cards, PayPal, insurance direct billing

Mobile Optimisation

Most telehealth bookings happen on mobile:

  • One-thumb navigation
  • Click-to-call functionality
  • Streamlined booking flow
  • App download prompts where appropriate

Urgency and Availability

  • Real-time availability — "Doctor available now"
  • Wait time transparency — "Average wait: 10 minutes"
  • Booking confirmation — Immediate confirmation and reminders

Measuring Telehealth Marketing Success

Telehealth allows near-complete attribution—from ad click to consultation completion.

Key Metrics

  • Cost per booking — Marketing spend ÷ completed bookings
  • Cost per consultation — Bookings that attend
  • Patient lifetime value — Repeat consultation revenue
  • Retention rate — Patients who return
  • Referral rate — Word-of-mouth growth

Attribution Setup

  • Server-side conversion tracking
  • First-party data integration
  • Multi-touch attribution modelling
  • Cohort analysis by acquisition source

Optimisation Loop

Telehealth data enables rapid optimisation:

  • Test creative weekly
  • Adjust audience targeting based on conversion data
  • Optimise for downstream metrics (consultations, not just bookings)
  • Feed conversion data back to ad platforms

How we do this at iNDEXHILL

Our Meta Ads services are built around this exact framework, designed for businesses that need predictable growth.

See how we applied this approach in our client case studies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Typical CPA ranges from £20-80 depending on service type and competition. GP consultations typically see lower CPAs (£20-40), while specialist telehealth may be higher (£50-100+). The key metric is patient lifetime value—if patients return, higher initial CPAs can be acceptable.

Advertising prescription medications directly to consumers is heavily restricted in the UK. You can advertise the consultation service but not specific medications. Always check current ASA guidance and Google/Meta policies before running campaigns.

Differentiate on convenience, speed, and specific services. NHS 111 online and GP at Hand serve different needs than private telehealth. Focus on same-day availability, specialist access, extended hours, and premium patient experience that NHS services can't match.

Both. Paid ads deliver immediate patient volume but costs continue forever. SEO takes longer but creates sustainable organic traffic that reduces reliance on paid acquisition. Most successful telehealth providers run both in parallel, adjusting the mix as organic traffic grows.

Want help implementing this?

If you're looking to scale organic growth, we offer a free SEO audit to identify quick wins and growth opportunities.

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