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Hey again — it's Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

Last week, we explored trust-building pages that convert patients. This week, I'm addressing a question I get constantly: "Should I be using Bing Ads for my healthcare practice?"

The short answer: Maybe—done right it could save you 20-35% on ad spend while reaching an older, more affluent demographic that's perfect for many healthcare practices.

This directly addresses Healthcare Marketing Roadblock #1 (No Visibility) and Roadblock #2 (Inefficient Acquisition) by expanding your reach while potentially lowering costs (Roadblock #5: Inefficient Budget Allocation).

In This Week’s Email:

• [1 min] Thoughts for the Week: [TODO]

• [4 min] Spotlight: Google Ads vs Bing Ads

• [30 sec] By the Numbers: The Real Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ad Cost Comparison

• [30 sec] In the Know: Providers Want More Pharma Education, Small Businesses Credit AI for Growth, and The ACA’s Impact on Healthcare Marketing

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

If Everyone Else Was Doing It…

The easiest thing to market is something in high demand with low competition.

Most of us aren’t in that scenario.

More often than not you’re in high demand but face high competition—kind of like a commodity in that you’re seemingly interchangeable with any other practice.

There are two primary ways you change from being a commodity to a practice in its own category.

1. You stand out from the crowd - this is why I harp on targeting and messaging so much in these newsletters and at my marketing agency

2. You find an unserved or underserved crowd

I’ve talked a lot about Google Ads, but I’ve kept a little secret from you:

Bing Ads is also a great opportunity for many practices.

It’s the often-underserved market where you can stand out for less.

But it has its own pros and cons, as you’ll see in this week’s newsletter.

A MESSAGE FROM MASTERS IN MARKETING

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SPOTLIGHT

Bing Ads vs Google Ads for Healthcare Practices

4 min. read

Most healthcare practices assume Google Ads is their only option for paid search. It's understandable—Google handles over 8.5 billion searches daily and dominates with 90.48% market share.

But here's what might surprise you:

• Bing could save you 20-35%+ on ad spend while reaching an older, more affluent demographic that's perfect for many healthcare specialties.

The question isn't whether Google Ads works (it does), but whether you're missing opportunities by ignoring Bing entirely.

Why Google Ads Remains Essential

Let's be clear: Google Ads should be the foundation of most healthcare PPC strategies.

The numbers speak for themselves:

• 8.5 billion daily searches vs Bing's much smaller volume

  • Estimated 70,000 healthcare searches per minute on Google

• Broader age demographic coverage

• More robust tools and third-party integrations

• Extensive educational resources and community support

Google's massive reach means you'll connect with patients across all age groups, from millennials researching therapists to seniors looking for cardiologists.

The platform's maturity also means better tools, more tutorials, and easier campaign management for DIY practitioners.

For most practices, Google Ads delivers:

• Higher absolute patient volume

• Broader demographic reach

• Better mobile search capture (Google search is the default search on many phone models, unlike Bing)

• More comprehensive tracking and optimization tools

The Bing Advantage: Quality Over Quantity

Bing's smaller market share (about 7.87% in the US, 10.5% on desktop) doesn't tell the whole story.

Bing's user demographics align perfectly with healthcare:

• Average age: 45+ (vs Google's broader age range)

  • Most common age range for Bing: 55-64

• Higher household incomes ($75,000+)

• More likely to be college-educated

• Desktop-focused behavior (important for research-heavy healthcare decisions)

These demographics matter enormously for healthcare practices.

Consider these specialty-specific scenarios:

Cardiology practices benefit from Bing's older demographic. Heart health concerns peak after 45, and Bing users are more likely to have insurance coverage and disposable income for specialized cardiac care.

Cosmetic dentistry finds ideal patients on Bing—affluent professionals who can afford elective procedures and have the decision-making authority to invest in their appearance.

Mental health practices targeting working professionals discover that Bing's desktop-heavy usage pattern aligns with people who may be used to using the Microsoft Edge browser from white-collar jobs, and therefore more likely to use Bing search.

Head-to-Head Comparison

• Cost Efficiency - Bing consistently delivers 20-35% lower costs across healthcare keywords.

• Competition Levels - Fewer advertisers on Bing means your ads face less competition, often resulting in better ad positions at lower costs. Keywords that are saturated on Google frequently have ample opportunity on Bing.

• Conversion Quality - While Google delivers higher volume, many practices report that Bing traffic converts at similar or higher rates—likely due to the platform's more affluent, decision-ready user base.

Platform Selection Strategy

Choose Google Ads When:

• You're targeting diverse age demographics

• You need maximum patient volume

• You're in a highly competitive specialty

• You have limited time to manage multiple platforms

• You're new to PPC and need extensive learning resources

• You need advanced targeting (including/excluding zip codes, for example)

Choose Bing Ads When:

• Your ideal patients are 45+ years old

• You serve affluent demographics

• You want to test lower-cost traffic

• Google competition is driving up your costs significantly

• You have extra budget after maxing out Google performance

• You can deal with more basic targeting (city/region)

Budget Recommendations

Most stable, growing practices invest around 8% of annual revenue in marketing. For PPC specifically, I recommend starting with $2,000/month minimum for meaningful results and faster profitability.

Why Budget Matters

PPC typically returns $3-5 (or more) for every dollar invested when done correctly. It's not an expense—it's a direct investment with measurable returns.

I’ve worked with practices who spend $50,000 per month on Google Ads alone because they understand that marketing drives revenue.

A $2,000 monthly investment can generate $6,000-$10,000+ in new patient revenue—not even factoring in Patient Lifetime Value (PLTV), which averages from $1,500 - $10,000+ per patient.

The absolute bare minimum could be $500/month, but expect much slower progress toward profitability. Smaller Ad Budgets mean limited data, slower optimization, and, ironically, longer time-to-profitability.

Start with Google if you can only choose one. Focus your full budget on one platform initially rather than splitting it.

Once you're profitable on Google and want to expand, test Bing with a separate $2,000+ monthly budget. Don't split budgets between platforms—you'll lack the data volume needed for effective optimization on either.

Tools and Ads Management

Google Ads offers superior DIY tools:

• Google Ads Editor for bulk campaign management

• More comprehensive keyword planning tools

• Better integration with Google Analytics and other tracking platforms

• Extensive video tutorials and community support

• Third-party optimization tools

Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) provides:

• Simpler interface that's often easier for beginners

• Import functionality to copy Google campaigns

• Microsoft Advertising Editor (similar to Google's)

• Less competition for attention from Microsoft support

For practices managing their own campaigns, Google's ecosystem is more mature and user-friendly, despite Bing's simpler interface.

Implementation Strategy

I recommend using Google, however, you could follow the same strategy below starting with Bing Ads.

Phase 1: Master One Platform Start with Google Ads and achieve consistent profitability before considering expansion. Focus your budget, attention, and learning on one platform.

Phase 2: Test and Expand Once Google Ads generates profitable patient acquisition, test Bing with a separate $2,000+ monthly budget. Use Google's successful campaigns as templates imported to Bing, but adjust messaging for Bing's older demographic.

Phase 3: Optimize Based on Performance After 3-6 months, analyze which platform delivers better patient lifetime value and ROI for your specific practice. Consider reallocating budget toward the higher-performing platform. We usually continue to use both, as Bing often isn’t enough on its own (though it is cheaper).

Action Items

1. Review Your Ideal Patient Personas: Determine whether your target demographics align more with Google's broad reach or Bing's affluent, older user base.

2. Identify Patient Fears & Create Headlines [Free Worksheet]: List 5 key concerns and write addressing headlines for each platform."

3. Choose Your Starting Platform: Based on budget, demographics, and management capacity, commit to one platform initially.

4. Set Realistic Investment Budgets: Ensure you have at least $2,000/month for whichever platform you choose, or $500/month minimum if budget is extremely limited (understanding this will slow your growth considerably).

The goal isn't to advertise everywhere, but to advertise effectively where your ideal patients are searching. Whether that's Google's massive reach or Bing's targeted demographics depends on your practice's specific patient needs and market position.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Real Cost Comparison Between Google Ads and Bing Ads

1. 20-35% lower cost-per-click for Bing Ads compared to Google Ads, with businesses typically spending 20-35% less on Bing for identical campaigns, that convert at similar rates

2. 20% cheaper cost-per-acquisition with Bing Ads when compared to Google, making patient acquisition significantly more affordable for some types of practices

3. Almost 91% market share in search goes to Google with 8.5 billion daily searches, while Bing captures 7.87% in the US (10.5% on desktop), creating less competition but smaller audience reach

IN THE KNOW

Key Articles this Week

1. Healthcare Providers Want More Pharma Education - A new study found that healthcare professionals are requesting more educational support and content from pharmaceutical companies. Beyond clinical trials education, HCPs ranked insurance coverage assistance, in-person support, and AI tools as key areas they want drugmakers to address. Read more

   Small Businesses Embrace AI for Marketing Growth - 91% of small business owners report technology has played a key role in their success, with 72% planning to use AI to help marketing this year. While, 63% rely on social media as their primary marketing tool, 33% now view email marketing as an untapped opportunity for conversions. Read more

   ACA's 15-Year Impact on Healthcare Marketing - The Affordable Care Act fundamentally transformed healthcare marketing strategy over the past 15 years, pushing the industry toward consumer-driven experiences, digital ecosystems, and outcome-based models. Read more

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help

Marketing isn’t an expense.

It’s a necessary investment in your practice if you want to earn more.

But you know that already. That’s why you’re here.

I help practices grow their revenue through digital marketing, through targeted, blended search marketing (SEO, PPC) campaigns & dedicated patient reactivation and retention strategies.

We don’t focus on vanity metrics. If it doesn’t increase your revenue, I don’t waste resources on it.

If you want to earn more and grow your practice, book your free call. Spots are limited and fill up fast.

1. Reply to any newsletter or send me an email at [email protected]. I read and respond to every email!

2. Get in front of our audience of healthcare leaders & professionals if you provide a service or product that could help them. I vet everyone carefully for this.

3. Book a free strategy call for precise steps you can take to market & grow your practice more effectively 👇

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That’s All for Now

Have a great week—and remember not to be a commodity!

See You Next Week,

Steve