Here are some of the most effective healthcare marketing strategies you can use to sustain your practice.
A reality in which we all go back to the life we had before the pandemic is becoming less plausible every passing day. Almost every business model transformed overnight when businesses had to lock their doors. But in times like these, healthcare institutions have taken center stage in this real-time battle for survival. A battle that will leave few fingerprints and a lot of lessons for the generations ahead.
Whether it’s financing, delivering, or promoting healthcare, we’ve had to unlearn what we knew about the healthcare system. In a world like this, in which nothing is crystal clear, some recurring themes can help illuminate the abyss we’re about to walk into.
Meet the Demands for Increasing Information
The demand for healthcare-related content online has been on the rise. A beneficial by-product of COVID-19 has been increased awareness of healthcare and the steps we can collectively take to protect our families. Whether you’re washing your hands, exercising, eating clean, or prioritizing mental health – people are invested in healthcare now more than ever before.
To know more about their concerns, people are turning towards healthcare providers since COVID-19 elevates the respect people have for practices and frontline workers. Recent research showed that healthcare-related websites are often considered the most reliable source for COVID-19 related news. These claims were further backed by a studyfrom the Pew Research Centre.
Empower Your Employees – Be First Movers in a Digital-First World
During the recovery period, different disciplines like customer analysis, communication, and market research are vital – and healthcare marketing strategies bridge these functions and departments. For instance, change management and communication are considered the most significant challenges in front of telemedicine.
By adopting the digital healthcare model and being first movers, healthcare providers can extend their support to patients previously out of the spectrum. Whether it’s about writing new updates to a company’s policy or conducting webinars to increase awareness for social distancing, marketers are at the center of it all. Be it development, design, or operational optimization.
Going ahead, it will become vital to forecast potential outcomes and different scenarios. This will enable healthcare providers to manage capacity, demand, and other critical factors once the pandemic is over. To ensure marketers understand every facet involved, they must build deep connections with operations, finance, and other healthcare leaders that deliver insights from the grassroots level.
Reduce Readmission Chances
Knowing whether your patients get affected by the social determinants of health can also help tailor your healthcare marketing strategies. This can help your patients overcome access challenges and reduce their chances of coming back to you to get admitted again. An effective healthcare marketer understands when and why a patient is at risk of missing an appointment or if they’re struggling to follow a care plan.
This can be due to lack of transportation, food insecurity, cultural exclusion, financial limitations, or isolation. In a case like this, a healthcare provider can direct their patients towards relevant programs or help them find financial support. That’s the best part about understanding doctor-patient barriers. You help these two parties connect seamlessly, no matter what the situation is.
For instance, having a conversation with a patient-facing unexpected financial challenges due to them losing their job because of the pandemic is a lot different from talking to someone who has had a low income for several years.
Prioritize Patient Convenience Over Everything
Healthcare systems worldwide are relying heavily on the backlog of patients the pandemic has created. People need surgeries and other medical procedures, and this can help healthcare practices replenish their financial resources. That said, restarting this funnel of income isn’t an easy task. Healthcare marketing strategies will have to align operational readiness and patient expectations by communicating with the patient often.
If a consumer needs treatment for a hernia or a painful hip injury and hears from their friends that hospitals are re-opening, they may be less patient if their preferred surgeon isn’t available. Just as you would if you needed a haircut and your favorite barbershop could not fit you in for three to four months. In both cases, the customer will search for an alternative until they find someone who provides them with the services they need.
In simpler words: efficiency and convenience usually trump brand loyalty. Instead, healthcare marketers should focus on providing clear information to their patients. Information tells them how their appointments will be rescheduled, how safety will be a priority, and how different patients are handled. This way, patients can be a lot more loyal. It’s essential to communicate with patients consistently, especially when you’ve delayed or canceled an appointment that they made. Keep sending them reminders and helpful messages.
In a case like this, over-communicating will be a better approach than under-communicating.
Focus on Lead Generation
Decisions made during a crisis can have a long-lasting financial impact on several healthcare institutions. With accruing demand and diverted supply due to restricted access, several healthcare practices are being forced to rethink how they utilize sources. To weather the storm, employees need to be furloughed, and resources need to be reallocated.
For healthcare marketing strategies, now it is even more important to focus on capturing volumes grow revenue. They have to balance COVID-related communications while building a pipeline of patients for elective procedures, primary care, and other services. This can help them get ahead of the curve and create a funnel for specific areas of care.
Start Now
Every crisis has an end. When things go back to normal is uncertain, but the one thing we’re all sure about is that the pandemic isn’t going to last forever. To ensure you stay ahead of the curve in a world that is slowly returning to normal, you should consider fast-tracking your healthcare marketing strategies with help from Purple Tie Guys. Partner with us and take your online visibility to the next level.