Healthcare marketing is constantly evolving. Marketers of today need keep their finger on pulse of the industry and adapt to changes that are likely to upend the way healthcare is marketed. Here is a lowdown on the four top trends affecting healthcare marketing, also featured in EconomicVoice.com.
Social Media is the Remedy for Reaching Consumers
Social media is one of the most talked about disruptions to marketing in decades. In a generation that is more likely to go online to answer general health questions then ask a doctor, social media plays a significant role in the buying cycle of a customer, here, a patient or a kin.
- More than 40% of consumers say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their health. (source: Mediabistro)
- 90% of respondents from 18 to 24 years of age said they would trust medical information shared by others on their social media networks. (source: Search Engine Watch)
- From a recent study, 54% of patients are very comfortable with their providers seeking advice from online communities to better treat their conditions. (source: Mediabistro)
- 31% of health care professionals use social media for professional networking. (source: MedTechMedia)
- 41% of people said social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility. (source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group)
Online Reviews Help Brands Dispense Information
People’s love for expressing their opinions has led to the rise of online reviews. While once used mostly for reviewing hotels and restaurants, these forums are now a popular place for sharing feedback on medications. The shift toward online reviews is pushing physicians and hospitals to manage their online reputation to protect their market share. The Internet continues to influence consumers when they are deciding which physician they will choose for their care.
Since people will be talking about the brand, it’s important for healthcare companies to monitor these interactions. Brands should have people with medical expertise interacting with consumers to provide knowledgeable information and sensible advice. They should also have a savvy medical marketing team to handle all PR and regulatory issues. The beauty of online reviews is that positive ones can benefit a healthcare brand by providing free advertising for their products, promoting the good experiences of satisfied users, increasing trial among reluctant consumers, and encouraging brand advocacy. In the case of negative reviews, these forums give brands the opportunity to discover problems with their products and resolve any issues in a public forum before they spiral out of control. To attract patients and earn their trust, hospital brands must check that their online reputation is accurate, because like it or not, online ratings are increasingly having an effect on patients’ decision making.
Apt and Engaging Content
Medical and healthcare information is some of the most personal information people search for online, and it presents a substantial opportunity for organizations in this field to provide relevant, credible, and useful health content for consumers to access when they need it
Many health care organizations are becoming adept at creating, optimizing, and disseminating personalized content to specific targets. Yet, social media has changed the landscape in so many ways, and in health care, in particular, it elevates the role bloggers and other online influencers play in the information value chain.
A patient is highly influenced by these independent players when weighing treatment options and purchase decisions. While it is not entirely credible for a health care provider to provide, for example, a product comparison, a layered content strategy can enable a third party to supply information indirectly on your behalf.
The doctors’ data can be filled with the usual medical jargon, but the consumer information should be written in everyday language with helpful highlights like FAQs and dosing details.
Bottom line: Always be cognizant of your organization’s overriding role and ability to maintain trust. This principle is never more applicable than in health care.
Marketing Allows Brands to Revive Their Image and Loyalty
It should come as no surprise that people’s preference in hospitals is not at the top of their list of concerns. Most people don’t sit around pondering where they’d like to go if they had a heart attack or needed knee surgery. But when people do have health problems that need treatment, you absolutely want your hospital to be – and stay – at the top of their minds.
Perhaps the biggest change in healthcare marketing has been the shift away from primarily doctors and more toward consumers. Especially now that we’re in the age of Patient Empowerment, hospital marketing has never been more important. Because when health-related issues do rear their ugly head, people are making informed decisions about where they go, who they see and who they’re willing to trust with their health, not to mention that of their children and loved ones
Here is an overview of smart hospital marketing practices:
- People form opinions about local hospitals based on stories and testimonials from their friends, family and coworkers.
- Your colleague and physician relationships are also vital, as a referral or good recommendation from another healthcare professional will serve as yet another marketing tool that will only keep more people walking through your doors.
- People rely on the internet as a standard source of information. If your hospital does not have a website, your hospital basically does not exist.
- Harness the marketing power of health information. Hospital newsletters get results by educating your patients, establishing credibility and inspiring your readers to take action.
- Electronic newsletters and email communications can deliver your message to thousands of people in a matter of seconds.
- Print advertising and the visual power to convince an audience to take action are essential in today’s society.
- Brochures and rack cards are a convenient, versatile and affordable healthcare marketing tool that patients or hospital visitors can grab quickly to take with them.
- Patient reminder systems are very beneficial for your patients and your hospital.
While doctors will always remain a key target since they are the ones providing and prescribing the big brands, today’s consumers want to be much more involved in their healthcare decisions, which makes them prime prospects for healthcare brands. And with industry regulations changing every day, it’s essential for brands to choose the right marketing team in order to stay within the rules and still get maximum reach.
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