The healthcare industry has fallen behind in marketing compared to sectors such as insurance, but to survive amid stiff competition, organizations must adopt more innovative approaches, according to an article published by Chief Marketer.
Current trends in healthcare marketing emphasize a provider's advanced technology or team of experts, and while these are important, they typically make for uninspiring marketing campaigns, writes Mark Scrivner, founder and chief operating officer of Snapshot Interactive, a Nashville-based web design and development company. With the rise of patient-centered care, he writes, patients look to be told not just that their doctors are experienced, but that their provider is prepared to address the emotional side of the hospital experience as well.
"The classic image of the family doctor no longer resonates with a more cynical population that spends more time talking to the billing department than the physician," Scrivner writes. "Only by showcasing the faces and personalities behind the hospital can healthcare marketers begin to reclaim consumer trust."
To adapt to this new reality, Scrivner recommends the following strategies:
- Focus on areas that need improvement: Instead of marketing services that are already high-profit, providers must analyze metrics such as physician performance and patient satisfaction to where your current marketing strategy succeeds and fails.
- Expand your online presence: Patients increasingly base their healthcare decisions on social media, and hospitals can take control of their online reputations by actively engaging patients in such settings, according to the article.
- Connect with consumers: Emphasize the human touch within healthcare operations, such as "Amazing Things Are Happening Here," a campaign by New York-Presbyterian Hospital that put individual patient stories front and center.
To learn more:
- read the article