Recent modifications in healthcare regulations are causing swift changes in the field of healthcare marketing.
As the industry moves toward becoming more transparent and focusing more on customer satisfaction, simultaneously, consumers are becoming more informed in their options for facilities and treatment.
These two transitions in the healthcare sector mean significant changes in the way marketers plan to develop and execute marketing campaigns and materials for health care organizations. Discover the 4 critical things every healthcare marketer should know for 2015.
Consumers are “in the know”
Internet and smart phones have enabled consumers to research virtually anything before making a decision about a service and / or product. Previously, consumers relied on their physicians for any and all information regarding symptoms, prognosis, and treatment. Now, consumers are educated about these things before stepping foot into a doctor’s office or clinic.
According to Pew Research, 72% of online consumers have looked online for health information in the last year, while 35% say they have used the internet to try to figure out what medical condition they, or another, might have. What does this mean for marketers?
Consumers expect information to be accessible and don’t want to rely solely on the physician or clinic for information and treatment options.
They have short(er) attention spans
The days of successful content filled brochures and packets are long gone. As discussed above, consumers are overloaded with information and resources online and because of that, it’s more difficult to reach them with engaging marketing materials.
In 2015, short, concise, and consumer-friendly health care content available online, and through social media platforms is more likely to be read over white-papers and pamphlets. For healthcare marketers, striving to keep it short and sweet, while including the most valuable information is more effective and will produce a better ROI.
If longer text is needed to convey the most important information in the campaign, use bulleted lists to keep the content simple and the layout visually appealing.
Customer satisfaction is more important than ever before
Consumer satisfaction and experience has always been important to marketers, but it’s now a top priority in the field of healthcare marketing to help set clinics and physicians apart from each other.
Focusing your marketing efforts on creating a brand experience that the patient identifies with is one of the most important ways to create patient loyalty and satisfaction. Consumers want to identify and connect with the businesses they support and that includes their physicians.
For marketers to respond to this trend in 2015, focus on branding and the brand experience must be a top priority.
They want it in the palm of their hand
Digital advertising with the integration of social media platforms to create authentic engagement is another new trend emerging in the healthcare sector.
We previously explained how consumer’s attention spans are short due to the high volume of information available and that consumers want an authentic relationship with their healthcare provider. Let’s take it a step further and discuss what channels work best to deliver this short and sweet morsel of information to existing and potential patients.
We know that people are self diagnosing online and most of that internet access is occurring via a smartphone or mobile device. To keep up with the rapid changes happening this year, healthcare marketers need to create visually appealing, engaging, and mobile friendly marketing materials in order to be seen and heard by today’s consumer.
Utilizing social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to generate content that aids in branding and creating an emotional connection will yield a higher ROI for your campaign than traditional marketing for healthcare.
Here’s an example of a social media advertisement containing original content that’s brief, and helpful, while branding the clinic:
Keep these trends of 2015 in mind when crafting your next healthcare marketing campaign to reach your target market and keep them engaged.