In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, marketing your brand or company isn’t just about attracting patients — you also need to optimise every touchpoint to deliver exceptional results for your healthcare marketing strategy. That’s the best route to increasing the value of every customer relationship.
As pioneers in the healthcare marketing realm here at Rocket, we understand that staying ahead requires more than just a presence; it demands strategies that skyrocket your Return on investment (ROI), enhance client retention, and maximise patient lifetime value (PLV). But, aside from fancy-looking acronyms, what are these things?
ROI isn't just a buzzword — it's the compass north that guides your marketing efforts. It's about ensuring that every pound you invest in marketing yields substantial returns.
Client retention is the heartbeat of any thriving healthcare business. It's the art of cultivating lasting relationships beyond one-off purchases, and building long-term patient loyalty.
Meanwhile, patient lifetime value (PLV) encapsulates the long-term potential value of a patient to your practice – the potential revenue represented by one customer’s entire relationship with you.
Did you know that 66% of internet users look online for information about a specific disease or medical problem (Pew Research Centre)? Or that seven in every hundred Google searches are health-related? In fact, there are 70,000 health-related searches… per minute… every day (NYT Licensing).
Clearly there’s a digital-driven boom occurring in healthcare right now. Want to get ahead? Connect with users and convert into customers. Want to stay ahead? Tap into strategies to keep those customers on your books for the long-haul.
In the dynamic realm of healthcare, marketing consultancy strategies are not just supplementary; they are the cornerstone of success. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, so do the ways patients and consumers seek information and care.
To remain competitive and relevant, healthcare providers must embrace the power of comprehensive marketing strategies that connect with their audience on various digital touchpoints.
Let’s dig deeper.
In a landscape flooded with information, finding your niche, whether that’s aesthetics, mental health, orthopaedics, chiropractics, or other, is going to be key. Successful healthcare marketing starts with a deep understanding of your target audience — the patients you aim to serve.
What are their demographics, preferences, and pain points? Tailoring your message to resonate with their needs is what sets you apart in a sea of choices.
Staying ahead of the curve requires staying attuned to healthcare marketing trends.
In today's digital age, patients are more informed and proactive than ever. They turn to Google, social media, podcasts, and forums for healthcare insights. Adapting your strategy to these channels ensures your message reaches them where they are seeking answers.
Data is more than just numbers; it's the pulse, the heartbeat of your strategy. By harnessing insights from analytics, CRM systems, and other digital tools, you gain the power to make informed decisions.
For instance, understanding which keywords resonate with your audience or which touchpoints drive engagement can transform your approach from a shot in the dark to a targeted, concerted effort.
Imagine a scenario where a patient, let's call her Sarah, is struggling to find a treatment for her chronic dental condition. She stumbles upon a blog post from a dental healthcare provider, titled Digital Dentistry: Exploring the Future of Pain-Free Tooth Extraction.
Intrigued, Sarah explores the website, finds a podcast interview with a specialist practitioner in her condition, and is compelled by their patient-centric care approach.
Through effective healthcare marketing, Sarah not only discovers a potential solution but also feels empowered and understood.
Constructing a resilient and comprehensive foundation is the bedrock of healthcare growth acceleration and marketing success. As patients and consumers increasingly turn to digital platforms for their healthcare needs, establishing a multifaceted strategy is of paramount importance.
Explore Rocket’s 9 strategies to upgrade your healthcare marketing strategy below, or contact us today for a free growth plan and personalised recommendations.
At the core of any triumphant healthcare marketing initiative lies the creation of compelling, educational content. This content serves as a conduit of valuable information for patients, while also solidifying your brand's position as an industry authority.
By artfully integrating storytelling into your content, you can cultivate emotional connections with your audience, fostering brand loyalty.
Simultaneously, optimising your content for search engines and voice assistants ensures that your valuable insights reach those actively seeking answers in the digital sphere.
Social media, with its colossal user base, offers an unparalleled platform for healthcare marketing endeavours.
“Currently, more than 40% of healthcare consumers utilise social media for their healthcare information needs [...] this being even more in the consumers who are in the 18–24 years age group, compared to the 45–54 year age group. 90% of healthcare consumers in the 18–24 year age group utilise and believe healthcare information presented in social media.”
- Surani et. al, Social Media Usage Among Health Care Providers
Developing a robust and agile social advertising strategy empowers you to interact directly with patients and consumers. These genuine interactions establish a solid base of trust, which is essential in the healthcare realm.
Furthermore, social media advertising provides a sophisticated mechanism for fine-tuned audience targeting, enabling you to focus your efforts on specific demographics most relevant to your services.
Podcasting, a dynamic, intimate, and yet booming medium – currently, there are over 460 million active podcast listeners (Influencer Marketing Hub) – holds immense potential in healthcare marketing strategy.
By incorporating podcasting into your strategy, you unlock a distinctive avenue to connect with your audience on a profound level. Hosting guest experts and facilitating discussions on pertinent healthcare subjects positions your brand as a thought leader, fostering a sense of trust and credibility. Furthermore, leveraging platforms such as Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Spotify allows you to reach an expansive and diverse audience base.
According to the American Hospital Association, 76% of hospitals now offer telehealth services, a sharp rise from just 35% in 2010 (Medium).
The integration of telehealth and telemedicine into your marketing strategy is pivotal in catering to evolving patient needs while broadening your market reach. Effectively promoting the benefits of virtual care can attract patients seeking convenience and accessibility.
In particular, the inclusion of telepsychiatry in your offerings addresses the pressing demand for remote mental health services, underscoring your commitment to comprehensive care in the digital age.
Similarly, digital therapeutics – a revolutionary approach to patient care and marketing – affords a unique opportunity for differentiation. By showcasing the demonstrable efficacy of digital solutions to consumers, you position your brand as an innovative and progressive entity. Moreover, collaborative efforts with pharmaceutical companies can yield mutual growth benefits, creating a symbiotic partnership that elevates both parties' standing in the industry.
In the landscape of personalised healthcare marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) systems function as a linchpin.
Strikingly, four-in-five patients are more likely to book an appointment after receiving a personalised experience (Medium). CRM systems enable you to tailor your communications precisely to individual patients, resulting in heightened engagement, satisfaction, and long-term loyalty. The strategic application of customer data empowers you to craft campaigns that resonate with your audience's distinct preferences and needs.
The strategic placement of compelling call-to-action (CTA) elements is a cornerstone of patient engagement. Meticulously designing impactful CTAs and subjecting them to continuous A/B testing facilitates the optimisation of patient interaction pathways, thereby driving engagement with clinical offerings and ancillary services.
In an era where data reigns supreme, the employment of customer data platforms (CDPs) emerges as a cornerstone of a successful healthcare marketing strategy.
These platforms facilitate the collection, organisation, and analysis of customer data, laying the groundwork for a sophisticated and personalised marketing approach. By leveraging CDPs, you can delineate precise audience segments, resulting in highly targeted and resonant messaging.
Every interaction a patient has with your brand constitutes a touchpoint — a pivotal opportunity to foster positive sentiment and enduring engagement. By meticulously identifying touchpoints across the intricate patient journey, you can tailor each interaction to amplify satisfaction and strengthen the patient-provider relationship.
Worryingly, 62% of people think healthcare services are deliberately confusing (Businesswire), and 66% say that they are left to handle so many responsibilities that they ‘feel like a general contractor’ with regards to their own healthcare (Harvard Business Review).
Things shouldn’t be this way – and they don’t have to be. A more holistic, data-driven approach to enhancing customer experience ensures that every point of engagement aligns seamlessly with your brand's values and goals, as well as making the patient and their unique journey the top priority.
OK, so we’ve explored some of the ways you can upgrade your healthcare marketing strategy – and it’s well within your interests, as well as those of your patients, to do so. Contact us today for more advice, or make use of our industry-leading healthcare marketing consultancy services today.
But, when it comes to the benefits of improving your healthcare marketing strategy, don’t just take our word for it – explore them for yourself below.
An improved marketing strategy directly translates to higher patient engagement. By delivering content and services that resonate with their needs, you foster a stronger connection, resulting in heightened patient satisfaction.
A well-crafted healthcare marketing strategy boosts your brand's visibility. Consistent and targeted messaging across various channels ensures that your brand becomes a recognisable authority in the healthcare space.
Modern healthcare journeys start with online searches. Elevating your marketing approach enhances your online presence and bolsters your search engine rankings, making you more discoverable to potential patients.
Effective healthcare marketing isn't just about acquiring new patients — it's about keeping them. By consistently delivering value and addressing patient needs, you create a sense of loyalty that encourages long-term engagement.
A refined marketing strategy allows you to tailor your efforts to precisely match patient needs. This alignment results in content and services that truly resonate, creating a sense of trust and relevance.
Ultimately, the goal of any marketing strategy is to drive action. With an improved strategy, you not only see higher conversion rates from potential patients but also attract new patients seeking the specific care you offer.
The path to success is clear: refine strategies, elevate engagement, and watch your brand flourish. As we've seen, the scope of healthcare marketing extends beyond the confines of traditional approaches.
By embracing innovative strategies and staying attuned to patient needs, you position your brand for a future of growth and impact.
The future of healthcare marketing is dynamic and promising. As technology continues to shape the industry, staying adaptable and agile is paramount. From leveraging the potential of AI-driven insights to tapping into emerging platforms like voice assistants and digital therapeutics, the possibilities are vast.
At Rocket Healthcare Marketing, we're not just observers of these trends—we're your partners in navigating them. Our expertise lies in crafting strategies that blend seamlessly with your brand's ethos and the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Are you ready to propel your healthcare marketing strategies to new heights? Let's explore the unique opportunities tailored to your brand. Contact us today for a free growth plan – the future of your brand starts now.