Marketing In Healthcare
What is Healthcare Marketing?
Healthcare marketing is a process of strategic outreach and communications designed to attract healthcare consumers, guide them through their healthcare journey, and keep them engaged with the health system.
Sophisticated healthcare marketing strategy integrates multi-channel, highly-segmented and targeted online and offline tactics to drive engagement and support the attainment of enterprise goals. Health systems measure the success of their marketing efforts through specific metrics that are aligned with key performance indicators (KPIs), and/or marketing return on investment (ROI).
Why is Healthcare Marketing Important?
Healthcare marketing is an integral component of sustainable growth. Without it, there would be no influx of new patients, and even your loyal patients may slowly drop off, one-by-one. The healthcare industry is changing fast. What used to be a volume-based industry centered around the physician, has become a quality-based industry centered around the patient. There are likely multiple healthcare practices in any given area that provide the same or relatively similar services. Marketing shows potential patients that not only is your practice different than the competition, but it is also a much better option overall.
How Does Healthcare Marketing Work?
There are too many healthcare options available for patients to feel trapped with whatever physician, clinic or plan they are in. Marketing your healthcare practice provides an open line of communication to your patient audience by building trust and piquing interest. Healthcare marketing allows you to increase your patient connections and nurture those relationships to form long-term, loyal patients. Successful healthcare marketing leads to successful patient engagement, and successful patient engagement leads to a booming practice.
Through healthcare marketing systems, current and potential patients receive quality care from every aspect of your practice including the website, social media pages, patient engagement representatives, and personalized physician attention. The best way to imagine how healthcare marketing works is to think of the patient as a customer. Customers have endless options to choose from, so why should they choose you? Your marketing strategy should reflect the answer to that question.
Healthcare Marketing Statistics
- 88% of those searching for health information start with search engines – Google Complete Treatment Study
- 48% before booking, patients took over 2 weeks to research before booking an appointment
- – Google Complete Hospital Study
- 57% of baby boomers have searched for healthcare and wellness information – Inside Look at Boomer Healthcare Consumers
- Prospective patients find these the most important areas when researching a doctor or medical practice:
- 94% reputation of the facility
- 90% insurance is accepted by the facility
- 86% recommendation by another physician
- 85% uses the latest technology
- 51% recommendation by friends or family
- When patients see a paid search ad, they take action:
- 26% conduct searches for more information
- 38% begin the research process
- 39% visit the website of the treatment center that was advertised
- 36% consider a treatment center that was advertised