In a transformative market, utilizing the right healthcare marketing tools to engage customers in a data-driven market is key. Not only should potential customers and patients be able to freely find and exchange information, each interaction should be viewed as a potential increase to the bottom line. ROI doesn’t always mean an immediate financial gain. There’s always value in courting customers to impact their decision-making process.

A Buyer’s Market

As the healthcare landscape continuously evolves, employing the right techniques to drive website traffic is important, but what about the demographic that wants healthcare information but isn’t ready to purchase services? Strategic website design should always include opportunities that enhance the abilities of the facility and team, crafted to keep its successes and strengths at the forefront of user interaction. When consumers seek out healthcare information, your facility and its offerings should be the first thought, creating strong brand equity.

Increasing Top-of-Mind Awareness

Infographics and other healthcare marketing visuals make a huge difference in creating customers. Using the right channel to achieve success is a vital part of the process, while taking into account patient experience, financial and clinical outcomes. All elements of the marketing mix have to work together, analyzing your results in real-time. One of the key advantages of digital marketing is that your analytics are quickly accessible, cutting down on the time needed to make adjustments. To become a successful business, you want repeat and potential consumers to make a definitive decision in utilizing your services. Here are a few ways to keep customers engaged:

• Community-wide workshops on the ACA and healthcare exchanges. This is a good opportunity to highlight your infrastructure, giving potential customers actionable insights on the value your facility provides.
• Videos on how to spot signs of major diseases (breast cancer, diabetes, hypertension)
• Consistent e-mail marketing with helpful tips that may or may not relate to health care, but will enhance healthy living (low calorie recipes).
• Downloadable charts or apps to assist in healthy living techniques.
• Loyalty programs that will provide incentives for current patients to continue their treatment and healthy living goals after discharge (smoking cessation, exercise classes, physical therapy) and give potential customers a reason to choose your facility over another.

Recognizing the potential in each interaction

Each interaction is a potential customer, new or repeat. The entire team needs to work together to implement healthcare marketing processes that continuously enhance the brand, capitalizing on the resources that are available. Techniques that add value, such as analyzing online queries and applications will provide leverage in optimizing leads. These transactions may turn into possible sales. Strategically targeting potential clients is an opportunity to gain authority in the field, while implementing tactics that help reinforce front-line care. You want customers to take away a sense of satisfaction and confidence in your facility to make the right choice when prepared to seek medical services. Effective utilization of the blog can also turn inquiries into tangible results through direct response. Shifting the overall strategy to service marketing (how can we help you), rather than self-promotion (this is why you want us), increases transactional value. Your efforts clearly become more about the patient and customer, rather than the bottom line. In these instances, you’ve found a winner.

It’s a partnership

Most facilities have private doctors and vendors that contribute to the success of the organization. Creating sustainable partnerships with these entities in providing incentives to attract and retain customers should be an integral part of your working business model. You want to make sure every outlet and source with a stake in the organization makes a concerted effort to engage current and potential patients in inventive ways to turn each interaction into a potential sale. This dual-centered approach is smart, strategic and effective.   

Successful healthcare businesses work aggressively to increase their market share while acquiring new customers at a low cost. When used effectively, proactive response from the use of real-time information can successfully turn inquiries and online interaction into new clients. Guaranteed.