Hospital marketing is the process of promoting and advertising healthcare services and facilities. It is used to attract and engage patients and community members, while also building trust in the brand. As healthcare consumers become increasingly savvy and choosy in the way they choose which hospitals to visit, hospitals need to use innovative marketing strategies to stand out from the competition.
Hospitals can benefit from leveraging digital advertising and SEO methods to reach and engage their audiences. Pay-per-click campaigns and Google Ads can quickly place hospitals in front of the right audience at exactly the moment they’re searching for the type of care that the facility offers. However, this type of marketing is expensive and can quickly drain a hospital’s marketing budget. To maximize ROI on digital advertising, healthcare marketers should pair paid and organic marketing tactics.
Incorporate healthcare chatbots on your website to help patients with routine questions and scheduling appointments. This is an efficient way to reduce the amount of calls and emails that your staff must answer. Additionally, healthcare chatbots can help improve customer experience by enabling patients to get their questions answered without waiting for a callback from a physician.
Use video content to build awareness and create an emotional connection with your audience. People are much more likely to interact with and share videos compared to written content. Healthcare organizations can utilize video to showcase patient testimonials and physician insights, as well as promote upcoming events and new services.
Social media is a great way to communicate with your target audience. It’s important to have a social media strategy that includes regularly posting relevant content and responding to any comments or questions from your followers.
In addition to social media, email is a powerful tool for staying in touch with your audience. Sending out monthly or quarterly newsletters is a great way to stay top of mind with your current and prospective patients. It’s also an effective way to promote upcoming events, new services, and discounts.
Healthcare is a service industry, so it’s important to make sure that your consumers are happy and satisfied with the services that you provide. Consumers are more likely to recommend your hospital to others if they’re pleased with their experience.
Incorporate healthcare consumer research into your marketing plan to understand their wants, needs, and frustrations. You can then deliver personalized content that speaks directly to their pain points and makes them feel valued as a patient. It’s also important to recognize your audience’s unique preferences and behaviors, which can be a helpful indicator of their potential future needs as a patient. For example, older generations may prefer more traditional marketing tactics while younger generations are more interested in digital and mobile marketing. This information can be incorporated into your marketing plan to develop more relevant and impactful ads. For example, if your research shows that young consumers are more interested in health and wellness, you can shift your digital marketing focus to align with those trends.