Healthcare marketing is an important part of any hospital or medical practice’s business. In a world where consumers can exercise choice and are discerning when exercising those choices, hospitals must use a variety of marketing channels to connect with potential patients, convey important information and build a strong brand presence in the marketplace.
Various types of hospital marketing are necessary to accommodate the needs of different demographics. Effective marketing strategies often utilize omnichannel campaigns and personalized online and offline messaging to meet the unique requirements of prospective and current patients.
As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve and millennials make up an increasingly large portion of the population, hospital marketers must also stay on top of new digital trends that can be applied to their strategies. For example, the rapid adoption of telehealth technologies offers a cost-effective way for hospitals to deliver healthcare services to remote patients. Moreover, emerging technological advancements in AI and VR are poised to further revolutionize the industry. Hospitals that embrace these trends early on will have a competitive advantage.
Using social media to humanize your healthcare brand is an effective way to connect with audiences and increase brand visibility. Feature real-life patient stories to highlight the positive impact that your hospitals, medical practices and doctors have had on people’s lives. This type of storytelling can humanize your healthcare brand and build trust with your audience. Video is a powerful format for this purpose. General videos can be used to drive traffic on your Facebook page, Meet the Physician videos can bring life to an “About Us” or “Our Team” section of your website, and procedure overview and FAQ videos can liven up Top of Funnel service and treatment pages.
In 2024, it’s more important than ever for hospitals to build a strong brand presence in their local communities. Many prospective patients are still skeptical of healthcare brands and tend to view them as faceless corporate entities of the sort they might find in a big box store. The best way to dispel this suspicion and create trust is to make a personal connection with your target audience.
Creating an efficient patient engagement plan will help you increase the number of appointments and registrations that your hospital receives. It’s also a great way to improve overall patient experience. Keeping in touch with your patients through automated yet personalized communications like appointment reminders, health tips and birthday greetings is one of the most effective ways to do this. Moreover, you can leverage technology that is HIPAA-compliant to collect and display consumer feedback (like reviews) on your healthcare website or app. This allows you to stay on top of your patients’ feedback, which is a critical component of healthcare marketing.