Healthcare marketing is a unique sector, and one that Forbes describes as having “unique challenges” that are “unlike any other industry”. Healthcare organizations or digital marketing agencies must balance patient satisfaction, ethical medical practices, and regulatory compliance with the needs of marketing and the goals of healthcare brands.
Wondering how to build a healthcare content strategy that works? Industry-specific knowledge is perhaps more important in healthcare marketing than any other sector, whether that’s about regulatory limitations, consumer perception of the industry, or the needs of patients or healthcare professionals. In order to attract healthcare consumers with coherent marketing strategies, there must be a deep understanding of the healthcare industry.
Healthcare Marketing Strategies: Sector-Specific Challenges
Let’s have a look at some of the issues that confront marketers operating in the healthcare sector:
Regulatory compliance is a vital element of creating a healthcare marketing strategy. Healthcare marketing is subject to strict regulatory guidelines to ensure the accuracy and ethical promotion of medical services and products, and the healthcare system. Adhering to regulations such as HIPAA, the European Medicines Agency, and the rules of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency severely alters healthcare marketing efforts.
Geographical differences. The provision of healthcare services is different in every territory. If you’re marketing worldwide, you’ll not only have to make sure you’re following territory regulations; you’ll need to understand the fundamental differences in healthcare models. The US and the UK diverge in terms of health systems and healthcare practices. Certain medical practices or healthcare services will be prohibited in certain parts of the world. To have an effective healthcare marketing strategy, your knowledge cannot be limited to a particular healthcare organization or area of the world.
Public perception. Trust is fundamental in the healthcare industry. Positive public perception enhances trust in healthcare providers, healthcare services, and either inspires prospective patients or encourages patient loyalty. The brand image of healthcare organizations contributes to their marketing strategies and vice versa.
The changing landscape of healthcare is significantly impacting marketing strategies and approaches. Several key trends and changes are shaping the way healthcare organizations or healthcare providers promote medical services or products. With the digital transformation and introduction of telehealth services, the new requirement to educate patients, and the influence of social media channels, developing flexible healthcare marketing strategies is paramount.
Developing Healthcare Marketing Strategies: How Can Healthcare Marketing Professionals Address These Issues?
Faced with such complexities, working within health systems is both unpredictable and heavily regulated. Healthcare marketing strategies can cover healthcare consumers, healthcare providers or healthcare professionals. Your healthcare marketing strategy must be carefully considered for the current landscape.
1. Understand the Market You’re Working In
To establish one of the best healthcare marketing strategies in the industry, healthcare marketers need to know exactly what you can and can’t do, consumer perception of healthcare marketing, and sector trends in your geographies. Consumers are making informed decisions for even small decisions now, so for any medical practice, they’ll absolutely be doing their homework. Marketers must, in turn, do theirs.
2. Consistency is Key
Consistency of advice, messaging, and branding will help build recognition of and trust in your brand, company, product or service. In a sector where there’s a lot of contradictory information, outrageous claims and even outright falsehoods, having the healthcare community trust in your brand is a hugely valuable badge of honor.
3. Address the Target Audience Through Digital Channels
As specialised as healthcare is, online spaces are still many consumers’ first port of call when they’re looking for healthcare advice, products or services. Traditional marketing methods can still be used for healthcare outcomes.
Use paid advertising and video marketing to promote services, and maintain a social media presence to encourage patients to stay up to date with your brand. Use creative educational content and other content marketing techniques. Make use of digital marketing tactics and leverage SEO best practices, to place the terms consumers are going to be looking for organically into your content.
4. Use Existing Patient Online Reviews
This is one area where healthcare is like any other sector; reviews are critical. There’s no better advertisement than the good work you’ve already done; existing patients are one of the most effective marketing channels you can use to reach prospective patients, and the best healthcare marketing strategy needs to take this into account.
As one of the most effective, and the cheapest, marketing channels, sharing patient stories with the healthcare community and potential patients helps those seeking your services to understand the patient experience they will receive. Be careful to abide by the rules of private medical information in the regions you’re working in, and remember that in healthcare, anonymity is essential. Don’t neglect to ask your customers for reviews, because unsolicited online reviews are often only left by those with negative experiences.
5. Provide Informative and Educational Content
Like many other sectors, simply trying the hard push to healthcare consumers is not likely to work. Unlike other sectors, marketing strategies which amount to overt selling of some healthcare products is expressly prohibited anyway, such as in the case of advertising medicines which are prescription-only in the UK. Instead, content marketing efforts can be used to create educational content.
Whether written or video marketing, informative, properly researched, objective content designed to appeal to your target audience, to educate potential patients, is the best way to become a top-of-mind healthcare provider.
Healthcare Marketing Strategies: We Are Amnet
Navigating this dynamic landscape of healthcare marketing requires innovative marketing strategies. The creative production demands that responsive healthcare marketing needs are immense, and maintaining or upscaling creative production for content marketing or paid advertising campaigns can be a brutal task. To start making smart, informed, and effective healthcare marketing strategy choices, We Are Amnet can help.
Ready to elevate your creative production processes? We Are Amnet innovates by staying at the forefront of industry trends and adopting cutting-edge technologies. For consistent, fast, accurate and economically produced content, contact us today.