As marketers, we all know what a tough job it can be to make sure our products and services rise above the clutter to be recognized and remembered by members of our target audience. This is made even more difficult in one of the most competitive industries out there: healthcare. According to Fortune, the U.S. Healthcare industry is worth nearly 3 trillion dollars (and growing!) and continues to be increasingly competitive due to the fact that the sector is highly adaptive to both disruption (legislative and otherwise) and innovation (through improvements in tech).
Healthcare Marketing Strategy
Whether it’s privacy, consumer preferences, ease of access, or wearable tech – all of these broader marketing conversations have been examined through the lens of the healthcare industry and have real world, transformative applications when applied to this sector.
In short, it is both an exciting and challenge time to be a marketer in the healthcare space, and today we are going to provide a few starting points to consider when developing a healthcare marketing strategy:
1. Develop A Strong Marketing Mix
Unlike many target markets out there, doctors and medical professionals come in all forms (and at al ages). It is an extremely diverse group of people, some of which thrive on technological innovation and others that are dead set on doing it the “old fashioned way”. When looking into marketing ideas for healthcare, marketers must develop strategies to reach all segments of this population, and thus we recommend a strong marketing mix that includes a blend of traditional marketing, online reach, relationship building, and a strong public presence.
2. Understand Your Different Audiences
Healthcare companies, more than many other industries, are dealing with audiences that are very specific, but also that are very different from one another. A healthcare marketing strategy for doctors will look very different than one for diabetic patients, which will look very different than one for senior citizens, and etc. Understanding these differences in both demographic and customer need will help you develop more effective marketing ideas for healthcare and generate a more positive response from your customer base.
3. Focus On Content Creation
In the age of digital marketing, they say that content is king. Educating customers in order to get them to a place in which they feel comfortable committing to a product or service has always been a challenge for marketers, who had to maximize their message in their 30-second spot or on their billboard. Today, educating potential customers has become much easier for companies.
Using blogs, white papers, videos, infographics, and even GIFs, marketers are better able to thoroughly explain the value of their offering and how it will benefit the customer (be it a doctor, patient, healthcare professional, or other). Developing a healthcare marketing strategy that focuses on creating content and educating customers is crucial to the success of any contemporary marketing program.
4. Start A Conversation
As marketing programs become increasingly sophisticated, prospective customers are feeling more and more bombarded by appeals and promotions. In some situations, the best marketing idea in the healthcare space may just be to start a conversation.
Whether it is through social media, a telephone campaign, or a more traditional survey, giving customers the opportunity to feel heard and express their needs and concerns is an important step in relationship building. Not to mention that there are obvious benefits to your marketing program when you are able to collect valuable data and insight from your prospective customer base.
Simply put, once the customer feels that they have been heard, they are more likely to listen to what you have to say.
5. Embrace Grassroots Strategies
This one may sound a little scary to the more traditional marketers out there, but we are here to discuss marketing ideas for healthcare and part of that includes looking at healthcare marketing in new ways.
As one of the largest marketing industries out there, healthcare marketing can, at times, seem extremely cold, corporate, and almost disingenuous. Not to mention that the competitiveness of the market makes establishing a strong sense of reach nearly impossible.
Embracing more grassroots strategies may help to address some of these challenges. Planning small events or campaigns that are recognized within the communities where your company operates can help your company open the door to building relationships with individuals you would have never been able to reach through traditional marketing means.
This is especially true of doctors and other medical professionals, who are so used to being marketed to that traditional appeals are filtered directly into the “NO” pile. A grassroots approach might find your company at trade shows, networking events, or charity functions where you can meet influences and decision makers and start building relationships that eventually turn into partnerships.
6. Stay Informed With The Latest Trends
As marketers, we have a responsibility to keep up with the latest marketing trends available to us. One example of this could be using lead generation as a healthcare marketing strategy. Lead generation is a method of marketing that generates a pool of qualified, interested prospective customers and delivers them directly to your marketing team to convert to sales. These campaigns use a premium (like the content we discussed earlier) to attract customers to complete a quick-fill form that qualifies them as individuals who could benefit from your particular product or service.
7. Never Forget The Basics
Earlier this month, we wrote an article about how the “4 P’s of Marketing” are the first thing that a marketing student is taught, yet they remain incredibly important to being successful in this industry. Remember the basics of marketing is so crucial when developing marketing ideas for healthcare and using these 4 P’s (product, price, place, and promotion) is a surefire way to make sure your next marketing program is built on a solid foundation.
Want to learn more about how we can help you optimize your company’s marketing strategy? Contact us at [email protected] or by phone at (604) 326-0096 to learn a bit more about how we can work with your team to help grow your sales. You can also check out our blog to find out what we’ve been up to and how we are staying on top of the latest lead generation trends.