Healthcare Marketing Strategies That You Can’t Ignore in 2023

Healthcare marketing is equally important, just like marketing in any other sector. They both have a common thread – the need for a well-thought-out strategy to promote their services and products. Success often depends on a few tried-and-true techniques, and let's start with the basics you're already familiar with:

What is Healthcare Marketing Strategy?

As I mentioned on our ‘Healthcare's Digital Revolution: Crafting a Prescription for Marketing Success’ article healthcare marketing strategies are so different than other sectors. Since health is included in this field, based on reliable sources, targeted audiences should be satisfied with the servies or goods.  According to ‘The impact of marketing strategies in healthcare systems’ article, healthcare marketing is a unique interdisciplinary field that combines concepts, methods, and techniques from both traditional and social marketing. What sets healthcare marketing apart is that it deals with services and markets, rather than monetary transactions. Its effectiveness is measured by factors like the overall health of the population, identifying and supporting individuals with chronic illnesses, ensuring comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation, professional and social reintegration of patients, and more. Due to public health issues, the necessity for healthcare marketing evolved.

Furthermore, this shift raises the crucial question of how to align the healthcare provider-patient relationship with the evolving demands for health. The ongoing structural changes in healthcare systems necessitate a rapid move towards the future, taking into account the present requirements. Developing a viable future strategy is contingent on the effective utilization of both management and marketing skills. (Popa F, Purcarea Th, Purcarea VL, Ratiu M, "Healthcare Services Marketing," 2007, Carol Davila University Press).

A good healthcare marketing plan is built around the level of quality of the services offered. Agents in the healthcare sector that are effective have clear plans that enable them to adapt to the sector's changing conditions. A healthcare company's marketing strategy essentially shows how it deals with the marketing environment and where it places itself within that environment.

Patients have many options when it comes to healthcare services and providers in the modern world. Since it is a competitive world healthcare practices need to offer a distinctive and memorable concept to stand out in this competitive marketplace. They also require a marketing plan that is appropriate for the digital era. These are the five rules that every health marketer should apply:

1. Authenticity
2. Superior value compared to the competition
3. Relevance to the target audience
4. Memorable and easy to recall
5. Difficult for competitors to replicate.

According to Social Media and Health Care, Part I: Literature Review of Social Media Use by Health Care Providers article, Multidimensional healthcare, which combines traditional medical practices with digital tools like social media and other communication methods, has proven to work well. Finding the right mix of digital and traditional healthcare is crucial.

Every day, the digital world continues to evolve, and the healthcare industry realizes the increasing importance of social media as a valuable tool for specific purposes. These purposes include finding new clients or patients, marketing for healthcare professionals, promoting healthcare services, and establishing a strong brand presence. While social media was initially perceived as a platform for sharing personal life and photos and interacting with followers, it has now evolved into something more. There are four main ways in which social media plays a significant role in the healthcare industry.

1. Research: Social media offers researchers a powerful tool to collect data such as conducting surveys or engaging with the study participants. It offers a practical way to interact with patients and gather useful information on patient experiences and healthcare trends.

2. Health Promotion: Social media is an effective tool for promoting healthy behaviors and sharing important health information. It enables healthcare facilities to communicate health-related information to a large audience while also highlighting the need for medical services like vaccinations or not using antibiotics without a prescription. 

3. Marketing and Branding: Social media is one of the most used digital marketing tool and it's a part of the strategy. It can be used by many people, especially in healthcare organizations or individual healthcare professionals. They leverage social media to market their offerings and establish a compelling online identity. Through social media, they can show off their skills, share their achievements, and interact with future patients or clients. 

4. Recruitment: Healthcare facilities use social media to interact with potential candidates, advertise job openings, and hire new employees. They use this tactic to help them get qualified individuals to join their teams.

Social media has a unique potential for bridging the gap between the online and offline world. The information posted on social media platforms can have concrete impacts, such as its use in meeting rooms for business or educational purposes.. Due to improved patient access to health-related data, patients are now more prepared to actively manage their own health.

As a result, social media has become known as an essential resource in the healthcare sector, used for a variety of activities including hiring people, conducting research, marketing services, and promoting good health. Additionally, it has influenced how patients interact with medical providers and take charge of their own health.

2. Top Healthcare Marketing Strategies 

Nowadays, as digital world is evolving and the field of healthcare and marketing has greatly improved, marketing strategies are more emphasized on new techniques as individuals are more careful and knowledgeable about their health, and they actively seek information by asking questions about what to do and how to proceed. You need to get the right audience's attention by using these strategies:

Advertisements

Have you ever noticed that the paid Instagram advertisements we see when we go through stories tend to stick in your head, even if you're not interested? *coughs marketing strategy coughs* 

A powerful method for reaching a larger audience and marketing healthcare services is paid advertising. It is used to display specific adverts to potential patients, such as pay-per-click, display ads, or social media marketing. This may be a practical way to increase website traffic and improve conversion rates.

Investing in Healthcare SEO for Online Success

For healthcare providers, SEO is a powerful tool that helps them become more visible and attract more visitors to their websites. When they optimize their websites for the right keywords, it becomes easier for potential patients to discover them online.

Fit your content with the right keywords

To bring more visitors to your website, you must engage your audience with high-quality content. Create informative and scientifically supported content, incorporating the right keywords. This ensures that people can easily find your website when searching for relevant information. For your website to rank higher in search results, it's crucial that Google understands its purpose. An effective way to achieve this is by including appropriate keywords within your website's content.You can use Kuasar Video which tags the best videos with it’s AI-based technology.

Using Mobile Phones, such as messages

Everyone loves special treatments. Especially if they are your patients. Messaging apps prove to be highly effective tools for healthcare marketing and personalized engagement. They offer a convenient way to connect with both potential and existing patients, ensuring they have the information necessary to make informed healthcare choices. These apps allow you to engage patients right where they are. Since many patients already use messaging apps in their daily lives, doctors can easily connect with them. Moreover, messaging apps facilitate real-time, two-way communication. This means you can promptly address patients' health inquiries, schedule appointments, and share valuable educational content which is a personalized strategy. 

Email Marketing

Like messenger apps, email marketing in healthcare is a powerful tool that lets you connect and engage with your patients effectively.

Doctors and healthcare practices can use it to promote services, share valuable educational content, and foster patient relationships by sending tailored, informative, and engaging emails.

One of the great features of email marketing is the ability to organize your email list into specific patient groups based on their health conditions, age, gender, and more. For instance, doctors can create separate email lists for new patients, existing patients, and those interested in particular services or treatments. This approach allows you to send messages that resonate with each group, ultimately boosting patient engagement.

Build a Reliable and User-Friendly Healthcare Website 

In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for healthcare providers. Your website is often the first point of contact for patients.

Patients assess your practice primarily by the look and usability of your website. In fact, around 90% of consumers form their opinions about a company based on its website.

There are currently 6.64 billion smartphone users worldwide. We live in a digital world, it is a fact. So your website should be accessible to mobile - smartphones as well. 

Leverage Social media

Let's face it, social media is now a tool that it is a part of our lives. Even my grandparents are on Facebook, they are connecting with friends and searching for food recipes can say that it's a whole new level in our digital world, and in digital marketing strategy, social media provides a way to connect with both current and potential patients on a personal level. This helps in building trust and positioning your practice as a credible source of information.

Additionally, social media allows you to reach a broader audience, including younger demographics who might not have been reached through traditional marketing channels or the older demographics who are trying to keep up with the new generation. It's like teaching Grandma to use emojis – a whole new world of communication! 😄

Right Informative Content, The Right Audience 

Social media is the perfect platform to get the right audience and attention from the right content. Users, especially healthcare providers can use social media to inform their audience about various health topics and share their expertise effectively. By regularly posting relevant and informative content, doctors can establish themselves as trusted sources of information and build a loyal following.

Building a community

The social media community is similar to a family WhatsApp group where everything and every piece of information is shared openly . Creating a group of individuals with common interests offers patients and other organizations a fantastic opportunity to get involved in discussions, share thoughts, and create collaborations. As a result, patients may develop a sense of loyalty and trust.

User-generated content

Social media platforms provide patients with the opportunity to share their experiences and feedback with others. By encouraging patients to post their reviews, healthcare professionals can use user-generated content to establish trust and credibility among potential patients. This approach also adds a personal touch, building a stronger connection between patients and the healthcare practice.

Video Marketing

Video marketing is becoming more and more popular and is an effective tool for connecting with potential patients. By 2022, video traffic is expected to account for 82% of all internet traffic, according to Cisco (2019). In order to increase your reach, it is crucial to include videos in your marketing plan.

Currently, people view internet videos an average of 16 hours per week, and a remarkable 84% of them say that watching a brand video influenced their choice to buy a service or good. This emphasizes how important it is to produce video content to instruct and teach your patients.

AI and Content Creation

Artificial Intelligence, now is a part of our new world, especially in new modern marketing strategies. In 2023, 73% of American marketers preferred using generative AI technologies, including chatbots, according to Statista. AI aids marketers in producing human-like content, from text to images and videos. This technology allows B2B marketers to customize messages, enhance engagement, and drive conversions.

AI content marketing involves AI models that analyze grammar and context using natural language processing algorithms. In essence, AI processes data and generates natural language responses.

Why It's Important:

Generative AI, capable of creating human-like written, visual, audio, and video content, is a game-changer. It accelerates content development, fosters creativity, and provides personalized content, as seen in models like ChatGPT and DALL-E. The AI in marketing is expected to grow from $15.84 billion in 2021 to $107.5 billion by 2028, offering solutions to content creation challenges.

Similar to a unique computer program, an AI video generator can be found online or as standalone software that can be used offline. Even if you've never edited videos before, it's designed to make creating videos incredibly easy and fast for you. The tool Artificial Intelligence, has a wide range of capabilities, including the ability to edit your films by removing unwanted background elements, create backgrounds (such as green screens) that can be modified later, and convert textual content from a website or blog into video content. The biggest benefit of AI video program is that can save you a ton of time by handling many time-consuming tasks on your behalf. This makes you more effective, which is especially helpful if you want to grow your audience for the content you publish online. 

But there are also situations in which you might struggle. Numerous thoughts can preoccupy our minds, particularly when we're busy and our time is valuable, it is easy to become stuck in such circumstances. This is one of the worst scenarios when you run out of ideas, feel anxious about reaching the right target, and fear not achieving success despite your investments. We live in a digital world, human creativity might not be satisfied for the target audience, now in one click you can get what you are looking for in the internet. The important factor in here is to know how to use it and deliver the package to the right door. 

We live in a digital world, where human creativity might not always suffice for the target audience. Now, with just one click, you can find what you're looking for on the internet. The crucial factor here is knowing how to use it and delivering the package to the right door. This is one of the critical aspects,Thanks to AI and human creativity, these challenges are now a thing of the past. For instance, —identifying the right audience and then crafting content for them. In this situation, Kuasar steps in as the 'Batman.' This tool is exceptionally valuable, especially for marketers facing difficulties in finding inspiration for their content.

3. Conclusion

Shortly, healthcare marketing is a dynamic and evolving field…

It offers healthcare professionals a multitude of opportunities to connect with their target audience, expand their patient base, provide patient education, showcase their physicians, and grow their practice. When embarking on your healthcare marketing journey, it's crucial to choose a partner who specializes in the healthcare industry and comprehends the unique nuances of this space. A healthcare marketing agency possesses a deep understanding of the patient experience and the intricacies of the healthcare industry. They can leverage tried-and-true methods to guide you toward your goals with confidence and expertise.

So, choose a healthcare marketing partner who won't make your online presence feel like a checkup at the dentist – a bit nerve-wracking but ultimately painless! 😉

FAQ:

• Will Artificial Intelligence conquer the content creation world? 

Since day 1, it’s the question on everyone’s mind. The difference between artificial intelligence and humans is feelings, empathy skills. AI will help you to create contents: for example, blog posts or movie scripts but it can’t be the same as the one that you write since you add your beliefs, taste, emotions and culture in your creation. It’s like watching a tv series that's scripted from your favorite book. It won’t give you the same taste. 

• Can you give an example of a product that uses AI for content creation?

I can give Kuasar Video as an example for content creation using AI. It uses video data from the companies, industries advancements together to help retailers grow sales, attain new customers and most importantly retain existing ones by personalizing offerings through an in-depth understanding of customers. Also it produces your content faster and cheaper. 

• In what ways can AI assist the process of producing content?



• Artificial Intelligence is enhancing the process of content production by utilizing data and information about audience preferences, likes, and behavior gleaned from insights, and identifying popular keywords. It helps content gain more visibility, receive more clicks, and, most importantly, provides valuable information to the target users and audience through algorithms