Healthcare is one of the most complex and challenging industries to market successfully today.
The rapidly changing dynamics, policies, and infrastructures must be navigated with agility. However, there are a number of hard-and-fast elements that cannot be ignored and must be incorporated into any healthcare marketing plan.
Whether it’s a large healthcare system, a local hospital, a healthcare conference, an urgent care center, or even a medical association, the following should be taken into account in any branding and marketing effort.
Avoid being cute
By and large, healthcare is a serious topic to most people. We want our health to be in the hands of professionals and institutions that we can trust—literally—with our lives. Messaging that aims to be humorous or offbeat can easily convey insensitivity. Campaigns that instill confidence and convey expertise and experience are much more likely to resonate with audiences.
Spotlight physicians
While all medical professionals play a critical role, the physician/patient relationship is at the core of healthcare. Doctors are generally the face of any healthcare resource; they are the ones that drive public perceptions and the institution’s reputation. Accordingly, featuring actual doctors in your marketing campaign will go a long way toward engendering the trust prospective patients seek.
Get Mom’s attention
Women and mothers overwhelmingly make the healthcare decisions in households, and are also the primary caregiver when someone in the family becomes ill. So it’s pretty clear who you need to target with your message. At the same time, mothers, unsurprisingly, tend to be the busiest people the family, so you need to be able to cut through the marketing noise with a message that speaks precisely to her needs in caring for the household.
You can learn more about these and other guidelines for effective healthcare marketing in this eBook. It’s available free of charge—download it today.
