Around 91% of patients will switch medical providers if they’re unhappy with their experience. Prioritizing patient satisfaction is your best shot at bringing your healthcare business success. Omnichannel marketing in healthcare nurtures patient satisfaction by creating a frictionless, integrated digital experience.
If you’re curious about omnichannel and why it should be your number one strategy for marketing healthcare, keep reading. This article will cover everything you need to know to build patient trust, increase conversions, and improve retention through omnichannel marketing in healthcare.
What can medical marketers learn from e-commerce?
Omnichannel marketing creates continuity at every stage of the customer journey. It aims to seamlessly move buyers from pain to solution, usually within one website or app.
For example, the Starbucks rewards app allows customers to check and adjust their balance in-store, online, or on the app (and the changes take place in real-time). Customers can reload their cards from their mobile devices while waiting in line.
Disney’s mobile-adaptive website makes vacation planning with a smartphone easy, and its customized My Disney Experience app allows guests to locate rides and estimate wait times.
Omnichannel marketing is the future of patient marketing. When you develop an omnichannel marketing strategy, you position your practice as the ultimate solution to medical and logistical “pain.”
Defining omnichannel healthcare marketing
Omnichannel marketing in healthcare is a communications strategy that cohesively promotes medical products and services through relevant channels. Omnichannel marketing aims to meet patients precisely where they are:
- Up in the middle of the night alarmed by new symptoms: online scheduling lets them book an appointment outside of work hours.
- Mid-blog post, confused about the medical terms: chatbots put answers within reach.
- In need of urgent care but strapped for time: wait estimates integrated into your website help patients act.
The best omnichannel is customized for its audience. The following seven principles define successful omnichannel marketing in healthcare and can guide your brand’s next campaign.
Think patient-first
Satisfied patients are brand ambassadors. Whether it’s on social media, in an online review, or via conversation, happy patients will spread the word about your business. But obtaining that level of patient trust doesn’t come easily.
Impressing today’s health consumers takes an above-and-beyond commitment to nurturing their comfort throughout the patient journey. Absorbing that reality drives excellent omnichannel marketing in healthcare and builds patient loyalty.
Know your medical audience
Patients are people, and they each represent unique experiences and beliefs. Does your healthcare brand acknowledge those distinctions? People want to feel heard and seen, and you can use omnichannel marketing in healthcare to meet that need.
This approach starts the way a typical medical appointment does: by listening.
You can learn more about your audience by listening to what they share about their conditions and the care they receive. What do patient testimonials reveal about your clinic? What objections do your consumers make on your social media channels? Answering these questions will help you better understand the people walking through your practice’s doors.
Use the right healthcare marketing tools
Healthcare digital marketing options are nearly limitless. Consider using the following digital tools and tactics for omnichannel marketing in healthcare:
Automated and personalized emails
Marketing analytics software to track campaign metrics
Customized apps that support physician and patient needs
Full-responsive websites visitors can access easily from any mobile device
- Online scheduling tools
- Automated and personalized emails
- Marketing analytics software to track campaign metrics
- Customized apps that support physician and patient needs
- Full-responsive websites visitors can access easily from any mobile device
Work with a full-service marketing agency to get the insight and expertise you need to execute omnichannel healthcare marketing.
Audience segmentation
Target marketing in healthcare involves categorizing your market into audience segments based on distinct commonalities. For example, you can separate an audience recovering from orthopedic surgery into the following segments:
- Patients recovering from wrist surgery
- Patients in physical therapy to improve elbow mobility
- Fully recovered patients who may need a routine follow up
Each of these segments has different needs, and a successful omnichannel strategy will provide customized support for your ideal consumer.
Personalize
An estimated 90% of Americans enjoy some level of personalization, and 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase when brands personalize. Omnichannel marketing in healthcare is enhanced by the user data websites and social media channels collect.
Software using that data creates frictionless, personalized experiences that consumers expect.
Remain transparent about your data use and HIPAA compliance, and use personalization to enhance the patient journey.
Be consistent across all marketing and communication channels
Brand consistency is more than just using a color palette. Keep the following in mind when developing your brand’s omnichannel marketing:
- Logos, colors, and graphic design elements
- Evenly distributed social media presence
- Mission, vision, and values statements
- Tone and taglines
If you’re struggling to create cohesive marketing that captures your organization’s growth, we can help you uncover and promote your brand story.
Track your omnichannel marketing success with metrics
There’s no room for guesswork in omnichannel marketing in healthcare. Track the following metrics to improve your marketing ROI:
- Patient lifetime value
- Patient satisfaction
- Appointment requests
- Rescheduling rates
- Cost-per-patient
The high-tech, integrated approach omnichannel demands is worth the investment.
Bring to life your omnichannel healthcare marketing
Let’s compare two scenarios to understand the value of omnichannel marketing in healthcare.
Too many obstacles
A health consumer searches for healthcare near them, and your practice appears on Google My Business.
When they click the available link, they’re redirected to a website that isn’t optimized for mobile. They try to find a phone number, but they have to copy and paste it or write it down to make a call.
Patient-first marketing
Another patient conducts a similar search, and Google takes them to your mobile-adaptive website. A pop-up with an online scheduling link greets them.
When they click, a user-friendly form allows them to book an appointment quickly online. Your clinic’s number appears at the end of the form. All they have to do is click it to make a call.
Connect experiences to drive better healthcare marketing outcomes
The second scenario illustrates the power of digital communications for healthcare organizations and their consumers. Omnichannel marketing in healthcare unifies every channel a patient needs to move through in order to meet the healthcare professional best for them.
Healthcare consumers want help. When you use omnichannel healthcare marketing, you nurture your prospect to loyalty from the moment they enter your website or find you on social media.
Multichannel vs. omnichannel marketing in healthcare
The terms multichannel marketing and omnichannel marketing are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same. Multichannel (the most common strategy healthcare organizations use) means using multiple channels to reach patients.
An example of multichannel marketing is a hospital sending communications on various social media platforms, through email, and on its website. Omnichannel marketing in healthcare takes that further, creating continuity through customized apps and other digital tactics.
Omnichannel marketing improves the patient journey
Multichannel marketing isn’t enough in today’s consumer-driven healthcare industry. Patients expect personalization, fully responsive websites, and convenience. Omnichannel healthcare marketing is the answer to your market’s evolving demands.
FAQs about omnichannel marketing in healthcare
As an illustration, explore the following examples and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions related to omnichannel healthcare marketing.
What is omnichannel marketing in pharma?
Omnichannel marketing in pharma creates cohesion between and within the online and offline channels consumers use to access therapy. An example of omnichannel marketing in pharma is embedding educational videos with links to webinars, events, or appointment forms.
What is an example of omnichannel marketing in healthcare?
Examples of omnichannel marketing include:
- A mobile app that allows patients to schedule appointments, ask physicians questions, and obtain medical records
- Online scheduling triggers automated emails about appointment details and integrates with patients’ digital calendars.
- Live chat boxes on health service pages containing video and written educational content about each condition and service.
A generic strategy for omnichannel healthcare marketingwon’t work. Recruit a digital agency to develop a customized medical marketing plan targeting your ideal audience.
How does omnichannel marketing in healthcare impact medical practices?
Omnichannel marketing puts patients first.
This marketing approach enhances the patient journey, increases appointment requests, improves retention, and builds a medical practice’s reputation.
Creating the right omnichannel marketing strategy for your brand
Each marketing channel and digital tactic you use depends on your brand and your target audience. Moreover, successful omnichannel healthcare marketing is a long-term investment that will evolve. If you don’t want to miss out on the benefits of omnichannel, start preparing today.
It isn’t too soon to talk about omnichannel marketing in healthcare
Overall, the healthcare industry lags behind others when it comes to omnichannel marketing. That presents your clinic with a challenge and a time-sensitive opportunity. You can let your competition outpace your marketing efforts, or you can lead the way in omnichannel healthcare marketing. If you’re ready to move, we’ll help you take the right steps.
