As a business leader, you’re always running short on time. To succeed in today’s fast-moving marketplace, you need to gather insights. You also need to find the time to apply them to your own business.
To help you out, we’ve collected some expert thoughts. These ideas come from digital marketers, healthcare writers, tech companies, and startups. They have found success in healthcare marketing and so can you.
Verge Genomics is one of the most exciting healthcare startups. The company uses artificial intelligence to streamline the medical trial process and find effective drugs faster.
CEO Alice Zhang emphasizes that “breaking down the barriers that exist between industry, academia, computation, and biology is critical to fully realizing the potential of AI in drug discovery.” Healthcare might be experiencing disruption slower than in other industries, but advances like Verge Genomics show that big changes are not far away.
What can marketers learn? Look to connect your own silos and break down barriers internally to fully realize your goals as an organization. Genomics shows that innovation happens when sales, marketing, and consumers align.
Today’s market looks for information online before anywhere else. Nine out of 10 people go online first, says WEGO Health Solutions, a leading digital healthcare marketer. The company researched the power of online communities and patient leaders in patient health choices. According to WEGO’s findings, the key is to insert your brand into websites, reviews, and social media. These online networks influence real decisions on how and where to seek care. As a healthcare business, you need to take part in the networks.
Using WEGO's tactics, you could boost your trust on the web without massive ad spending. Social media and review sites are essential, especially for reaching younger consumers.
Convenience is key, says Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf. Today’s consumer expects to wait for hours or minutes rather than days or weeks. Look for ways to utilize text reminders, electronic access, and transparent engagement with your consumer.
Another trend is geofencing, which is drawing a line around an area and marketing to only people in that location. You could send health and wellness info to people at a gym or diet content to a diabetes conference.
Gandolf also says that landing pages are now providing the most conversions for healthcare providers. Specializing the landing page towards a specific interest of the consumer can lead to more effective use of forms, ads, and messaging.
Finally, chatbots are becoming an important part of the marketer's arsenal. Patients love using chatbots for customer service, such as appointment inquiries. It’s all part of a shift towards an empowered healthcare user that’s using not only AI but also voice search and wearable devices.
Stories are a fun and powerful tool, says Marie Ennis-O’Connor. Ennis-O’Connor has advised clients such as Mayo Clinic and says interactive videos are becoming a dominant marketing channel.
Stories are a great way to do a behind-the-scenes look at your workplace. You can also place an unobtrusive call to action, directing viewers to your website. Some businesses even share user-generated content. Curated content can be as engaging for your customer base as original content.
However, don't ignore the power of in-person selling. Eighty-four percent of leaders agree that in-person events are critical to the success of their company. Go to events or host your own. Extend your network and get referrals.
A strong brand helps customers find you. Brands also make existing customers more likely to return. Building trust in your brand is imperative. How do you make consumers believe in your mission when all you have is a logo, slogan, and brochure?
A trusted and consistent brand voice is essential, say healthcare marketing experts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith. A brand voice can involve any number of marketing methods, including sports partnerships, to increase patient loyalty. Listen to their podcast to hear them explain this concept in more detail.
Google says when you publish marketing content, you should think about what your consumer is doing. Your consumer is asking short, sharp questions. For example, Googlers search for answers to questions like “What’s wrong with me? Where can I get treatment? Who can I trust?”
Each time you, not a competitor, supply this answer, you’ve achieved a win. Each one of these successful Q and A events snowballs into conversions and potential sales.
For another glimpse at the future of healthcare, look at K, the doctor in your pocket. This new application uses de-identified population health databases and AI to find health solutions.
K Health’s CEO Allon Bloch says the application, like a doctor, asks simple questions to identify your health issue. It’s particularly relevant for people who look up symptoms online and find misleading advice. “Today, if you go online and search for something as simple as a cough, you’ll see millions of results…” With K, the millions of results are pre-sorted for you. Then, it can identify your problem and recommend a nearby service provider.
K is no doubt a powerful display of what’s to come in the health data market. Are your deep knowledge sets ready for the future? By combining funds dedicated to research and development, your own databases, in-house knowledge, and various skills, your organization can produce something amazing.
Do you have time to join a startup or learn artificial intelligence? Perhaps not when you’re busy just keeping up with your own marketing. However, success in business requires having an ear close to the ground. Read widely, from business newcomers to marketing stalwarts. With help from experts, you can find the optimal path toward your financial goals.
Do you need enriched insights for your healthcare sales and marketing team? Speak to one of our experts to find out how to supercharge your processes while remaining compliant.
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