Healthcare marketing is reactive by nature. People don’t search for symptoms until they have them. They don’t think about emergency care until they break something. While marketing to prospective patients in these “need you now” situations is certainly important, in today’s always-on world, it’s only part of the marketing puzzle.
Adopting a proactive healthcare marketing approach centered around preventative care could be the strategic piece that’s been missing from your marketing mix.
At first blush, focusing on prevention might seem counterintuitive. Delivering content that helps keep people out of your office or hospital? But from a 360° view, it makes a lot of sense.
People today are actively seeking out ways to live healthier, longer, fuller lives. They want “go-to” resources for their health and wellness. For some, it’s a daily pursuit.
Embracing a proactive, preventative care marketing approach builds something that reactive “pain point” marketing just can’t always buy: Trust.
Pushing preventive content not only helps build and maintain brand awareness but also builds brand affinity long before a patient needs it. So, when the time comes that they do need care, the doctors or hospitals they’re going to turn to are the ones that have already proven to genuinely care about their health.
This is an over-simplification, but you get the point. Being there for them when they’re healthy means they’re more likely to be looking for you when they’re not.
That, in a nutshell, is the “why.” Now for the how. Digital will obviously be the driving force behind any preventative healthcare marketing strategy, and maximizing social media channels is a good place to start. Just make sure you’re being authentic to your brand and your practice in every piece of content created. Quality content that’s fresh, timely, and unique is highly shareable and builds deeper relationships based on a personalized value exchange.
Developing a recurring preventative care blog is a tried-and-true way to build trust with prospective and current patients. It’s also the most efficient way to optimize organic and paid search.
For more progressive organizations, leveraging AI-enabled tools like voice search and chatbots represents a burgeoning opportunity to reach new audiences that the healthcare industry is only scratching the surface of.
At the grassroots level, participating in local events will humanize a brand and make it more approachable. Inviting the community to participate in preventative care activities in a fun and inviting setting will pivot the uncertainty that comes from seeing the brand when they feel bad, to the positive association of seeing the brand when they feel good.
Another approach we’ve found success with is encouraging and empowering a healthcare company’s employees to share preventative care information through an employee advocacy program. Employees engage with approved content or create their own and share it with their friends and families, who in turn become part of the conversation around health and wellness. And because they are hearing the message from a friend or family member, they are more likely to engage with the content.
These are just a few of the ways to turn a preventative marketing approach into a powerful, always-on tool for generating new patients. It could also be the very reason why a patient chooses to walk through your doors when the moment counts. Let the Agency Creative Healthcare Marketing team help in making it your deciding factor.
Let’s get proactive about preventative care marketing!
