6 Ways Marketing Technology Can Empower Doctor’s Offices
Healthcare marketing presents some unique challenges. It is just as competitive and impactful as marketing for other industries. However, there are regulatory restrictions to deal with. Additionally, patients need to feel especially comfortable about products and services they use for their health. Fortunately, technology can help. Here are a few ways marketing tech can empower your practice.
1) Giving Patients More Direct Control
One of the key obstacles to converting a potential patient to a customer is setting the appointment. Traditionally, this has involved calling the office to schedule an appointment. Unfortunately, making the call, waiting on hold and finding a potential appointment time can be obstacles to closing. However, technology is making it easier than ever to put the control in patients’ hands. Letting people set their own appointments online means that your calls to action can forward potential customers right to setting an appointment rather than giving them a phone number to call. This streamlining can improve conversion rate significantly.
2) Social Proof Through Digital Reviews
Social proof is a big part of the buying decision. This is the social phenomenon in which people trust a product, service or idea more because their peers also trust it. Specifically, if someone else has decided to go to a doctor’s office and continues to do so, then that office is likely a good choice. This can happen through word of mouth. However, it can also happen online with public reviews. Consider asking your patients for reviews of your practice. This is a great way to spread the word to other potential patients.
3) Labor-Saving Automation
With the right technology, you can get more marketing done with less time and effort. AI in marketing strategies can fuel your business’s growth by increasing your touchpoints with customers and improving personalization.
One simple application of AI is to provide a chatbot to answer customer questions. Another great way that you can use it is by sending out marketing communication to your potential customers. It can be a powerful way to provide a more engaging experience.
4) Email and Push Notification Reminders
Retaining your current patients is a huge part of healthcare marketing. You can remind them of annual checkups, for example, with email notices. If you have a mobile app, you can also send push notifications as reminders.
These techniques can be improved with marketing automation. They can also be highly personalized to drive greater engagement. Even something as simple as an automated reminder before a scheduled appointment can help to reduce no-shows and the subsequent lost revenue.
5) Personalized Online Experiences
Patient data can, to some extent, be used to personalize digital experiences. Naturally, there are both legal and ethical limitations to what data can and should be used for such efforts. Nonetheless, providing more relevant information to patients is usually considered to be desirable. For example, if you know a potential patient has been looking up information about a particular condition, you can provide relevant messaging for that issue. Again, there is a fine line to walk here. So, it is important to balance informativeness with respective privacy.
6) Increase Comfort With Virtual Tours
Many people are hesitant to handle healthcare concerns due to a lack of comfort. They would rather not know about a problem than have to deal with it. While this unfortunate mindset is difficult to overcome, it can be abated with a little a few marketing techniques. For example, virtual tours can make visiting your practice easier. It is an easy way to make patients feel like they are going to a familiar place. Additionally, providing information about procedures that can be easily accessed online will help improve comfort.
Get Started
Try the above marketing technology applications to improve your healthcare business’s growth. With these and some other strategies, you can bring your practice to the cutting edge of marketing. This will help to future-proof your business as it continues to grow.
