As our world grows increasingly virtual, now more than ever healthcare organizations are turning to new tools and technologies to better the patient experience. People have quickly adopted new ways of communicating and reimagined standard procedures like a doctor’s check up or a new consultation.
So how else can we use digital technology to improve the patient experience during our new virtual reality and beyond? Without the in person office visits, can we still connect, communicate and re-engage patients in a healthcare setting?
It turns out the healthcare industry can borrow some of the same marketing automation best practices we see in other industries transforming operations to better serve the needs of their customers.
Here are 3 marketing automation best practices healthcare organizations can adopt from other sectors to improve the patient experience:
Survey and understand your customer’s concerns and priorities
The first rule of marketing and communications is knowing what you want to say and why. As you start to tailor your marketing strategy to your patient’s needs and priorities, it helps to ask them directly what those priorities are. Whether it’s needing a reminder email before an appointment, a follow up text with instructions on how to take a prescription, or even ongoing wellness tips sent to their inbox, you won’t know what kind of information your patients are looking for unless you ask!
Personalize campaigns to the customer’s experience
Now that you’ve surveyed your patient base for the type and theme of content they’re looking for, personalize your future campaigns to those needs. You wouldn’t give health tips on staying active after retirement to a new mom! Likewise, you wouldn’t give newborn care best practices to a new retiree. Segment your patient base so you can tailor and personalize content to their needs.
Stay consistent and respectful with timing
As your patients come to expect more communication from you, make sure you’re staying consistent. If they opt in to a monthly health and wellness newsletter, keep up your monthly cadence! By giving them a consistent experience, you give your customers something to look forward to and expect.
Marketing automation requires a significant amount of time and effort to plan in the healthcare sector, and even more to execute (and execute well).
Critical to improving the patient experience for healthcare organizations, marketing automation is the cornerstone of successful integrated marketing strategies that reach and engage patients at the right time, with the right message for their needs. For more information on how you can build your marketing automation strategy for healthcare, contact Leadous.