COVID-19 flipped healthcare on its head

Non-essential surgeries were halted and outpatient care was stopped. Many people associated being in a healthcare setting with getting the virus. This had a huge impact on smaller hospitals and clinics. Exacerbating the situation, is that healthcare marketing after COVID-19 spurred many organizations to reprioritize spending, putting their marketing dollars toward wellness education and safety information, as well as letting people know that it’s safe to come back to their locations.

But how can healthcare organizations rebound when budgets and priorities have shifted in their marketing plans this year? Here are three ways to help you get patients back into your clinics and hospitals.

Update your hospital or clinic’s website

We all know that people are looking online for healthcare information now, more than ever. It’s super important to make sure your website is well-designed, easy to navigate, full of useful information, and effectively tells patients what your hospital or clinic can do for them. When someone visits your website, they should know right away who you are, what you do and why they should trust you with their care. As in other industries, consumers have lots of options for their healthcare. Give them a compelling reason to choose you.

Keep your content fresh and focused

People are looking for data. They’re smart healthcare consumers, and people are taking charge of their care. Make sure you’re giving patients and potential patients exactly what they want. Your content needs to be timely, fresh and focused, not only on what they want to know, but on what you want them to know about your organization as well. Practicing effective healthcare marketing after COVID-19 means prioritizing promotion of your key services, ones that will be profitable and have a big impact on your bottom line. Don’t try to promote every service you have to everyone. Remain focused, and serve up the right content, at the right time. (Read this blog post for more information about serving the right content at each stage of your marketing efforts.)

Ramp up efforts to capture leads

We’re making up for lost time in the healthcare industry. Volumes are down, patients aren’t coming in as they were in the past. Organizations can’t just rely on getting returning patients back. You also have to ramp up efforts to capture nuance. Use your content to capture leads, learn about your perspective patients and begin building a relationship with them. Healthcare especially, is a relationship-driven business. People are going to go to providers they trust. They often turn to word of mouth when deciding on a new healthcare provider, but they also are looking for valuable information from you as a trusted provider. They need to hear it, not once, not twice, but many times from you before they will entrust their care to you. It has to be an effective and repetitive message that is consistent and says how you’re going to care for them and what you can do for them that others can’t.

How your clinic or hospital can capture new leads

Some of you might be asking, “How do I capture leads? What’s the best way to do that?” Some of the most common ways that healthcare organizations have successfully captured leads are offering downloadable content that’s valuable for them. Consider offering an online assessment about their healthcare needs or priorities. Follow up with respondents to see where your service lines match up with their needs, and proactively call to schedule these appointments. This will help drive business. Another option: allow patients to sign up for ongoing information like a newsletter or blog posts which grab their attention. And lastly, consider educational events. Even if you can’t do them in person, virtual educational events can help you successfully capture names and start building relationships with potential patients.

To recap, here are tips to revitalize your healthcare marketing after COVID-19 and get patients back into your clinics:

1. Your website has to be in order.
2. Make sure your content is fresh and focused.
3. Keep your current patients, but capture new leads to help you grow your business.

Find out more by visiting our healthcare marketing hub where you’ll find a variety of case studies, helpful blog posts and Agency for Change podcast episodes featuring other healthcare business leaders.

KidGlov is a boutique, full-service, advertising, branding and content marketing agency and certified B Corp, with offices in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, specializing in nonprofit marketing, healthcare marketing, financial services marketing, social impact marketing, and purpose-driven businesses.