Six Reasons Most Healthcare Marketing Efforts Fail

By Lisa Bowen, Vice President | Managing Director, KidGlov

As you begin your marketing plans for 2022, there’s something you should know: Most healthcare marketing efforts fall well short of their goals. But why? What are so many people doing wrong? Often, it’s more about what they’re not doing. Let’s discuss six important steps that people fail to take in their marketing campaigns. Add these to the mix, and watch your results start to climb.

  • Poor planning

We’ve all heard that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. But surprisingly, this is where most efforts begin to fall short. In a competitive and constantly changing industry like healthcare, you have to do some advance planning to succeed. You need to set goals and objectives that are quantifiable, measurable, and aligned with your business strategy. Clearly define your target markets and audiences, then identify the best tactics and resources to reach them. Finally, create a comprehensive messaging strategy and make sure you have enough content to support it. Taking time to craft a strategic marketing plan will save time and money in the end.

  • Lack of consistency

Healthcare marketing is more of a long game strategy and less about quick clicks and instant responses. So, it’s critical that your messages and strategies are consistent for the long haul. The tactics, frequency, tone, voice, and visuals all need a consistent rhythm to build relationships with potential patients. This is especially true of social media. Eighty percent of sales are made somewhere between the fourth and twelfth contact, and you need to be there when patients are ready to act. You have to stay consistent to stay relevant.

  • Selling instead of caring

No one wants to feel like they’re being “sold” healthcare. What people want is someone they can trust – someone who’s knowledgeable and will be there for them. But how do you convey this while also telling your own story? The key is to offer a balance of education and information along with more promotional messaging. Healthcare marketing is about building trust in your hospital or your practice. Make sure every marketing effort helps build that trust. 

  • Failing to optimize

Having a plan and having an optimized plan are two different things. Optimizing is about recognizing every opportunity and acting on it. The first strategy in optimizing is retargeting. Whenever someone responds to any marketing message, keep the conversation going with a relevant follow-up, or series of follow-ups. Fine-tune your SEO strategy (remember – the “O” is for “optimization) and make sure your website is up to date, intuitive, and ready to support your marketing campaigns. Make it as easy as possible for a site visitor to self-convert from a prospect to a patient. Finally, use multiple tactics and platforms that reinforce one another. We all know that people look for and relate to information in different ways. Help them find what they’re looking for no matter which path they choose. 

  • Failing to analyze

We’ve already talked about the importance of defining measurable goals and objectives in advance. It’s just as important to make sure you’re measuring and analyzing your results along the way. Establish baselines, then measure against them. Use A/B testing for direct response campaigns. Soon you’ll be making better decisions based on what you learn. And finally, always make sure your goals and measurements are quantifiable, so you don’t mistake activity for results. 

  • Failing to adapt

No plan is guaranteed to work from the start so it’s important to know you will have to adapt as you go. Running a campaign the way it was intended from the start or the way you’ve done it in years past, without paying attention to what’s working today, is a huge mistake. Stay educated. Watch the competition. And don’t hesitate to tweak your campaign once it’s underway. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned, and it’s important to watch what’s happening and adapt in real- time. Let your tactics and strategies evolve to changes in the industry, reaction from patients, and the results you’re getting (or not getting).

And that’s it – six things you can do that many of your competitors don’t or won’t: Take the time to plan. Be consistent and be caring. Optimize, analyze, and last, but not least, adapt. As you begin using these tips with your existing plans, I hope you’ll experience your most successful year yet. 

If you want to learn more about KidGlov or our expertise in the healthcare industry, you can visit our healthcare page or reach out to me directly. 

 

The post Six Reasons Most Healthcare Marketing Efforts Fail appeared first on KidGlov.



source https://kidglov.com/six-reasons-most-healthcare-marketing-efforts-fail/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3 Ways to Humanize Your Direct Mail

The key word in direct mail is “direct”. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of direct mail is papers containing advertisements that are mailed directly to people’s homes. According to the US Postal Service, 98% of people check their mail daily and Americans spend upwards of 30 minutes with their mail on a single occasion. Many people, like me, love direct mail is because we can touch it, it comes to our homes, and it cuts through the digital noise that many of us experience while at work. Some even say that being able to touch and feel direct mail incites more human emotions than digital platforms do. It’s simple really. Anything you can do to make your direct mail feel like it was sent by a human vs. a robot, the better. Here are three ways you can give your fundraising appeals a friendly, human touch. 1) Humanize Your Direct Mail Through Personalization Using variable data printing is a great way to address donors and potential donors by name instead of the form letter...
Read more

KidGlov’s Katie Ripa Inducted into AMA Lincoln’s Hall of Fame

For anyone who knows KidGlov Vice President Katie Ripa , it’s no surprise that she was honored as the American Marketing Association (AMA) Lincoln’s latest Hall of Fame member. We’re not saying this to brag (okay, we’re bragging about her a little ), but simply put, Katie’s dedication to giving back is the stuff of legends. From her experiences as chair of Lincoln’s Young Professionals Group Leadership Council to traveling across Brazil with Lincoln Rotary Club 14, Katie exemplifies KidGlov’s value of courageously believing we can change the world. The KidGlov team was honored to celebrate her latest achievement at the 2023 Prism Awards in May. “Katie embodies what the AMA Hall of Fame is all about,” said Lyn Wineman , KidGlov’s chief strategist. “She’s an accomplished marketer who gives of herself to others, the marketing community, and the community at large. She was also the president of Lincoln AMA the first time the organization received the prestigious National Chapter Excelle...
Read more

Lincoln LOVs KidGlov

We love Lincoln! It’s why we set up shop here more than 11 years ago and why we were pleased as punch to be named one of its Best Places to Work in June. Lincoln’s Best Places to Work is sponsored by Woods Aikens LLP along with the Lincoln Human Resource Management Association and the Lincoln Journal Star . The awards recognize Lincoln businesses and organizations that have a proven track record of supporting and engaging with their employees. For the third time since 2017 we were honored in the small business category. “Culture has always been our key focus at KidGlov,” said Katherine Warren , our chief operating officer and head of culture. “Our manifesto focuses on giving our team the time and space they need to do the work they LOV for clients they LOV with a team they LOV.” Now in its fifth year, Best Places to Work administers an employee engagement survey to measure corporate culture to help pinpoint top workplaces. The survey, from Quantum Workplace, measures a wide range...
Read more