Marketing healthcare can be challenging in today’s environment because according to a Gallup study in 2015, only 39% of consumers have a positive view of the industry, compared to 45% that have a negative one. That leaves the industry with a net 6% deficit. This is shockingly low when compared to another industry like the computer industry that has a 59% net positive score.
The negative consumer perceptions of the healthcare industry can be linked to a number of things but one of them is the lack of trust caused by the industry’s failure to be transparent. Fortunately, this is starting to change. Healthcare professionals and organizations that embrace transparency have a huge opportunity to connect with patients on a whole new level, especially when it comes to marketing relevance.
Healthcare marketing has tended to frequently fall into either the emotional or rational camp. The emotional is aimed at inserting the brand into the lives of the patient at a high level as this ad from Blue Cross Blue Shield illustrates: Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial. The rational is more focused on reassuring patients as to the credentials of the provider. Like this one for Georgia Medical Center Commercial
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The move towards greater transparency in the healthcare industry offers a chance for organizations to make deeper and more meaningful connections with their audiences through marketing messages that are built on answering immediate and real patient needs. Here are some thoughts on three messaging platforms that healthcare can tap into and translate across multiple channels to bring more openness to the communication process:
So when it comes to marketing healthcare, there is no doubt that greater transparency will not only improve the overall quality of care that patients are provided with but will also provide healthcare providers an opportunity to market to them in ways that will can form more meaningful and lasting connections.