healthcare marketing

6 Tips to Turn Tweeting Patients into Promoters

Published

12 years ago

January 8, 2013

Patricia Redsicker

Are you a hospital marketer, PR or communications professional?

Have you considered allowing patients to tweet on behalf of your hospital?

Patients are already talking about your hospital. Some of them are sharing positive sentiments and others are sharing stuff you’d rather not hear. In other words there’s no controlling what others say about your brand on social media platforms.

Which is why positive tweets from loyal and enthusiastic patients are gold.

Patient sentiment is highly effective in healthcare marketing. We’ve seen patient stories on YouTube and hospital blogs cut through the noise to relay a powerful, and relevant message. Of course such content is ultimately developed by healthcare marketers. But hearing it from other patients is far more interesting, and effective than hearing from the hospital CEO.

So why not leverage that positive sentiment from loyal and passionate patients and put it to work for your brand. Here are six ways to turn tweeting patients into promoters:

Table of Contents

#1. Have a plan

As long as you’re using social media you should have a HIPAA-compliant social media policy that’s been reviewed and approved by your legal department. The policy should also include a section on crisis preparedness. Keep in mind that social media can be unpredictable and risky particularly when there are many users representing the brand. Therefore you should always be prepared in case something goes wrong. Here’s an infographic for developing a social media crisis plan.

If your hospital decides to use patient tweeters, be sure that your social media policy spells out exactly how this will work so that everyone knows how to avoid HIPAA violations.

#2. Agree on execution

Engagement risk is higher in healthcare than in other industries. If your hospital plans to include patient tweets as part of its social media strategy, remember that you will be held responsible for this content. As part of your execution strategy your legal department will be expected to carefully review proposed tweets and other social media content (both employee and user-generated) to ensure that messages are appropriate and no rules have been violated.

#3. Recruit happy patients

Hopefully you have happy patients who love your brand and are willing to spread the word or advocate on your behalf. Perhaps they shared their satisfaction and enthusiasm with family and friends on Facebook or Twitter and you were able to identify and even engage with them. Think of ways to leverage that positive sentiment. Create a plan for approaching, engaging and recruiting loyal patients to tweet and share content on your behalf.

#4. Empower them

The best user-generated-content (including patient tweets) is about the user not the hospital. When empowering patients to tweet for you, always seek to give them freedom of self-expression. Remember they are already loyal patients who are passionate about your brand, and are willing to advocate on your behalf. Resist the urge to over-edit their social content unless it crosses the line. Understand too that the most successful user-generated-content happens when patients feel excited, confident and empowered, not when they feel stifled or micro-managed.

#5. Train them

Anyone who creates social media content for your hospital should be trained for compliance with HIPAA and other hospital regulations. Training also provides a firm understanding of the hospital’s environment and corporate culture. When training patients, encourage them to use that knowledge to create friendly messages that attract other users like them, not messages that promote the hospital (that’s the social media manager’s job!). They will probably want to tweet about things they love about the hospital, which makes your job easy!

#6. Motivate them

When patients advocate for your brand by sharing positive experiences, remember that they too are putting their reputation on the line for your sake (yes, it works both ways). Obviously paying them is not a smart move because it lessens the power of advocacy (plus it’s not in your budget anyway!). Therefore creating a promoter out of a patient means motivating and rewarding them in other ways.

There are many ways to reward your patient promoters: Prepare special events exclusively for them; ask for their opinion and recommendations when creating other social content; give them special access to hospital leaders; give contributions to causes on their behalf; honor them with a weekly or monthly ’loyalty leader’ program, and so on. Your marketing team should be able to brainstorm other ways to motivate and keep your patient promoters pumped up.

Your Turn: Do you think it’s a crazy idea to let patients tweet on behalf of hospitals? Does it make you nervous? Please share your thoughts.

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healthcare marketing

The Top 10 Healthcare Marketing Strategies

Published

2 years ago

November 8, 2022

Patricia Redsicker

The healthcare industry is ever-changing, and so is healthcare marketing. What worked last year may not work this year, and what works this year may not work next year. That’s why it’s important to stay on top of the latest healthcare marketing trends and strategies.

To help you do that, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 healthcare marketing strategies of 2020.

Table of Contents

1. Personalized Marketing

One of the biggest healthcare marketing trends of 2020 is personalized marketing. Thanks to advances in technology, it’s now possible to personalize your marketing messages and content to a much greater degree than ever before.

2. Account-Based Marketing

Another big healthcare marketing trend of 2020 is account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a targeted marketing approach that focuses on key accounts that are most likely to convert into customers.

3. Patient Engagement

One of the most important aspects of healthcare marketing is patient engagement. In 2020, there will be a greater focus on engaging patients through digital channels such as social media, email, and text messaging.

4. Content Marketing

Content marketing will continue to be an important healthcare marketing strategy in 2020. The key is to create high-quality, informative, and engaging content that will help you attract and retain patients.

5. Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) will continue to be an important healthcare marketing strategy in 2020. The key to success is to create keyword-rich content that is optimized for the search engines.

6. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing will continue to be a powerful healthcare marketing tool in 2020. The key is to use social media to build relationships with patients and create a community around your brand.

7. Email Marketing

Email marketing is another important healthcare marketing strategy that will continue to be effective in 2020. The key is to create email campaigns that are targeted, relevant, and engaging.

8. Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising will continue to be an effective healthcare marketing strategy in 2020. The key is to create ads that are targeted and relevant to your audience.

9. Referral Marketing

Referral marketing is a powerful healthcare marketing strategy that can be very effective in 2020. The key is to create a system that incentivizes patients to refer others to your practice.

10. Traditional Marketing

While digital marketing is taking over, traditional marketing techniques such as print advertising, direct mail, and television advertising will still be effective in 2020. The key is to use these techniques in a way that complements your digital marketing efforts.

Keep these healthcare marketing strategies in mind as you plan your marketing efforts for 2020. If you need help getting started, contact a healthcare marketing agency.

healthcare marketing

The Importance Of Marketing In The Healthcare Industry

Published

2 years ago

November 8, 2022

Patricia Redsicker

The Importance Of Marketing In The Healthcare Industry

There’s no question that marketing plays a vital role in the success of any business, and the healthcare industry is no different. In fact, given the highly competitive nature of the healthcare industry, effective marketing can mean the difference between success and failure.

The first step in any successful marketing campaign is to identify your target market. Who are you trying to reach with your marketing efforts? Once you’ve answered this question, you can begin to develop a marketing strategy that will resonates with your target audience.

The next step is to create a strong branding strategy. Your brand is what sets you apart from your competitors, so it’s important to make sure that your branding is on point.Your branding should reflect the values of your organization, and it should be consistent across all of your marketing materials.

Once you have your target market and branding strategy in place, you can begin to develop your marketing mix. This mix will include the various marketing channels that you’ll use to reach your target market. Some common marketing channels in the healthcare industry include online advertising, direct mail, public relations, and events.

Finally, once you have your marketing mix in place, you need to make sure that you’re tracking your results. This will help you to see what’s working and what’s not, and it will allow you to make necessary adjustments to your campaign.

Marketing is essential to the success of any healthcare organization. By taking the time to develop a strong marketing strategy, you can ensure that your organization is on the path to success.

The healthcare industry is one of the most important industries in the world. It is responsible for the health and wellbeing of billions of people. Marketing plays a vital role in the healthcare industry. It helps to raise awareness of the importance of health and wellbeing and encourages people to take action to improve their health.

Healthcare marketing can take many different forms. It can be used to promote healthy lifestyle choices, to raise awareness of health risks, to encourage people to get vaccinated or to take up screening tests. It can also be used to promote the work of healthcare professionals and to encourage people to use particular healthcare services.

Healthcare marketing is a complex and challenging task. It requires a deep understanding of the needs and motivations of different groups of people. It also needs to be sensitive to the often sensitive nature of health issues.

healthcare marketing

The Impact Of Marketing In The Healthcare Industry

Published

2 years ago

November 8, 2022

Patricia Redsicker

The Impact Of Marketing In The Healthcare Industry

In a world where the average person is bombarded with over 5,000 marketing messages each day, it’s no wonder that healthcare marketers have to work hard to cut through the noise and reach their target audiences. But what exactly is healthcare marketing, and how does it differ from traditional marketing?

Healthcare marketing is the process of creating and executing a plan to promote a healthcare product or service. This can include everything from developing a new marketing strategy to creating and placement of advertising, public relations, and social media campaigns.

While the goals of healthcare marketing may be similar to other industries (increasing awareness, generating leads, boosting sales), the strategies used to achieve these goals are often very different. This is because the healthcare industry is heavily regulated, which means that healthcare marketers have to be very careful about the claims they make and the messages they send.

In addition, the healthcare industry is complex, with a wide range of stakeholders, including patients, doctors, insurance companies, and government agencies. This complexity means that healthcare marketers have to be very strategic in their approach, carefully crafting messages that will resonate with each of these different groups.

Despite the challenges, healthcare marketing can be extremely effective. When done well, it can help healthcare organizations to achieve their business goals, while also making a positive impact on the lives of patients.

If you’re interested in learning more about healthcare marketing, we’ve put together a list of resources that can help.

The healthcare industry is one of the most important and largest industries in the world. It is also one of the most complex and rapidly changing industries. This complexity is due to the many different types of products and services that are offered, the numerous regulations that govern the industry, and the constantly evolving technology.

The healthcare industry is also one of the most competitive industries. There are many different types of healthcare providers, from large hospital systems to small clinics, and each one is competing for patients. Marketing is a critical tool that healthcare providers use to reach and engage potential patients.

Healthcare marketing has evolved significantly in recent years, thanks to the growth of digital marketing and the rise of social media. These changes have made it possible for healthcare providers to reach a larger audience and to better target their marketing efforts.

Digital marketing in healthcare has a number of advantages. It is more cost-effective than traditional marketing methods, it is more targeted, and it provides healthcare providers with a way to track and measure results.

Social media is also playing a big role in healthcare marketing. It provides a way for healthcare providers to connect with potential patients and to build relationships. Social media can also be used to promote health awareness and to educate patients about healthy living.

The impact of marketing in healthcare is evident in the way that it is changing the way that healthcare providers reach and engage with potential patients. Marketing is no longer a one-way street; it is a two-way conversation. Healthcare providers who embrace digital marketing and social media will be well-positioned to succeed in the new healthcare landscape.