Stay in Front of the Competition – 9 Healthcare Marketing Strategies to Help Keep You 1 Step Ahead

Feb 19
08:43

2009

Tracy Ebert

Tracy Ebert

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The healthcare industry can be cutthroat when vying for the customer's attention. Outlined are 9 marketing strategies to stay in front of the pack!

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Competition is tough out there,Stay in Front of the Competition – 9 Healthcare Marketing Strategies to Help Keep You 1 Step Ahead Articles especially in the healthcare industry.  With this economic climate, we are all scrounging to beat out fierce competitors for our customer’s business.

What are you doing to stay on top?  Haven’t given it much thought?  I guarantee that your competitors have!

Below is a strategic road map for you to keep one step ahead of the others.

  1. Make sure your website is clean, up-to-date and informative. – Make sure your home page is clean and uncluttered.  Your navigational system needs to be easy to use and allow the visitor to find what they’re looking for.  Make sure all of the contact information is current and all of your hyperlinks are active.
  2. Build a mailing list to keep in contact with customers. – Communication is key!  Monthly newsletters are easier to publish than ever before.  Inexpensive services like Constant Contact or  Swiftpage provide easy to use templates.  All you need is a sign-up box on your website (the service builds the code for you) and you’re ready to start rolling!
  3. Consistently produce press releases. – Get the word out!  Have you hired a new CEO?  Is your new cardiac wing opening next month?  Has your Foundation raised more money this year than in the last 3 years combined?  These are all newsworthy items that help keep your name and brand out there.  Develop a list of local media to submit to.  With time and consistency, you will also develop a good rapport with those contacts.
  4. Develop frequent blogging habits. – Fresh content on your website keeps the spiders crawling in the search engines!  Blogging 2 to 3 times per week can help keep the traffic up on your website.  Don’t blog for the sake of blogging.  Make sure your blogs have information pertaining to your target market.
  5. Publish articles (on your website) and in article directories on the internet. – Publishing articles is a way for you to become an expert in your field.  There are many article directories that will accept submissions for free.  This is a great way to help brand your name and company in a positive light.
  6. Keep your image clean and consistent. – Whatever your message is, say it often and use it on every piece of collateral material you publish.  Make sure the image is consistent from business cards to brochures to banners at health fairs to all of the promotional items you give away.  Your target market needs a clear, concise message that they are exposed to often.
  7. Go the extra mile to recognize your current clients. – It can cost up to five times more to land a new customer as it does to retain a current customer.  With a reduction in marketing funds, you may consider doing something special for your current clients, like sending a Happy Birthday card every year.  It’s a small gesture that can really go a long way in building that long-lasting relationship.
  8. Offer expanded services. – How late do your competitors stay open?  Do they have office hours on Saturdays or evenings?  Consider expanding your hours to accommodate your customer’s needs.  Maybe it would be in order to offer home care services.  Take a look at what your customer is asking for and fulfill that need if at all possible.
  9. Pay special attention to the patient’s overall experience. – Put yourself in your customer’s shoes for one moment.  Drive into the parking lot and notice any ruts or holes.  Is the walk to the building lengthy?  When you walk in the front door, how many forms need to be filled out?  How many people do you need to talk to before seeing the physician or specialist?  Is the staff friendly and willing to help you out?  All of the factors involved from beginning to end will build the framework for if this person will return again for your services.  Make sure that you pay attention to these factors and make the overall experience enjoyable.

Remember, it’s all about the customer.  If they’re not happy with their experience, they won’t be back and they’ll tell all of their friends, family and co-workers not to go.

The strategies laid out above will help you give the customer what your competitors are not – a pleasant, informative experience.  Follow these guidelines and you’ll have the “brand” that all of your competitors will be striving to attain.