Now is Not the Time to Slow Down Communicating with Patients
by Leslie Hack, MBA
Dispel These Common Digital Marketing Myths to Strengthen Patient Engagement Now
If yours is not unlike many practices, the pandemic has hit your revenues hard. Understandably, your budget has probably become more restrained. However, now is not the time to let up on your patient engagement efforts.
The COVID-19 pandemic will leave a lasting mark on society and how we live our lives. Today, modern technology is helping us deal with the pandemic’s consequences – and attempt to maintain a sense of normalcy – in ways that were not possible 25 years ago. Staying focused on your strategic marketing plan and incorporating the unique opportunities the pandemic has created for patient engagement are sure ways to accelerate your post-COVID-19 recovery.
Throughout the trying times of the past 11 months, the internet and online communications helped make every facet of our lives better. From social networks and video chats to cloud solutions and productivity tools, online products and services help people stay connected, get the support they need, and conduct innovative health research – all while staying home.
However, you cannot expect to implement a telehealth service or post a few messages on social media and expect your practice to flourish overnight. To succeed, you will need to dedicate time and energy to a strategic communications plan that includes online and social interaction.
Healthcare Practices Have a Unique Opportunity to Engage During Crises
The Pandemic has created unique opportunities for medical practices to leverage patient engagement and to incorporate relationship building into their overall strategic planning and marketing strategies. With all that your practice is managing during these unsettling times, you might be asking, what are the benefits of marketing efforts during a health and potential financial crisis? If done correctly and consistently your practice will:
Get ahead of your competitors
Learn more about your target audience
Create opportunities to build on existing relationships
Expand patient engagement and patient satisfaction
Garner new business through word-of-mouth
Set yourself up for post-coronavirus success
What Are Patients Doing Now
It should come as no surprise that there was a massive shift from business networks to home networks in first quarter 2020. According to a report by Sandvine, an Active Network Intelligence Solutions Firm, the top 10 sources of web traffic in the US were either streaming video, gaming, or social media.
While the shift from work to home will not last forever, the expectation for patient online patient engagement is expected to last. According to a report from Grandview research, the market for patient engagement solutions is expected to grow by four times between now and 2026, reaching $56.92 billion in the U.S.
In recent years, patient engagement has been driven by several factors. First, there are two young and tech-savvy generations, millennials and Gen Z, coming into adulthood. They expect more personalized online options from their care providers. At the other end of the generational spectrum, there is the last of a large aging population of baby boomers entering their later years, many of whom desire to “age in place” without losing the personal touch they have come to expect from their care providers. In response to the surging demand these factors have caused, the healthcare industry is experiencing a boom in patient engagement solutions.
The following statistics from both Google and Pew Research Center illustrate how years of exposure and access to online technology have had a permanent impact on patient behavior when it comes to healthcare:
1 in 20 of the average 4.7 billion daily Google searches is for health-related information
80 percent of Internet users have sought out health information online
77 percent of patients have used an online search prior to booking a doctor’s appointment
66 percent of Internet users look online for information about a specific disease or medical problem
44 percent of Internet users search online for information about doctors or other health professionals
What Patients Expect
A report from KLAS Research offers interesting insight as to what patients expect from providers. The study found that 56 percent of respondents felt they had a “detached” relationship with their healthcare providers and 52 percent believed technology was either “somewhat helpful” or “very helpful” in supporting their interactions with healthcare providers. The survey also offered insightful information about which patient engagement technologies are most impactful for patients as well as what patients expect from these technologies in the future.
The top five technologies that were most impactful for patients in the survey are as follows:
Patient Portal (58 percent)
Provider Communication (24 percent)
Appointment Reminders (12 percent)
Self-Scheduling (12 percent)
Self-registration/Check-in (6 percent)
The top five technologies patients in the survey would like to see focused on in the future are as follows:
Consolidated patient portal (38 percent)
Telehealth (22 percent)
Provider Communication (16 percent)
Self-Scheduling (16 percent)
Comprehensive Mobile Apps (11 percent)
The importance of patient engagement goes beyond simply acquiring the technology. If it is poorly used or inconvenient, it can lead to patient dissatisfaction, negative reviews and even customer outmigration.
Planning, Placement and Patience are Key
Do you invest in paid search engines or rely on organic searches? Should you embark on an awareness campaign or rely on precision marketing tactics? Digital marketing is complex, especially in healthcare. We understand that consumers are proactive about their health — around three-quarters start with an online search that includes patient reviews to help them find a new doctor.
To meet healthcare consumers where they are, personalization and channel placement are key. Developing an effective omnichannel strategy does not need to be daunting or expensive. Start by disavowing some common myths about healthcare digital marketing - then use it to create your plan and budget.
Myth: Paid digital communications are independent of overall budget.
This is not something you do “on occasion.” To be successful, you will need to develop an integrated strategy that incorporates online and digital communications that complement offline strategies and create one cohesive plan.
Myth: Online communications are free; we can do it ourselves
A comprehensive and successful communications strategy requires time and resources. To effectively boost patient engagement with tactics including SEO, BLOG articles, e-newsletters and social media, you not only need knowledge, creativity and experience but you also need the resource of time.
Myth: I own the top organic spot; I do not need paid search.
You cannot rely on organic searches alone. If you are not geotargeting AdWords campaigns, you are missing a tremendous opportunity. Sixty-three percent of patients choose healthcare based on the proximity of their house. If a person searches the name of a practice or gastrointestinal surgeon in the town and the practice appears at the top, the search engine is working. If a person searches indigestion doctor near me and the practice appears at the top – a paid search is working even better!
Myth: Research says this is our audience.
Recognize that your audience is evolving and changing. The pandemic has taught us that people are willing to use their patient portals, connect with us online and turn to social media for education and connection. Audience profiles should drive your strategy. Do not shy away from asking your audience questions about who they are, what they like and what they want. They will appreciate your interest and reward you with their business.
Myth: We only need to advertise at certain times of the year.
To “save money,” underfunding an ongoing marketing strategy increases cost per lead and return on investment. Having an “always on” approach is not about having to budget more it is about using your budget more efficiently. Understand the tactics that work best for your organization. We recommend at the very least: targeted AdWords, regularly scheduled blog articles and patient e-communications and a well-planned social media calendar with educational and promotional content. Keep in mind, paid search brings qualified, active patients in the door and paid social is a low, cost highly effective engagement tool.
Myth: We cannot afford to market during a crisis.
You cannot afford not to market during a crisis. Patients are online. They are looking for meaningful ways to connect that provide value and increase trust. Engaging patients now is the surest way to budget marketing dollars and accelerate your post-COVID-19 recovery.
References:
Fox S. The social life of health information 2011. Pew Research Center. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media/Files/Reports/2011/PIP_Social_Life_of_Health_Info.pdf. Accessed May 13, 2017.
Elkin N. How America searches: health and wellness. iCrossing. Available at: http://www.rx-edge.com/research%20pdfs/How_America_Searches_Health_and_Wellness.pdf. Accessed May 13, 2017.
30 facts & statistics on social media and healthcare. referralMD. Available at: https://getreferralmd.com/2017/01/30-facts-statistics-on-social-media-and-healthcare/. Accessed May 14, 2017.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 USC §18001 (2010).
Mansfield M. Social media statistics 2016. Small Business Trends. Available at: https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/11/social-media-statistics-2016.html. Accessed February 7, 2017.
Mayo Clinic. In the three years leading up to Mayo Clinic’s first face transplant, dozens of medical specialists spent more than 50 Saturdays in a human anatomy lab refining their surgical techniques and developing their approach. The transplant team rehearsed the full operation more than 30 times. Here is the journey. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/MayoClinic/videos/10154379835767517. Accessed October 9, 2017.
How the Internet is Keeping Us Connected During the Pandemic, Internet Association, May 15, 2020
New Data Shows How People Are Using the Internet During Covid19, ncta The Internet and Television Association, May 12, 2020
The Global Internet Phenomena Report, Sandvine, May 2020
https://partners.healthgrades.com/infographic/dont-believe-these-10-common-myths-about-healthcare-digital-marketing-infographic Healthgrades, Do not Believe These 10 Common Myths About Digital Marketing
https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/healthcare-marketing-trends/
https://foundationinc.co/lab/content-budget
Social Media in Healthcare https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/41614/paper0465.pdf
Mining Physicians’ Opinions on Social Media to Obtain Insights Into COVID-19: Mixed Methods Analysis https://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e19276/?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=JMIR_TrendMD_0
Leslie A. Hack, MBA
Leslie is a consultant for Comprehensive Physician Consulting (CPC). Leslie has worked in the healthcare field with multi-specialty for 18 years including operating rooms and management of medical practices. Leslie has been featured as an expert for the website Medscape. She speaks on how branding can positively affect the patent experience and has seen the increase in branding with social media.