Healthcare Branding and Marketing
Why do healthcare businesses need marketing?
It’s not uncommon to hear someone ask the question, “Why do healthcare businesses need to do marketing?” If you work in healthcare, you understand that it’s a very competitive market. In the Healthcare Industry, you might be competing with health systems, community hospitals, independent medical practices, and free-standing centers, like urgent care and diagnostics. Healthcare branding and marketing will help differentiate you from your competitors, strengthen your brand in the minds of consumers, and promote your services to new and existing patients.
At Eleanor Creative in Lincoln, Nebraska, our creative team of professionals specializes in healthcare branding and marketing. With more than 50 years of combined experience working in the healthcare industry, we understand healthcare and how each discipline is different. Having this insider knowledge allows the Eleanor Creative team to give our clients an advantage when it comes to developing healthcare branding and marketing plans by creating targeted strategies to achieve their objectives.
DEFINE YOUR HEALTHCARE BRAND
We believe that every business needs a brand that resonates with your culture and patient, is well known, and is respected in your community and around the globe. Your brand should include three key elements:
- Look. Logo design, brand colors, graphic design elements, and photography should all be implemented according to your brand standards for the perfect look.
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Voice. What words you use and how they are conveyed will impact your patients in a positive or negative way. At Eleanor Creative, we will select the right tone, words, and overall messaging that will create the best experience for your brand.
This key to an impactful “voice” is keeping it consistent and making sure it resonates with your patients. It’s imperative that you know your audience, the language they use and the platforms where they go to engage with your brand.
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Feel. Creating a brand experience where your customers feel well cared for, valued, and prioritized is so important. At Eleanor Creative, we care about how your customers feel when they interact with your brand. We want their experiences to be positive and engaging. That’s the key to brand loyalty and the key to creating an impactful brand.
Establishing a relationship with consumers through social media, sponsorship of events, and public relations campaigns builds a network of users for your products and services.
DETERMINE MARKETING STRATEGIES
When determining which healthcare marketing strategies will work best for your brand, you need to consider your patients and how to reach that audience. Today, most every person is using an electronic device to search for information on just about everything. At Eleanor Creative in Lincoln, Nebraska, we believe that a strong marketing plan should include digital and traditional marketing, to reach a variety of targeted markets.
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Website. Your website may be the first interaction you have with a patient. It’s your store front so you want to make sure they know about your services and how to access them. It should be easy to navigate and provide optimal viewing across many devices, from desktops to tablets to smartphones. Incorporate keywords that people are searching for so they find you faster. The Eleanor Creative team is experienced with developing content for your website to achieve all of these goals.
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Digital. In today’s world of social media mania, it’s very important to have a presence on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Find the social media platform that’s right for you by knowing your demographic of patients and using that platform to reach them. In healthcare, this can vary widely because people of all ages need medical services.
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SEO. Be sure to include a search strategy for your healthcare industry. Understanding what people are looking for and writing the content so that you achieve top placement on the page is key. Most internet viewers will only spend a few seconds scanning the list of businesses so make sure your name is toward the top of the list. Eleanor Creative can help do that.
BLEND TRADITIONAL WITH DIGITAL MARKETING FOR OPTIMUM REACH
As mentioned earlier, in healthcare you are marketing to a variety of age groups. Traditional marketing, such as radio, TV, print, billboard, and direct-mail, are widely used. Whichever traditional marketing strategies you decide to implement, make sure it works with your digital strategy. They can all be effective pieces in your strategic plan. Eleanor Creative in Lincoln, Nebraska can help you select the right strategies to maximize results.
CREATE A SIGNATURE EVENT AND SPONSORSHIP
Your brand will stand out in the minds of consumers if you identify a cause your company believes in and gives back to the community. People are inclined to support businesses that share and support their own values. One of our clients wanted to do something special for the Lincoln community during the winter holiday. They decided to sponsor an ice skating event every Tuesday during the month of December that would be free skating for the public. Over 500 people participated in the skating and it was a great opportunity to link the company’s brand name with a well-received community event.
Advertising sponsorships are also excellent ways to build your healthcare brand. For Innovative Pain & Spine Specialists in Lincoln, Nebraska, they purchased advertising space in Pinnacle Bank Arena and asked us to design that interior space in the building. From graphics to messaging, our goal was to create an awareness for pain medicine services that connects with attendees attending events hosted by this venue.
Our philosophy and approach to healthcare branding and marketing are centered around your organization, competitors, mission, and goals. We’d love the opportunity to listen to your story and see how we can transform your healthcare brand so it best represents your organization. We invite you to take a closer look at some of our work. Reimagine your brand with Eleanor.
