Tom Hileman leadsHileman Group, an award-winning agencydelivering high-touch, data-driven marketing solutions for leading organizations.
You may or may not be surprised to learn that doctors and nurses continue to be the most trusted sources for healthcare issues. Yet consumers say they aren’t hearing from them nearly enough.
With the influx of voices in the crowd, how can healthcare providers control the chatter and help people feel more in control of the current situation?
As messaging continues to shift in this new post-pandemic age, we need to adopt new strategies for health systems to educate the public and encourage them to take action to protect their health. Based on my experience in helping our healthcare clients craft their communications and connect with patients, we can do so with these four tactics:
1. Webinars
How many times have you listened to a webinar for professional development or other work-related purposes? Webinars are the perfect way to showcase industry expertise to a wide audience. And it’s not just limited to businesses.
This is a strategy we worked on with one of our clients, Cleveland Clinic, to bringexperts and community leaders together to deliver messages on Covid-19. Over the last year and a half, they have hosted numerous webinars for employers, faith-based leaders and other public heads to educate them on the latest Covid news and trends so that they can deliver these research-based messages to their constituents.
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Webinars can be used as an additional way to engage with your target audience, as well as for lead generation. Beyond that, there are many other benefits to running webinars on a regular basis, including:
• Putting a face to your organization.
• Communicating with thousands of people all around the world.
• Engaging in real time with attendees.
• Positioning your organization as an expert in your field.
2. Email
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve found that email has been a quick and easy way to provide new and informative health updates on a consistent cadence. Due to the nature of the messages, these communications have seen double-to-triple the engagement metrics of standard communications.
There are several ways health systems can reengage patients through email, including:
Nurture Programs
Develop an email strategy that creates a sense of urgency around scheduling key appointments and effectively communicates “safe to return” information. The programs that we see show a high success rate include:
• Colon Cancer Screenings.
• Heart Screenings.
• Mammograms.
• Annual Well Visits.
Health Alerts
Health alerts allow you to drive patient volume across several business categories such as patient activation, patient re-activation and additional service line programs. They are used to enhance the patient experience and help improve overall health outcomes.
These alerts, operationalized within marketing automation platforms, can leverage data received from internal databases or electronic medical record (EMR) systems to allow for timely and personalized communications. Potential campaigns include:
• Wellness visits.
• Cancer screenings, based on age and gender.
• Vaccination reminders, based on current vaccination status.
• Care anniversaries, based on date of previous care (e.g., 1-year joint replacement anniversary).
3. Community Partnerships
Coordinated efforts with multiple healthcare systems or communities can provide a strong, unified approach during a public health crisis.
For example, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a client of ours, leveraged well-known community members to assist in their vaccination communication to create trust. Videos and images of celebrities, including the beloved Dolly Parton, receiving vaccinations were distributed on cable news channels, social media and email.
The American Hospital Association’s Wear a Mask campaign assembled health systems from all over the country, offering resources and advice to keep communities safe.
Other tactics that have shown positive responses and, more importantly, inclusivity include:
• Multi-lingual infographics and fact sheets distributed at community centers, churches, etc.
• Minority-focused town hall events.
• PSAs from clergy and other community leaders.
By targeting very specific groups of people, your messages can be more impactful and personalized, cutting through the clutter to help people focus on what is important.
4. Digital Experiences
Since the pandemic began, people have become accustomed to certain conveniences to make their lives easier, and healthcare has been no exception. At a time when in-person visits weren’t available, health systems had to quickly find new ways to see and treat patients. And 18 months (and counting) in, patients have adapted, even preferred, these modern advances, so hospitals should not expect (or want) them to go away.
In addition to the email and health alerts listed above, services include:
• Telehealth:Telehealth is the broader term used for online healthcare services, including but not limited to clinical and non-clinical services, provider training, administration and medical education.
• Virtual Visits/Follow-Ups:Whether it’s primary care, specialty care follow-up or mental health, virtual visits allow patients to keep up with their care, regardless of stay-at-home orders. Additionally, patients with chronic conditions are now able to access frequent, coordinated care to help improve the management of their disease or condition.
• Patient Portal Access:A patient portal, like MyChart, is a secure way for clinicians and their patients to easily communicate about treatment, test results, upcoming appointments and more.
A Healthier Future
The Covid-19 crisis has drastically changed the healthcare industry — and not always in a bad way. Health systems are in a unique position to set themselves up for success. By developing the right methodology, message and messenger, hospitals can effectively meet the shifting needs of the consumer, improve consumer behavior and influence healthy change.
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