Much the way a picture is worth 1,000 words, great healthcare branding is extremely effective. It tells potential patients who you are simply and quickly. Building a strong brand that patients are able to understand and relate to helps you establish trust and set your brand apart. Ultimately, you can show how well you’re able to serve patients and improve their healthcare journey. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Determine what makes your brand different
While you might think you know what differentiates your brand, keep in mind that something like “great customer service” can be hard to prove—and your competition can claim the same.
Instead, focus on things that can easily be proven, like being the only organization that can perform a certain test or procedure or having doctors voted best in the region in a poll.
Build patient personas
Once you know what you can offer, the next question is: Who needs you? Creating patient personas allows you to market directly to a target audience by listing things like gender, health requirements and pain points. Some examples might be:
- Sherry is a mom of three in her 30s who needs a family-friendly facility and online conveniences like appointment scheduling, which allow her to plan her kid’s appointments after hours. That way, she doesn’t have to make phone calls at work or while her very active children need her attention.
- Paul is a dental patient in his 50s who is concerned about the cost of a root canal and whether the dental office he wants to work with can bill his insurance company directly.
To get the data for these personas, ask those who know best—your staff. Have them out a survey or take part in a roundtable discussion to determine the needs your patients most commonly ask about. Thank staff for their time with a hoodie or blanket.
Stand out visually
If your site is a few years old, considering updating it. Focus on the palette and overall appearance. Colors, fonts and the layout should reflect your brand’s persona. Are you serious or fun? Bright and attention-catching or subdued and elegant? Be sure to include photos that align with your target market and text that provides information to help them make healthcare decisions. And don’t forget about technology. Sites should be mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.
After you’ve updated, reach out to patients for feedback. Thank those who respond with some useful healthcare promotional products, like a pill organizer or hot and cold pack.
Share quality content
Creating content your customers can use is critical. Give them the information they need while showcasing your expertise. Consider adding blog posts with health tips, videos of patient stories (with their permission) and helpful infographics. If your office works with other healthcare businesses, try sharing topical white papers, case studies, webinars and e-books.
Put content where people can find it
Use patient personas to determine where customers will be looking for you. Social media is an easy way to make sure updated information is easily accessible. Include things like frequently asked questions about your services and local health issues. Ask those who already follow you to tag a friend or share a post and send a fun notepad to encourage likes, shares and follows.
Pull patients with better healthcare branding
When you perfect healthcare branding, patients can get a better sense of who you are—and whether you’re what they’re looking for. So be sure to make every persona and color choice count. Good luck!