Why customize the Newsletter to retain new patients? For every healthcare facility, retaining patients who have already purchased is very important, but just as important, if not more so, is the ability to constantly acquire new ones to continue to grow and expand their network of contacts in the area. Word of mouth is universally recognized as the most effective way to obtain new referents for patients , and above all Social Media in this context play a fundamental role for the growth of a medical activity thanks to the very nature of the means capable of involving and making people interact more and more people on a large scale.
But what other possible ways or strategies of Healthcare Marketing can be used to acquire new patients by exploiting the personalization of the message conveyed? Are you running out of ideas?
The use of Email Marketing as a remarketing strategy to involve new patients and lead to making appointments is now widespread. Moreover, the tendency to offer discounts, gifts, advice to those who subscribe to the Newsletter, pushes more and more users to do so often. Finally, at least in Italy, inserting the link to unsubscribe to newsletters have been mandatory for years now, so even getting rid of a series of emails if these should no longer interest us is rather simple. But above all, today the newsletters have a completely new form, which can really overturn the turnover of a healthcare company in zero time.
As in all things, there is not a magic formula, but a Healthcare Strategy designed and constantly evolving, which allows you to switch from the classic outlook email sent to hundreds of people in a copy of hidden knowledge, to an automated system which will lead us to have hundreds of conversions. In fact, the tendency to improperly use one’s personal email to do Email Marketing is (fortunately) almost completely gone: it is uncomfortable, really not very functional or effective, obsolete and, above all, it does not allow emails to be sent respecting the privacy, therefore, to be fined.
How to take advantage of the Newsletter to retain new patients?
Statistics suggest that 85% of patients enjoy receiving and reading the newslettersthat arrive in their inbox. Do not send the Newsletter to your patients between visits to your facility, indicating that you are neglecting a very valuable tool to connect and communicate with them. In reality it is a very effective way to promote stronger relationships, increase loyalty and obtain quality references for services and services provided.
A careful and precise healthcare communication strategy in organizing both the contents and the editorial calendar for the programming of the various newsletters can actually be a great tool to mark your practice in the area and make it recognized as a leading expert in the field. The more you personalize the content of your Newsletters, including facts and information relevant to the trends or benefits of some trend treatments, the more valuable this will be, enticing patients to read it rather than directing it to spam immediately and then trashing it.
By involving your patients through the newsletters, you also ensure that:
- Your healthcare facility remains in mind especially in times of need for certain benefits;
- You are actively engaging your patients by reminding them to consider their health;
- Every month you have the opportunity to share the best services provided by your structure and useful health tips;
- Your patients are educated and have information that they can share with friends and family on a regular basis;
- You are exploiting a strategic and effective remarketing tool, useful both for existing patients and for new ones recently acquired.
Let’s see how to optimize this tool:
1. Bare yourself with interesting information and updated news
How well do your patients know you? Do they know anything about your facility and your staff besides the fact that they call you when they have a concern for their health or need to make a regular care appointment? What makes you unique or more interesting than any other health service provider out there?
If you want your patients to talk about you with other people, give them something interesting to talk about. These are the types of things you know about the people in your life that you care about and have a meaningful relationship with, so why shouldn’t you know your patients and let them know you the same way? Letting your patients see another side of your business will strengthen the connection you have with them and the trust they have in you and your staff.
2. Actively involve patients
People appreciate that their opinion is heard and considered. As you think about what you want to include in your monthly newsletters, consider feedback from your patients about what types of topics they might be interested in reading. This way you provide them with the information they really hold and will be more likely to use it as a conversation topic while they are with their friends or family.
You might also consider having a section of the Newsletter dedicated to highlighting the successes of your staff or a patient undergoing a specific treatment, an aspect that will add a more personal touch to your content. Recognize and celebrate with your patients their birthday, a new grandchild, a special result: this type of (automated) content will send the message that your facility really cares and appreciates its patients and can do much to improve interpersonal relationships.
3. Also, involve professional colleagues in the sector
A personalized newsletter also sent to other referring physicians and medical facilities in your area will also promote solid and positive relationships with them and will guarantee an effective and consistent means to strengthen the reference relationships. Make sure that the information you enter in their Newsletters is equally engaging and personal in order to strengthen that source of new business to support you in achieving maximum success in new patient acquisition efforts.
A quarterly or monthly newsletter will improve the long-term success of relationships with patients and, finally, increase the income generated for the healthcare facility resulting from new patients referenced. In addition, your Newsletters will help you more effectively engage your patients and reduce missed submissions and appointment cancellations.
