In the last article, we looked at personalisation and the impact it can have, both in the lives of
consumers, and on the bottom line – both are good things!
All people naturally view life through their own experiences and live a life where they are the
main character. So playing into the narrative that’s already going on in their mind reinforces the
story they’ve been telling themselves throughout their lives.
That’s what personalisation does. And this doesn’t stop at commercial goods – it can also extend
into niche services like healthcare.
As a full-service creative agency specialising in medical writing, Westlink lives at the intersection
of the marketing and healthcare economy, where medical writing is the currency. So, as experts
in the matter, we’re going to look at some benefits of personalised healthcare marketing and
explore how they can improve patient engagement and outcomes.
How is personalised healthcare marketing beneficial?
If an impersonal experience leads to consumer frustration, it makes sense that a personalised experience can only serve to enhance consumer satisfaction. This leads into the first benefit of personalised healthcare marketing: you know exactly who your patient is. Unlike mass marketing, you don’t have to cast your net wide in hopes that you’ll catch a few individuals in your target population. Personalisation in the healthcare industry specifically is a sector in which it is a necessity versus a mere bonus to the consumer experience. The effects of personalised healthcare marketing can range from anything between literally saving their lives to simply make them feel seen.
Patients are never forgotten.
This gives us the second benefit that can be derived from personalised healthcare marketing:
your patient feels like a person instead of a number with cash. Humans are hardwired with the
longing to be seen – a longing that reveals vulnerability. And it’s one that is made even more
vulnerable when in a state of need, like illness. Patients need to be actively involved in their own
recovery – whether it’s brain surgery or a scrape on the knee. What better way to encourage that
than to let them know they are genuinely seen and supported in that journey?
Patients are never forgotten. The third benefit of personalised healthcare marketing is that your patient receives what they
need before they know they need it. What happens when a patient is actively involved in their
own healthcare is that they are better able to communicate their actual needs, consciously and
subconsciously. If it’s the latter, it’s your job to figure out what that need is based on all the data
collected in your efforts to provide a personalised healthcare experience through marketing.
This solidifies the relationship between you and your patient to being more than a simple
transaction. If you know them well enough to predict their needs (before they’re even aware of
it), and they trust you enough to listen, brand loyalty is established and this is evidence that your
healthcare marketing efforts were not in vain. When a consumer (because that’s essentially what a patient is) knows their needs will be met, specifically in the context of healthcare, they. are incentivised to be proactive instead of reactive.
“Providing the right content in real-time not only helps people discover the thing they need
quickly, but it can also create a trusted connection and promote loyalty.” – Peter Lambrou
This naturally leads to education in one of two forms: patients desire to be educated or they are
more willing to listen to and implement educational guidance relating to their health. This is the
core of the fourth benefit of personalised healthcare marketing. A number of studies have
proven that better educated patients lead to better health outcomes. Even without the studies,
isn’t this true for yourself? If it is, which we postulate is the case, there’s no doubt you’d have
told your family and friends about your experience with the wonder of personalised healthcare
marketing.
This gives us the final benefit of personalised healthcare marketing we’ll be looking at in this
article: the impact of word of mouth. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools
that exist. It is arguably the most powerful tool for continuity in the healthcare sector. One bad
experience by a handful of patients could put a practice out of business. This is for the simple
reason that people take their health (and the health of their loved ones) very seriously – it’s
literally a matter of life and death!
The benefits of personalised healthcare marketing extend to both the patients and healthcare
practitioners. With all these benefits in mind, it is clear that patient engagement and outcomes can be
improved through personalising healthcare marketing efforts, specifically when the medical
writing is crafted effectively. This positively impacts the experience of a patient during treatment,
their quality of life after, and their association with your brand. Healthcare institutions are
businesses too, and wouldn’t you agree that no business has ever lost out from having clients
that are loyal to their brand?
References:
Lambrou P. 4 reasons healthcare should use personalisation. Codehouse. [Online]. 2022.
Available at:
https://www.codehousegroup.com/insights/4-reasons-healthcare-should-use-personalisation
