After all, very few, if any, patients decide on surgery based on a marketing campaign. Consequently, making the case between the effectiveness of marketing strategy and revenue-based assessment parameters can give a hospital marketer a serious case of the blues.

Even though linear approaches to measuring effectiveness in hospital digital marketing are limited, this does not mean the branding and marketing communications team should be locked out of the boardroom. Rather, they are instrumental in educating hospital executives about the realities of marketing healthcare to a digitally savvy and vocal audience of patients and healthcare consumers—most of whom will have their first point of entry through the hospital’s website.

The following are just a few ways marketers and execs can improve the quality and user-friendliness of resources and information that a hospital website provides to current and potential patients.

Patients are Internet-Powered

No longer does the doctor know best. Patients arrive at the clinic and the ER with an arsenal of questions, resources and possible diagnoses they’ve researched online.

While not all of that will be valid or reliable, it’s information in the hands of the patient and they perceive it to be powerful. Look for ways to make the hospital website a reliable “go to” resource for accurate health information. If patients walk into the exam room with information that your physicians already are familiar with (perhaps even wrote for your site), this enhances doctor-patient communication. Your “brand” organically becomes known as being patient-centered.

Understand the Patient Journey

Even though most healthcare ‘purchases’ aren’t immediate (or even planned), the customer’s path-to-purchase journey is a relevant model in healthcare marketing. Beyond knowing your patient-customer demographics, you'll want to understand the process a patient walks through from initial query to engagement—whether that’s calling for an appointment, sending an email, or even paying their bill on time.

Is the experience personalized for the patient, or is it generic? How many hoops does a patient have to jump through to get the information they need? Follow the digital crumbs that can tell you how patients use your existing Web content. You should also look for places where they get stuck. Analyze them for the effects this will have not just on engagement but also hospital reputation.

Voice and Style of Content

Remember when hospitals were first encouraged to replace the stark white walls with soft colors and artwork? This served as a way to soothe patient anxiety. Look at website design elements (color scheme, graphics) and copy through the same lens.

The voice of your copy can convey the hospital’s bedside manner…the tone sets an expectation in patients’ minds. Site visitors immediately notice if copy is too technical and formal. You’ve got to blend scientifically sound information into writing that is conversational and appropriate for the literacy level of the average person (about 8th grade).

There are any number of approaches that hospital marketers can integrate into a digital strategy that aims to build hospital brand awareness, customer loyalty, and sense of community. For example, consider designing mobile apps that help people with routine safety or health checks, such as car seat selection, breast or prostate self-exam, skin cancer checks, or an ‘average person’ guide to medical jargon.

While the possibilities for digital interaction with patients continue to grow exponentially, patient loyalty will not unless marketers are looking at all possible digital entry points--the journey from point A-B--and the overall influence of, and effect on, the hospital brand.

The resources below will further help you in this endeavor.

Resources

• Resources Library of Healthcare Marketing. FranklinStreet.com 
• Using Customer Journey Maps (Top 10 Requirements) 
• MarketingYourHospital.com https://marketingyourhospital.com NIH. Plain Language Content Writing
• Health Literacy Online
• Usability and Literacy Issues in Website Content Development (PDF).
• Health Literate Healthcare Organizations (PDF)