Key Elements of Healthcare Marketing in Pandemic
The healthcare sector is currently under massive pressure
due to the increase of COVID-19 cases rapidly. Medical professionals like
doctors, nurses, and other support staff are working overtime to control the
rising pandemic and supporting those who are affected by it. But routine
patients are drastically reduced due to pandemic. Every hospital/Doctor
business is suffering. So, what should you do during this pandemic situation?
You should think about a long-term marketing plan for your hospital/Clinic. Marketing
is a method of establishing communication and relationship with your
patients. It could be done by adding value to your patient life during a pandemic
and support them to stay calm. You can choose from a variety of platforms to inform
and educate. You should keep these lines of communication open during the crisis , people
rely on you for your expert opinion, so be there for them!
Key elements of marketing should be following in this
situation
1-Collaboration-Collaboration
will increase your strength and overcome your weakness as a radiologist can
collaborate with the hospital for setting up a diagnostic center. A
cardiologists can collaborate with hospitals for Cath lab services. Maternity
centers can collaborate with other hospitals for newborn care and NICU
services.
2-Search Engine
Optimization (SEO): SEO a long-term investment and promotion strategy that
should be continued on a regular basis. We are suggesting holding a portion of
your traditional advertising and investing in these marketing tools like SEO
and website development.
3- Social Media marketing: Most of your patients and prospective patients will search for answers about their healthcare problems online. You should ensure your social media content should be helpful and relevant to the pandemic situation.
These days social media is an excellent way of branding and showing
personality, it’s also an important communications tool. Video on Social media is
very useful because you can make an effective way of keeping your patients calm
by using these (Facebook/YouTube etc) platforms where they can see your face
and hear your voice both. So you should make sure that you are using your
social media to keep patients informed about the current situation, including
things like hand hygiene and other precautions.
4-Telemedicine-This
is a right time to integrating telemedicine into your business (if you haven’t
integrated already). In addition to protecting your patients and staff from
unnecessary virus exposure, you will likely find patients also appreciate the
telemedicine services like online consultation and remote ICU Care with
increasing convenience.
5-NABH/NABL
Accreditation-During this time when routine patient load is less, you can
utilize your time along with your staff in hospital quality improvement,
NABH/NABL Accreditation. It will help in your TPA/Government panels empanelment
and long term business promotion.
So you should maintain communication with your patients
during a pandemic. Continuous communication tells to your patients that the
rest of society is in stress, you have a strategy and can provide valuable solutions
for them. By these methods, you can find out for potential new patients near
you that will open in ways you couldn’t expect. Our nation will recover from
this crisis and being relevant in pandemic puts your practice in a good
position.
DR D K RAI
MBBS MD PGDHM