Brands like Amazon, Facebook and Spotify figured out long ago that personalization and individualized content create a better, more satisfying user experience. And for today’s consumers, that’s all that really matters.
Consumers of healthcare are no different from consumers of music, social interaction or household goods. They expect their needs to be anticipated and addressed. It’s a tall order, but those providers who attempt to fill it stand to grab a bigger market share.
Studies have shown that outside of the healthcare industry, data-driven personalization improves profitability. One study of over 350 CMOs found that marketers who delivered personalized consumer experiences saw double-digit returns. Another study found that personalized promotional email campaigns resulted in six times the revenue and transaction rates of non-personalized content. And still another study found that personalized ads receive 10 times as many clicks as non-personalized ads.
Why is Personalization so Effective?
Psychological research has been conducted into why personalization is such an effective marketing strategy. It turns out, most of us are struggling with information overload. We are bombarded with digital content almost 24/7 and it is simply overwhelming us.
When we are delivered content that is relevant to our lives and needs, it puts us in control and alleviates the anxiety from information overload. To consumers, personalized content is like a cool glass of water after a long walk through the scorching desert.
If you’re not convinced that personalized content is worth the effort and resources, consider these two reasons to personalize your content:
- You’ll Connect Emotionally
Guess what? It’s not features that sell products and services. Emotions are what get people to buy. Researchers have found that emotions influence 80 percent of our purchase decisions. Other studies have found that emotionally-connected content is more easily remembered. This is really important to healthcare providers. Usually when consumers are searching for answers to health questions and concerns, they are in an agitated or fearful state. Help them remember your message by personalizing and connecting emotionally.
- The Power to Shape Behavior
A study out of the University of Michigan showed the powerful benefits of personalized content in shaping consumer behaviors. When sending out personalized content, the study authors were able to get 23% of recipients to abstain from smoking for 30 days. In the control group (the group without personalized content), only 11% were able to abstain from smoking. This suggests a fantastic opportunity for healthcare marketers to leverage the power of personalized content to shape positive health outcomes within the community.
3 Tips to Begin Personalizing Campaigns
Now that you know personalization offers excellent benefits, let’s look at three simple ways you can begin:
Leverage a Quality CRM
Customer relationship management databases (CRM) help marketers keep track of a prospect’s relationship with your brand. A good software solution will provide data to help you determine exactly where the buyer is in their journey.
This helps you get strategic. You don’t send a first-time visitor the same information you do to someone who’s been on your email list for three months, and you don’t send someone information on autism when they’re looking for information on fibromyalgia.
- Create Buyer Personas
You can’t possibly create relevant, personalized content unless you first understand the people you are creating it for. Most healthcare providers will need to create more than one persona to serve their entire audience.
Think about what questions your patients come to you with. What do they think about? What are their main concerns? Base your personas on what you uncover.
- Don’t Cross a Line
When it comes to healthcare marketing, there is a fine line (or maybe not so fine) between personal and too personal. Obviously, marketers must mind HIPAA regulations and not break any ethical boundaries.
In general, personalization will come from online interaction with your brand and the information consumers freely choose to give you. It will NOT come from their office visits.
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Effective healthcare marketing will never be the same. Today’s marketers must rethink old business models and develop processes to create unique customer experiences that competitors can’t easily duplicate.
Need some help implementing a personalized marketing strategy? Get in touch with us. We help healthcare providers leverage data-driven marketing to deliver relevant content that converts.
