Creating Brand Differentiation for Healthcare Businesses
Every business, no matter what industry, wants to stand apart from its competitors. But how? Surely, there has to be a magic formula to create brand differentiation for healthcare, right? Not necessarily.
There are all sorts of reasons that certain companies stand out from the crowd. Some are first to market, some enjoy the support of an imaginative, penetrative marketing strategy, and others, frankly, are just lucky.
We believe that it’s important to partner with an agency that can help you get an objective view of your organization, assess the competition, marry your goals with your clients’ needs, and create a personalized strategy that will help you position yourself in a utterly distinct way.
Here are some tips that can help you create differentiation, grow your business, and achieve your goals!
Engage With Your Community — Virtually and In-Person!
Community engagement is not new to a well-rounded marketing strategy, but differentiation is found in how imaginative your approach is.
Community engagement is all about humanizing your brand. Remind your prospective (and existing) clientele that you do more than just offer products or services — there’s a team of folks who have dedicated their careers to delivering life-changing experiences to your friends and neighbors.
There’s a rich story there, one that can be greatly enhanced by how you choose to tell it.
It’s one thing to sponsor a local sports team, but what else can you do to go beyond that to make the experience even richer?
- Showing up for games? Creating branded swag for parents to cheer on their kids? Having special snacks for the team? Hosting a year-end party? It’s all about what people need and how you can fill those needs with fresh ideas, the more imaginative you can be, the deeper the positive memories you’ll create.
Hit the streets, and the parks, and the summer block parties.
- Community engagement is all about humanizing the team behind your business and its connection to the public. Events like parades, summer festivals, block parties, and farmer’s markets are places where you can connect your brand to the community and the theme of the event. This helps to tell a deeper story about you, the business, and why that matters to the public.
Humanize your business by showcasing your personality.
- There’s a reason why the Dr. Pimple Poppers of the world gain millions of followers, and it’s not just because they’re sharing provocative content on TikTok and Instagram. It’s because they’ve developed a unique way to deliver interesting information to people. Look at it this way: You are different from your competition. The services might be the same, but the people, approach, and delivery of those services contain a universe of nuance. Choose a relevant social channel and lean into that nuance. You can help people navigate insurance. Provide at-home care tips. Features staff. Be quirky. Be educational. Just be yourself, as consistently as possible.
Highlight Your Commitment to Your Quality of Care
People want to feel confident in their purchasing decisions. Healthcare, wellness, and medical-related decisions are even more important in this regard.
We all want the assurance that we’re getting the best care possible, that we’re in safe hands, and that we’ll achieve the results we desire.
This is where you as a healthcare organization can leverage your already high standards of care to create trust and build authority with prospective patients.
- Create a “What Patients Say About Us” page on your website
- Feature Google Reviews on your website
- Use patient testimonials to enhance your credibility
This will require you to have a marketing release form in place that helps patients opt-in to sharing their experiences with the practice. You’re in the business of treating patients, and in the business of protecting their privacy. This is incredibly important to consumers.
And in order to get more reviews from patients, having a platform for them to do it in the office or via a detailed email can help lower that barrier of entry. It’s all about timing.
Remember, if you’re going to ask for reviews, then the way that you respond to those reviews is just as important as the feedback you receive. When someone leaves a positive review, thank them on the platform so they and the world can see your sense of gratitude. This also creates the opportunity to ask them for referrals, given their positive experience with the practice.
On the flipside, you may receive critical feedback, and it’s equally important that you respond to those, as well. It’s not easy being publicly critiqued. Some folks will offer reasonable feedback. Others have an ax to grind. Both deserve a response — just remember that the world is watching!
Patient satisfaction, commitment to safety, and more
Reviews and testimonials aren’t the only way to get useful patient feedback. Another way to get feedback on create brand differentiation for healthcare organizations is through surveys.
Patient database surveys, conducted anonymously via email, are tried and true vehicles for getting unvarnished feedback. These surveys will help you get insights across a wide variety of different subjects that you can use to improve your delivery of care, and can be used in how you market and differentiate the practice.
Another angle to consider is how you address patient safety. Highlighting your approach to safety protocols, as well as the ongoing training and development of your team will give your current and potential clients greater peace of mind.
This is a great way to educate your community. They likely don’t know how safety protocols are measured, assessed, or graded for your particular specialty, giving you the opportunity to teach them and show how you’re exceeding those standards in order to deliver a more exceptional experience.
Social posts, emails, a featured section on the website, and blogs are great ways to explore these topics. With blogs, you can get super specific about what you do, why it matters, and how it benefits the patient experience. Social posts and emails are great ways to touch on these topics while driving traffic back to your site. The bottom line is, your community will see your commitment to delivering safe experiences.
Formada Can Help You Create Brand Differentiation for Your Healthcare Business
Great healthcare is about people — the people being served, and those who serve them. Great marketing is about telling their stories in an emotionally compelling way, and that’s precisely how
Formada helps healthcare professionals like you differentiate your business and achieve your goals.
Every business has a unique story to tell. It takes imagination, bravery, and consistency to tell that story in a new and compelling way. Having a trusted partner who can help you tell that story will elevate your brand so you can reach even more people and enhance even more lives.
Formada would love to help you tell your story. We know that there are so many people in your community who would benefit from knowing it. So why don’t we get started?
Branding, web design, paid advertising, content marketing, and more — we can help you connect with more patients and create the sort of growth your business deserves.
Contact us today to learn more!