Top 5 Hospital Marketing Trends of 2015

February 4, 2015February 4, 2015 2145 Views Allegion, April Dalton-Noblitt, Eastern U.S., Landing Page Panel Ad, National School Boards Agency, Partner Alliance for Safer Schools, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Faraday Hall; Gateway Park; ADD Inc

NEW YORK In 2014, marketing trends in the hospital and health care markets centered on responsive web design and video consumption. Employing web page designers to help with the look of pages helps with the overall feel of what needed to be conveyed to the public. In 2015, according to experts from New York-based Smith & Jones, a health care marketing firm, new players will enter the arena that will steer marketing dollars at hospitals and health care organizations.

Some of these new trends include the value of long-term relationships over social impressions and likes and the importance of transparency when buying health insurance.

Last year, the big buzz word was content, said Mark Shipley, co-founder and strategy director of Smith & Jones, in a statement. However, what most organizations found is that without a distribution strategy, content falls flat. In 2015, we are predicting organizations focusing on quality content over quantity, a bigger emphasis on creativity and a social distribution strategy to reach the largest possible audience.

Smith & Jones released in January 2015 its predictions for the year ahead when it comes to marketing in health care organizations and hospitals. The company revealed the top five following trends:

1. Shorter content Consumers are no longer getting information via white papers and long-form videos. In 2015, it’s better to focus on short, sharable content that provides valuable information up front. If long-term content is necessary, make sure text is scannable with lists or bullets and that videos are entertaining.

2. Relevance is the new authenticity It doesn’t matter that the message isnt delivered organically; if its relevant, users will click through. This can be translated to your content and social marketing strategies. Focus on quality over quantity by creating content that is relatable, timely and helpful. Give it a compelling hook and headline to get your target audience to click through, and create a content brand to build up a loyal following. A content brand is not the same thing as branded content. Branded content speaks of the source, whereas a content brand speaks of the audience, which builds relationships.

3. An even bigger emphasis on brand building In order to deliver a positive patient experience, health care systems need a differentiating brand and shared values. Organizational culture is what will build loyalty among patients and help set your organization apart from retailers, such as Walmart and Walgreens, joining the primary care game. Use branding to give prospective patients a reason to choose you, and current patients a reason to stay with you.

4. Aim to inspire People share content that makes them feel good. If your hospital can create content that causes patients to laugh, cry happy tears or want to make a difference, theyll be more likely to share it with others and grow your audience.

5. Mobile is No. 1 In 2015, digital strategies should be thought of as mobile-first, and desktop second, or not at all. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re doing something wrong. Luckily, websites like https://www.cefar.co.uk/ can help you create websites that are suitable for both desktop and mobile viewing. Globally, 2.25 billion people access the Internet via their cell phones, and according to Ovum, in 2015 1 billion people will use mobile as their only form of Internet access. Given these stats, it’s an absolute necessity to have a responsive design on your website so it looks great across platforms and caters to user experience. If you don’t feel confident enough to make these design changes yourself, contact a web design company instead. There are also millions of people using social media to gain information too so having content that is easily sharable is great for social presence as well and engaging with visitors. For those companies who do not have a strong online presence that offers short content, or even a social presence, it’s certainly a good investment to do so as it encourages engagement with visitors. There are tools like this instagram growth service or Google AdWords as well as numerous others that can help improve your online presence and make it mobile friendly for users.