If you’re a healthcare brand in 2022, you may find that there are aspects of your brand that you may have trouble keeping up with. The needs of a growing brand are constantly changing. Strategies that may have worked for your brand previously no longer apply due to the growth your brand has or will experience. Without help from a healthcare marketing agency, your growth can slow down, come to a stop, or even decrease.
The importance of a healthcare marketing agency is immeasurable especially in our day in age. Healthcare is constantly undergoing a metamorphosis due to the effects of Covid 19. Everything that was once done in person, such as scheduling appointments or contacting your doctor, is now done online, even some consultations have become entirely virtual. With all this in mind, having a healthcare agency is crucial to successfully market your brand online. NewGen is proficient in medical marketing, knowing the ins and outs of SEO, strategic social media, and understanding what is needed for overall brand growth.
Why Healthcare Marketing Matters
The marketing trends in healthcare have fundamentally changed in recent years. As tech and wellness evolve, healthcare marketing has been pushed into the forefront of healthcare businesses, resulting in major improvements. Medical marketing plays a pivotal role in the creation, communication, and value demonstration of healthcare brands. Once you have established yourself as a brand, putting time and effort into the marketing aspect is the next logical step to promoting brand growth. Healthcare marketing can help increase your patient connections as well as keep up with already established relationships. This in turn creates long-term, loyal patients.
Marketing your brand can help set you apart from competitors while also increasing overall patient engagement. All these factors combined can help your brand grow beyond what it is now. Some features found in healthcare marketing agencies are unique to this industry. There are many aspects of traditional and social marketing that are unique to this type of marketing meaning the agency you choose must specialize in this form of medical marketing.
How To Choose a Healthcare Marketing Agency
Choosing a healthcare marketing agency can be stressful and there are a lot of aspects that need to be weighed in before making a decision. An agency is your time, budget, and brand name so choosing one that fits your specific needs is important. Consider the following as guidelines that can help you choose which healthcare agency is best suited for your marketing needs.
What are the end goal and measurable results?
The goal of contracting any healthcare agency is to produce specific and measurable results. With this in mind, you must explain specific goals and objectives your brand wants to achieve. Ask about their system to quantify results, measure, and actively report return on investment, or ROI. Make sure they are able to explain measurable and meaningful goals, as well as the process for achieving those goals, before moving forward.
What healthcare marketing experience do they have?
In the field of healthcare, you should not assume that all marketing is the same. Healthcare marketing calls for a different set of skills for an effective strategy. It takes into account concepts such as patient conversion. Don’t assume any agency can fulfill what is needed for healthcare marketing. Hospitals and doctors answer to a much higher standard and experience is necessary. Providing highly personal services requires an understanding of both the patient public’s needs and the provider’s. Consider if they can properly market your brand and values as well as convey the type of patient experience you provide. Being able to do this will more than likely attract more patients to your brand.
What digital marketing experience do they have?
An agency providing healthcare marketing should be able to provide its services online and digitally. Analyze their previous experience with creating a digital presence, including recent examples. Discuss local search, mobile site requirements, search engine optimization, and support for healthcare SEO. Are digital marketing and advertising a key strength?
Patient conversion is another important aspect of digital marketing. Is the agency in question able to effectively convert patients through their presence in a digital space? Are they able to properly convey the patient experience you provide?
Are they aware of market trends and competition?
Be sure to address changes in the marketplace as well as any recent healthcare trends. What brands does the agency already currently work with? Consider their experience with social media and their influence on the local competitive landscape. These trends can also include digital marketing trends as well, what is popular and how they can use it to engage the audience they are trying to reach.
Do they offer realistic brand expectations?
An agency and client need to establish realistic brand expectations. If the agency in question promises fast and unbelievable results, it should not be trusted. If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t. Performance criteria and a tracking and reporting system need to be defined by both sides of the table. Brand expectation is not something to take lightly especially when considering if an agency is a right fit for you.
Consider how much they charge
Before reaching an agreement to work with an agency, be sure they walk you through the process of budgets, bullying, and payment. Both parties must have a thorough understanding of rates, fees, retainers, and any “extra” charges. Agree in advance about authorizations, change orders, approvals, and the like. Unexpected money matters and financial surprises can quickly sour a new relationship.
Do they understand style and personality?
This is more important than you may think. If a healthcare agency is unable to match your brand’s personality, it can affect compatibility. It can also have negative effects on your brand’s image. If the healthcare agency you’re working with is unable to properly convey your brand, your mission and brand uniqueness can be severely impacted.
Do they produce results?
Every healthcare agency has a gallery or a series of previously established works that can be considered. These include websites, television spots, print ads, digital ads, logos, brochures, and sales collateral. These represent experience and capabilities, but the primary consideration is how effective they were and the kind of results they produced.
Choosing the right agency for you can be a challenge, especially considering the long-term effects an agency can have on your brand. Consider this guide if you are unsure of how to proceed when it comes to choosing a healthcare marketing agency. This is a process that cannot be rushed. Make sure to take the time necessary to properly access prospect agencies to better determine if they are the right fit for you. Consider factors such as creative talent, reputation, industry experience, and brand expectation as well. Determine exactly what you want an agency to do for you. The most important aspect is to build trust with the agency and work closely together to make your brand the best it can be.
How NewGen Can Help
NewGen is itself a healthcare marketing agency. We are efficient in bridging the gap between patient experience and brand. NewGen can handle your marketing needs, from building out a website to keeping your brand’s social media. We dedicate our efforts to brand growth and engagement. If you have any questions about NewGen and what we do, feel free to contact us.