Marketers provide simple healthcare solutions
Healthcare marketers are devising educational campaigns that rely on plain and simple language in order to reach their customers. Knowing that consumers are gathering medical information not only from physicians but also various web and TV sources, marketers are using a range of channels, including direct mail and social media, to deliver their message and answer customer questions.
“With direct marketing and healthcare, simple is best,” says Sylvia Morrison, director of database marketing at the Cleveland Clinic. “It's very personal – even more personal than finance because it crosses all spectrums, rich and poor – so you try to keep it simple out of respect for the patient.”
The educational aspect of integrated campaigns will only become more important as recent healthcare reform legislation brings tens of millions of new consumers into the healthcare market, notes Katy Thorbahn, GM of Razorfish Health.
“Now we have millions of Americans who have always had health issues, but didn't have the means to address them, so you're going to have an influx of patients coming into the market who need to make decisions,” she said. “We do see an increased focus on education, and making sure that people have that information at their fingertips, in whatever medium they choose to find it.”