All organizations benefit from great branding, but it is even more essential in the healthcare industry. The decisions we make concerning our health are often the most personal and noteworthy decisions of our life. A brand’s primary job is to facilitate trust. Without that, these types of decisions cannot be made.
You’ll buy a bottle of water from someone you hardly know, but neurosurgery requires a stronger foundation. You must trust your physician, whether you know them or not. A physician’s ability to make patients trust them based on their brand alone is what makes them stand out from all others.
Here’s a formula that helps us make sense of how consumer relationships work, even in healthcare. Brand Promise + Brand Experience = Relationship.
This means that what consumers think of you before they meet you is just as important as their experience with the service or product you provide them. Your brand is very important. You want to do it right.
A Software Advice survey revealed that 71% of patients use online reviews as the first step to finding a new doctor. That means that your online reputation strongly influences your ability to recruit new patients.
One of the most important aspects of your brand is its online presence. Find out how your business is listed online with our free SEO report card tool.
Being a trained physician means people automatically recognize your expertise. However, they recognize your competitors’ expertise as well. As a physician, your abilities are assumed. It is your brand that differentiates you in the mind of the public, increasing patient engagement and leading to converted leads.
This concept is called the “price of entry.” Safety for airlines or clean kitchens for restaurants are other examples. That’s why airlines sell customer service and restaurants sell the dining room atmosphere. As a physician, you are selling more than a service, you are selling a complete patient experience.
If you want more patients, you have to sell to them before they even start the purchasing process. Nobody enjoys seeing the doctor, and few consider their healthcare choices until they actually need them. Healthcare marketers are constantly selling to an audience who is not buying — yet.
Why do we do this? Because consumers will need these healthcare services eventually, and at that point, their decision is already made. They will go with the best-branded healthcare provider who they are familiar with but never knew they would actually need.
At LEVO Health, we do this through data-driven healthcare marketing to attract consumers before they become patients. Call us at 855-234-0232 or visit https://levohealth.com/contact-us/ for more information.