How to Strengthen your Hospital Brand with Telemedicine – Recap

We’re no longer just living in a pandemic. We’re now living in a new normal.

More and more, telemedicine and online technologies for patients are becoming central to healthcare practices and routines. So how do we embrace the virtual consumer, grow service line volume, and strengthen our brand with telemedicine?

In a recent webinar, our VP Paul Fahey takes a deep dive into the marketing strategies, tactics and innovations featured in our report, 2021 Healthcare Marketing Trends for the COVID Economy.

Here are some practical, actionable tips that you can put into use today, no matter the size of your marketing team or budget.

“Webside Manner”

You can’t be with your patient to offer a reassuring touch or a warm, cozy waiting area. Approximating that experience online, aka your “webside manner,” is crucial to making patients feel comfortable.

Your telemedicine experience should offer convenience, safety, speed and quality. Oh, and empathy.

People expect this experience from their healthcare. And they want a sense that their clinician understands what they’re going through. That’s the definition of empathy.

Increasing your empathy increases your value, which increases your patient’s experience.

Update your Marketing for the Moment

Little changes and tweaks to your materials will make all the SEO difference. Keywords need updating to include the word “virtual.” So do homepages, social profiles and posts.

You need to design landing pages to explain clearly and warmly what your virtual options are and why patients should feel safe using them. Create educational content to teach your patients about why and how virtual healthcare is a boon to them.

The Little Things Count

As we’ve all learned over the past year, virtual interaction is just different from the IRL kind. That’s why your clinicians and providers should be mindful of the way they communicate with their patients. Here are some best practices for virtual visits (and, let’s face it, IRL visits, too):

• Take the time to introduce yourself and tell your patient what they can expect from the appointment
• Show empathy and compassion
• Make eye contact
• Ensure your background is clean and orderly
• Practice with the technology you’re using so that the patient trusts you and feels comfortable
• Never interrupt. Tech glitches and delays may make it seem like someone has paused in their speech, so it’s important to pay extra close attention and ensure your patient has finished their thought before you respond.

Bummed you missed our webinar? See the full video on our YouTube page, or view the presentation deck here.

Have questions or feedback to share? Get in touch!