Patient-Centric Advertising
Patient-centric advertising isn’t just a trend in the healthcare world. It’s an incredibly valuable way to pull in new patients while also benefiting the patients themselves, even before they make their first appointment.
All types of healthcare and pharmaceutical brands need to invest in patient-first approaches in order to be more personable and empathetic in their advertising. Consumers don’t trust companies like they used to. What are you doing to let potential patients know they’re in good hands?
It all starts with a patient-centric approach to advertising.
What is Patient-Centric Advertising?
Patient-centric is an approach that healthcare providers and systems take to establish a more personal relationship between patients, families, and medical practitioners. To be patient-centric in one’s marketing efforts involves delivering education and specialized support to patients in order to help them make more informed decisions about their care.
When it comes to patient-centric advertising, the main concept is to use advertising to connect patients with healthcare providers while giving them educational materials that have value. To put it simply, this type of advertising does not involve basic, click-bait ad campaigns. It involves building rapport and trust with patients.
How Can Advertisers Focus on Patient-Centric Advertising?
Engaging in patient-centric advertising can take on a number of forms.
The “Learn More” Approach
Simple banner ads can be patient-centric, even if they are relatively short in terms of copy.
Some great examples include:
- “Learn more about the revolutionary new insulin pump solution”
- “Learn more about our pharmacy’s new payment plan”
- “Do you struggle with PTSD? Learn more about the XYZ approach”
Offering resources to patients from the get-go is the core concept behind patient-centric ads.
Caring Language
Using something as simple as caring language is another great patient-centric approach. This type of advertising doesn’t need to be punchy or in-your-face. In fact, it should be the opposite. Copy should be gentle, easy to read, and very informative.
The Benefits of Patient-Centric Advertising
To start, focusing on patients in advertising can lead to more engagement with stakeholders (not just patients, but providers and other parties) which can lead to more ROI.
Empowering patients by providing free and readily available knowledge will lead to a more informed group of patients who understand what they need to do to improve their health. This uptake in knowledge will result in better aftercare once discharged, fewer readmissions, and fewer additional hospital visits.
The patient-centric approach to advertising also changes the typical dynamic between patients and healthcare provides. It makes this relationship more collaborative and engaging, leading to a most satisfactory patient and doctor experience.
When it comes to the advertiser’s perspective, patient-centric advertising targets potential patients who have specific needs, but want to learn more about their particular condition and treatment options. Ads that provide information that is valuable, while using gentle language, gives a potential patient something that they need in that moment. That, in turn, builds rapport– and that particular patient is much more likely to connect with an advertised healthcare provider once they’re ready to seek treatment.
