3 themes for healthcare marketers from SHSMD '22

We recently attended the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development’s (SHSMD) Fall Conference. This conference brings healthcare strategists, marketers, and communications professionals together to learn and grow. Check out our key takeaways below:

tracking the patient journey

One of the most prominent SHSMD themes was the concept of patient journeys and the value of understanding and speaking to each part of them individually. Learn to segment patients by stage in a care journey to allow targeted, specific messaging that massively improves conversion. Content for potential patients in an “awareness and consideration” phase should look very different from messaging sent to current patients to retain loyalty. Understand these stages, segment patient audiences accordingly, and target each segment with the right messaging to establish the value add of marketing campaigns.

proving ROI

The term “financial contributor” was often discussed at SHSMD this year. What does it mean? Simply put, creating a process that proves return on investment (ROI) to an executive team to establish marketing’s contribution tied to revenue. Invest in marketing analytics, a dashboard that tracks the numbers of clicks, opens, and conversions that marketing campaigns are creating was the primary advice given by industry leaders like Medstar Health, UCSF, and Providence. Establish a data-driven culture to show the direct impact that marketing efforts have on growing a loyal patient population.

personalized content is king

Of course, these concepts become inapt if the healthcare organization’s content is not resonating with potential and current patients. Curate personalized content for each patient and relate it to their care experiences. Create specific content for different service lines, different stages in the patient journey, and various patient demographics. Have providers comment on trending medical topics to educate the patient audience and establish the healthcare organization as a thought leader. Local news is excellent for commentary on how a healthcare team can provide support. Most of all, make it relevant!