One of the most pivotal aspects of doing business in the healthcare industry is targeting and engaging healthcare providers (HCPs). HCPs are essential for driving growth and success, so understanding how to reach them through digital channels is crucial. Although healthcare providers are now more accessible than ever (thanks to the internet), they are also more inundated with information. Therefore, it proves difficult for healthcare organizations to stand out and communicate their message in such a noisy digital landscape. Consequently, having a concise digital engagement strategy is paramount to outperforming the competition.

Expanding on the Digital Landscape

According to 2021 data, nearly 70% of healthcare providers are digital natives. Digital natives are those born or raised during the age of digital technology. This is important to note because when a healthcare provider has had positive personal experiences with social, mobile, and digital technologies, they’re more likely to expect business interactions to go the same way. As a result, healthcare providers want to be able to find the information they need in the most efficient way possible.

Although the switch to consumerization has been in full swing for quite some time for most industries, the healthcare industry has been slower to adapt. In a world where the digital realm is commonplace, digital native healthcare providers are still subjected to the regressive practice of interacting with businesses face-to-face.

In 2017, a survey of healthcare providers found that roughly 60% of their B2B engagement came from a field rep. Dichotomously, only 8% of engagement came from a combination of face-to-face, email, and virtual meeting interactions. With businesses placing such emphasis on face-to-face interactions, they may be spreading themselves too thin.

Prioritizing Digital Channels for Effective HCP Engagement

Rather than take a single-channel approach, businesses should be looking to use a blended approach to digital engagement. Having a multichannel digital strategy will bring the divide between a company’s value and the HCP’s expectations that much closer.

In order to improve and strengthen HCP interactions and drive conversions, you’ll want to amass accurate and timely information surrounding each individual that takes into account past interactions. In doing so, you’ll be able to build an individualized customer journey and establish more concrete relationships.

While the push for digital engagement may seem like the only way to pursue digitally native healthcare providers, it’s important to recognize that these providers still crave some degree of human interaction. Instead of doing away with face-to-face interaction altogether, try to use them in tandem with digital engagement. This will help in:

• Educating the customer when they are ready to learn
• Increasing customer satisfaction
• Extending overall reach
• Driving sales growth
• Boosting resource efficiency

An In-Depth Look at Digital Channels

Recently, a two-year study was conducted by a global life sciences company to measure the impact of digital HCP channels in an emerging growth market. This case study included three distinct segments: reps who engage with healthcare providers using face-to-face interactions, reps who engage with HCPs using a digital-only approach, and reps who use both digital and face-to-face interactions.

As it turns out, the company’s reps that incorporated a blended approach of digital and face-to-face interactions outperformed the combined sales growth of the other two segments by 3%. Additionally, the study found that using digital engagement strategies lowered the cost of interactions and improved cost efficiency for the hybrid reps by 80%. A few of the most effective digital HCP engagement channels include:

Rep Email

Using emails to extend the outreach of your HCP interactions may be both cost-effective and powerful, but make sure that your emails are relevant, targeted, and offer valuable content. Otherwise, you may run the risk of healthcare providers unsubscribing or, worse, flagging your emails as spam. In fact, 66% of providers want to receive relevant emails from reps, and 35% of emails sent from field reps are opened by healthcare providers, compared to a 3% open rate for corporate emails. That being said, you probably want to start using emails in your HCP outreach strategy to:

• Schedule face-to-face calls
• Send materials
• Offer new product information
• Extend invitations to online or offline events

When using email in your digital outreach strategy, having an accurate list of addresses is vital. This makes your sourcing strategy a high priority when trying to increase HCP engagement. To ensure that you have the most up-to-date HCP contact information, it is a good idea to quality-check existing databases. This will allow you to assess each database and see where the gaps are.

Managing and understanding HCP preferences are also necessary when it comes to email engagement. This requires you and your target HCPs to be on the same page in regard to how information will be stored and managed. Understanding HCP preferences may allow you to send more targeted and relevant emails that are more likely to be opened and acted on.

Remote Engagement

Remote engagements and meetings may help complement current face-to-face relationships by overcoming geographic barriers, providing more scheduling flexibility, and allowing for more effective conversations. The average duration of engagement in a face-to-face meeting is six minutes compared to 14 minutes in remote meetings. This provides an additional 133% of engagement time to address HCP needs.

Virtual Events

Virtual events have become more and more commonplace. Businesses can take advantage of this by hosting digital HCP events such as educational webinars or virtual trade shows. These types of events may help you reach a larger audience and can be more cost-effective than traditional, in-person events. In-person programs cost 3.5 times more per person than virtual events. Now that virtual events have gained popularity and momentum, it is time to make the switch.

Tips for Developing a Well-coordinated Digital Strategy

For many companies, a successful digital engagement won’t happen overnight but rather be the result of a slow and steady build. Creating an effective digital HCP engagement strategy requires careful planning and execution. The rate at which each of these healthcare businesses is able to digitize their HCP engagement will likely differ. There are several common internal barriers that need to be overcome for a business to excel successfully in digital HCP engagement. They include:

• Prioritizing digital methods of engagement
• Having a lack of communication between channels and departments
• Insufficient consumer data
• Having trouble creating, integrating, and distributing content

Once these barriers have been addressed, your business is on the path toward building successful bonds with HCPs in the digital arena. Having an active executive sponsorship is the number one factor when it comes to achieving HCP engagement in the digital age. Furthermore, before embarking on a digital HCP engagement strategy, it is imperative to set clear performance goals and have means of measuring whether they are being met. Doing so will help ensure that HCP engagement is a priority for your business and not an afterthought. Other factors that have been found to contribute to successful HCP engagement in the digital age include:

• Implementing a data management plan
• Understanding the customer journey
• Creating content that is HCP-centric
• Ensuring content is delivered through the appropriate channels

It is crucial to note that having a successful digital engagement program requires businesses to stay up to date on the latest technologies. HCPs are constantly overloaded with content, and companies who can find new and innovative ways to break through the noise will come out on top. Digital HCP engagement is not a one size fits all solution, but with careful planning and execution, your business can develop a strategy that is tailored to its specific needs.

Build Your HCP Digital Engagement Strategy with Levo Health

Now that you understand how important it is to have an HCP digital engagement strategy, you may be wondering where to start. The process can be daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone. Levo Health is a full-service healthcare marketing agency that specializes in developing digital HCP engagement plans that are tailored to each individual business. If you are ready to take your HCP engagement strategy to the next level, contact us today and see how we can help exceed your goals.

LEVO Health is going green! In addition to our new headquarters being a LEED Gold certified building, featuring a green roof, solar panels, and recycled materials, our team decided to tackle the indoor air by potting a series of one-hundred pothos plants around the office as living walls.

The LEED building certification program is an initiative of the U.S. Green Building Council or USGBC. LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” and focuses on encouraging a more sustainable approach to the way buildings are designed, constructed and operated. For new construction and major renovations, the LEED program has five main categories in which points toward certification can be earned. Each category also has required prerequisites worth no points.

Independent third-party examiners grade each building on the following:

• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Materials and Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality

After years of strong client growth and employee hires, we’ve outgrown our current Tampa office space.

Over the past year, our team has looked throughout Tampa for LEVO Health’s new home. We had very specific requirements, from walkability to shops, restaurants, and housing to a modern enough space that could accommodate future expansion.

After an exhaustive search, we settled on the riverfront in Tampa Heights near downtown Tampa. The building is in one of the fastest-growing areas of Tampa Bay. The garden roof deck overlooks the Hillsborough River, Waterworks Park, Armature Works and a series of redeveloped and new buildings.

LEVO Health’s new office is eco-friendly and has contributed to urban renewal in one of Tampa’s designed community redevelopment areas. The LEED Gold-certified building features a green roof, solar panels, recycled materials and shading devices on the south side protecting the windows from direct sunlight.

We’re excited for the next chapter of LEVO Health. To learn more, please visit, levohealth.com.

Why is Healthcare Marketing Important?

Healthcare marketing is an integral component of sustainable growth. Without it, there would be no influx of new patients, and even your loyal patients may slowly drop off, one-by-one. The healthcare industry is changing fast. What used to be a volume-based industry centered around the physician, has become a quality-based industry centered around the patient. There are likely multiple healthcare practices in any given area that provide the same or relatively similar services. Marketing shows potential patients that not only is your practice different than the competition, but it is also a much better option overall.

So, How Does Healthcare Marketing Work?

There are too many healthcare options available for patients to feel trapped with whatever physician, clinic or plan they are in. Marketing your healthcare practice provides an open line of communication to your patient audience by building trust and piquing interest. Healthcare marketing allows you to increase your patient connections and nurture those relationships to form long-term, loyal patients. Successful healthcare marketing leads to successful patient engagement, and successful patient engagement leads to a booming practice.

Through healthcare marketing systems, current and potential patients receive quality care from every aspect of your practice including the website, social media pages, patient engagement representatives, and personalized physician attention. The best way to imagine how healthcare marketing works is to think of the patient as a customer. Customers have endless options to choose from, so why should they choose you? Your marketing strategy should reflect the answer to that question.

If you have poor marketing or no marketing at all, your brand will suffer. Yes, your healthcare practice works similarly to any other brand in any other industry. Patients drive the healthcare industry of today, so impressing the patient (customer) is an essential element that will drive your practice above the others.

Healthcare Marketing Statistics

• 88% of those searching for health information start with search engines – Google Complete Treatment Study
• 48% before booking, patients took over 2 weeks to research before booking an appointment
• – Google Complete Hospital Study
• 57% of baby boomers have searched for healthcare and wellness information – Inside Look at Boomer Healthcare Consumers
• Prospective patients find these the most important areas when researching a doctor or medical practice:
  • 94% reputation of the facility
  • 90% insurance is accepted by the facility
  • 86% recommendation by another physician
  • 85% uses the latest technology
  • 51% recommendation by friends or family
• When patients see a paid search ad, they take action:
  • 26% conduct searches for more information
  • 38% begin the research process
  • 39% visit the website of the treatment center that was advertised
  • 36% consider a treatment center that was advertised

To learn more about healthcare marketing, follow LEVO Health’s Insight blog here. Interested in hiring a professional marketing team to help grow your practice?

Contact the healthcare marketing experts at LEVO Health today by calling (855) 234-0232 or visiting our contact page online here.

Businesses optimize the customer experience by offering high-quality, cost-effective products with outstanding customer service. Today, nearly every U.S. market is extremely competitive, so it makes sense for companies to go above and beyond for their customers in order to gain their trust and loyalty. Imagine if healthcare companies began thinking of patients as customers. Imagine optimizing the patient experience in a way that goes beyond effective results to include ultimate patient satisfaction. That is the future of the healthcare market, and adapting to the changing realities is integral to retaining patients’ trust and loyalty.

It is easy to reject the idea that patients are customers. After all, the care and healing of the sick and injured is a sacred practice, and the word customer has an informal tone and a transactional connotation at best. Allow yourself to see past the word, and understand what it means to cater to patient and customer needs in a similar, effective manner. Doing so creates a better experience for both the patient and provider in the long run.

The healthcare industry is adjusting from its provider-centered roots to a more appropriate patient-centered future. This change is ultimately what drives the shift in viewpoint from a traditional patient to patient-as-customer.

So, how do we in the healthcare field rewire our brains to adapt to this change? How do we optimize the patient experience?

1. Place yourself in the patient’s shoes. Do not become so focused on daily tasks that you overlook how the patient must be feeling both physically and emotionally. If you were them, how would you want to be treated? Probably like a person, not as just another task of the day. Engage in light-hearted conversation, and be sure to not rush any processes.
2. Ask better questions. Asking open-ended questions shows patients that you are willing to engage in a deeper conversation about their health and well-being. Instead of asking whether a patient has any questions, which is a basic yes-or-no, closed-ended question, ask what concerns they have. Open-ended questions assure the patient that you are genuine in your inquiry, and you will take the time to address their concerns thoroughly.
3. Think of healthcare as an ongoing relationship.  Every bit of the patient visit should be focused on delivering a consistent, respectful experience. This means everything from the reception desk to the triage nurse to the doctor to the check-out should offer the same level of quality.
4. Keep cost-effectiveness in mind. Cost of care is going to be on the forefront of most patients’ minds. In order to build trust, it is important to offer high-quality care at the lowest possible cost. Patients can sense when they are being taken advantage of, but they can also sense healthcare providers are looking out for their best interest. Being the latter will stand out to patients, boost trust and loyalty, and increase positive reviews.

By engaging in the optimization of patient experiences, healthcare companies show patients they genuinely care about their wants and their needs. Pleasing the customer is what keeps businesses going, and the same stands true for healthcare companies.  

If you are interested in learning more about the changing face of healthcare and how to adapt your business, give us a call at 1-855-234-0232.

Written By David M. Williams | Chief Strategy Officer | LEVO Health

One of the most challenging aspects of direct to patient marketing is making sure your advertising dollars and messaging are reaching the right types of patients at the right time. If only there was a way to ensure your ideal patient receives a targeted message that will encourage, nurture and convert them… Luckily there is, it’s called patient personas.

The practice of creating buyer personas is nothing new. Other consumer-driven industries have been using this methodology for years to create personalized online experiences for their consumers. The first step is to ask yourself a few questions:

1. Why should your targeted audience care about what you’re saying?
2. How is the marketing message going to be delivered to them?

If you’ve haven’t asked yourself, who is my ideal patient, and what do they look like, chances are you or your marketing company are wasting money.

Prior to launching any paid marketing campaigns, you should know as much about your current patients as possible. Understanding your current patient population will help you formulate your patient personas prior to launching your campaigns, which will save you time and money. So, what are patient personas?

What are Patient Personas?

To tailor your messaging to your ideal patient(s), at the right time, with the most relevant messaging to their condition or needs, you’re first going to have to identify who the right patient(s) is. So what exactly is a patient persona? A persona is defined as: “a synopsis of the demographics, needs, motivations, and environment of a specific type of website user.“

Consumers spend more time online today than ever before. All of these interactions provide advertisers with tons of data that can be used to help understand what your patients are searching for online, their relationship status, the area they live in, what types of products they purchase, lifestyle preferences, and even the type of device and operating system they’re using to browse the internet.

How do you create Patient Personas?

This whole exercise can be fun and profitable as the goal is to attract higher quality patients as opposed to generating a large volume of patients seeking care for unprofitable or monotonous treatments or surgeries. By understanding the “right” patients for your practice you’ll be able to focus your time, effort and advertising dollars on the most profitable or personally rewarding cases. The following outlines a simple exercise for creating your own patient personas.

Step 1:

Start by making broad generalizations of the type of patient requiring your most profitable or enjoyable cases, treatments, or surgeries. What types of common traits do they all share?

• Age
• Gender
• Income Level
• Type of Insurance
• Occupation
• What Motivates Them to seek Care
• Personal Interests & Hobbies
  

Step 2:

Name and segment these types of patients into clearly defined patient personas.

Step 3:

Take these newly formed ideal patient personas and try to understand what it is that would motivate them to seek care. Take a step back and attempt to view the process from their perspective. Ask yourself the following questions and try to answer them through the patient persona lense:

• What is their biggest concern a doctor could address?
• What pain points keep them up at night?
• What do they value the most when seeking out a new doctor?
• What is most important to them?
• What would limit them from seeking the care of a doctor?

Step 4:

Aggregate the answers to each of the newly created patient personas and list the core commonalities under each segment. These answers serve as the foundation that will be used when developing the direct to patient marketing strategies used to reach each specific patient persona.

Now that you’ve created Patient Personas, what do you do with them?

With your newly created patient personas, you can now begin to craft specific ad messaging that will resonate with their individual concerns, pain points, values, and needs in order to increase the odds of converting the “ideal prospective patient” into the “ideal patient”.

In the next blog post of the series, we’ll address how to craft specific ad messaging for different patient personas, what types of pitfalls to avoid and review different examples of ad messaging and creative.

If you are interested in learning more about how to take back control of your online reputation, give us a call at 1-855-234-0232 or visit Let’s Talk.