With 2020 standing alone, waving goodbye in the rearview mirror, I can’t say for a minute that I’ll miss it. I have thoughts of putting the car in reverse and running back and forth over it a few times, but instead, I just step on the gas and move on down the road. Best to put some distance between us.

Usually, I like to look back each year and recount the highs and lows, but this year it’s all eyes forward. 

Even that’s hard, though. As I write this, COVID cases are at their highest levels and hospital capacity is nearly depleted in some parts of the US. But the holidays are over, and vaccines are making their way into the arms of at-risk seniors and weary healthcare staff. I have to be hopeful that the worst will be over soon.

Meanwhile, the healthcare industry moves forward as well, having no choice but to make plans to rebuild and recover. 

Healthcare marketing in 2021 will be key to that effort. 

In a recent article that asked 30 healthcare executives for predictions for 2021, CipherHealth CEO, Jake Pyles, focused on marketing. He said, “Hospitals need to become marketing organizations. Like any for-profit brand, hospitals need to devote significant resources to building loyalty but have traditionally eschewed many of the cutting-edge marketing techniques used in other industries. Engagement and personalization at every step of the patient journey will be core to those efforts.”

The problem is that, in 2020, the patient changed. Our marketing efforts need to change too.

The post-2020 patient

For many, we’ve just been through 9 of the most difficult months of our lives. At best, it’s been disruptive. At worst it’s knifed a gaping hole in our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. How we approach people and how we communicate must consider that. 

Now more than ever we need to use empathy in our communications to connect and console. The message, “we’re in this together” was appropriate, but is old and tired. A new way to say that might be, “we’ve been through hell, but take my hand and we’ll walk forward together.” Yes, that’s wordy, but you get what I mean. 

The content also needs to be customer-focused. Find out what your audience needs and give it to them generously, without asking for anything in return. Associating your brand with generosity builds trust and loyalty.

Clarity is important as well, especially when explaining complex medical and technical information. No one has the time or patience these days for fancy language and long-winded explanations. Regardless of your audience, respect them by making your content easy to read and understand.

Finally, do what you do best – tell a story. We need stories to put our experiences into context and understand the world better… and to entertain us. In doing so, we connect with your brand. 

These aren’t new marketing strategies, but they do need extra consideration as 2021 rolls along.

The post-2020 patient’s expectations

In 2020, we’ve had to adapt and the driving force behind this has been technology. 

The switch to telehealth within the course of a few months showed that we can adopt new technologies quickly. I’d argue that we now expect technology to change rapidly to meet our needs. 

Consumer expectations have also changed. For better or worse, the personal customer experience that we get from Amazon has become what we measure other experiences by. 

In health care, the Amazon-like experience involves online appointments, quick test results, text communications, and continuous care for their health conditions. If these expectations are not met, patients may go elsewhere or forgo needed care. 

Marketing in the healthcare space needs to consider these new expectations and meet the patient where they are at.  

It’s not easy to adopt new marketing efforts, especially for an industry that has itself been a victim of COVID. The recovery of the healthcare system, however, will rise or fall it’s to meet the needs and expectations of the post-2020 patient. 

If you need some help with your 2021 marketing efforts, let me know. I’m here to develop a strategy and content that connects with your audience.