Benefits of Healthcare Email Marketing With Easy Checklists for Success

One of the best ways to support client engagement in a healthcare setting is through emails. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of healthcare email marketing by highlighting the following points:

• The unique benefits of email marketing in healthcare
• The critical points to consider when creating your email list
• Techniques to use email communication
• Crucial healthcare email marketing points

Whether you're a hospital or a medical clinic marketer, healthcare email marketing can boost your business. Are you ready to dive into email marketing for healthcare?

Let’s begin!

Benefits of Email Marketing in Healthcare

Some marketers say that email marketing is outdated. But many marketing professionals effectively use email as part of their digital marketing strategies. It remains one of the most popular digital marketing channels worldwide, together with website and social media marketing.

Email marketing brings many benefits to a healthcare organization that can be gained relatively inexpensively. Let’s take a look at some of them.

     1. Maintain Communication Between You and Your Patients

Emails help you communicate with your patients about their healthcare. Write your email concisely so your patients will easily understand your message. Add as many details as needed to ensure your patients won't miss anything about their care while remaining HIPAA compliant. Patients can reply to the email they received if they have any questions about the content of the email.

     2. Provide Important Information for Your Clients or Patients

Emails also can provide vital information to your patients. Your patients may need to know details about your services, facilities, specialists, special offers, and health updates. Email your patients about your new clinic services or newly updated lab facilities. Encourage them to check your website or business office for more details and include links.

     3. Improve Patient Trust and Engagement

Through emails, you're delivering information that your audience needs. You are also promoting trust and positive connections between patients and your brand or business. Healthcare email marketing will keep your audience connected to you even if they don't require medical help.

There are various ways to build trust through email marketing. Getting your recipients’ permission before sending an email and starting your email with a warm welcome can help. Also, creating personalized emails can establish trust and personal value and instill an appreciation for your business. Another very effective method is to segment your list so that only those who expressed an interest in certain topics receive communications on those subjects.

How To Build Your Contact List?

Creating your contact list is the most crucial part of starting your healthcare email marketing strategy. Your contact list includes your new patients, existing patients, and prospects. Your website subscribers, newsletter signups, and blog subscribers may also be part of this list.

Consider these pointers to grow your email list quickly.

     1. Ask Your Patients for Information

The best way to grow your email contact list is to ask for your patients' and clients’ contact details. On your website, add a form to collect patients’ contact information, such as email addresses and phone numbers, before booking an appointment. In your clinic, request visiting patients to fill out a contact information form.

However, remember your patients’ right to privacy. So, add a note on the form informing patients of your intention to include them in your mailing list. Add an opt-out checkbox too. This way, patients can choose not to receive marketing emails from you.

     2. Offer Free Consultations by Phone

Phone consultations help patients who find traveling hard to consult without visiting your clinic. Many patients prefer this method because it’s quick, convenient, and simple. In turn, you gain an opportunity to get their contact information. When they book a phone consultation or before you begin a consultation, you may request patients’ contact information over the phone.

Of course, as with other ways to gather patient information, ask permission to include them in your mailing list. Let them know that they may opt-out anytime.

     3. Publish a Newsletter Regularly

A newsletter compiles the latest news and updates in your industry. It is also handy for your clients to get the latest information about healthcare issues from their email inbox. This offering is yet another chance for you to build your mailing list.

On the subscription form, whether online or on-site, ask for patients’ names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Just remember to publish newsletters once or twice weekly but not too often. You wouldn’t want to flood your patients’ inboxes.

Also, with every newsletter email you send, add an unsubscribe option at the end so that recipients can opt out if they find the need to do so.

     4. Offer Priceless Content

Offer content your visitors will find irresistible such as a free app, podcast, video tutorial, or discounts. Have a form to fill out before they can access the content. A dental clinic website, for instance, may offer 10% off on teeth whitening procedures. Patients must provide their name, email address, and phone number to claim this.

With this strategy, you get to grow your mailing list while giving your clients something valuable in return.

How To Use Email Communication?

In a healthcare setting, email helps improve communication between patients and their health providers or a customer and their healthcare brands. The use of email will depend on your marketing goals.

• Use email to verify a patient’s identity during signup. Email verification ensures that your recipients are authentic. It promotes user engagement and reduces bounce rates.
• Onboard patients to healthcare service. Onboarding emails help your customers use and get value from your product or services. A dentist sends an onboarding email to their new customer to welcome them to the clinic and inform them of the clinic services, opening and closing times, and payment options.
• Confirm appointments or consultations. Emails can guide and remind your patients of their upcoming appointments, what they need to bring, the clinic time, room number, etc.
• Provide updated health information. You could include the latest Covid-19 protocols, vaccination requirements, travel mandates, and other helpful information.

Healthcare Email Marketing Points To Remember

Like any marketing strategy, setting up your healthcare email needs care and attention. Customer engagement is your priority. Thus, remember to create marketing emails as if you're personally talking to your patients. The following tips should help you create successful email campaigns.

     1. Create and Test Your Email Subject Line

One of the most crucial parts of an email is the subject line. A Litmus report reveals that A/B testing can improve an email marketing campaign's return on investment or ROI up to 82%.

A good subject line will engage your audience immediately. It will encourage your audience to open the email. Test your subject line to find out which one appeals to your audience and which one can improve conversion.

     2. Schedule Reminder Emails for Appointments and Follow-Ups

Reminder emails will ensure that your patients won't miss their appointments. Use "Add to calendar" with your reminder emails. This way, recipients can include the appointment as an event in their Outlook or Google calendar.

     3. Create Patient Segments

Group your patients according to different segments. Doing so helps you create better, more targeted emails. Group them according to illness, age, gender, location, and whether they are new or old.

     4. Aim for Personalized Email Copies

Whether you have ten or a hundred contacts, you must still consider personalizing your email to get the best results. It can be as simple as using their first name or as detailed as creating emails according to their interests and concerns. Just remember that all communications with patients must be HIPAA compliant.

Summing Up

Email marketing is one of the most popular digital marketing strategies with impressive benefits. You can improve your mailing list and email content with the tips above.

This checklist may apply to any healthcare practitioner or organization. It can be an email marketing checklist for physical therapists, dentists, or even hospitals. Using it helps you ensure you consider crucial email marketing strategies like subject line testing, personalized emails, and patient segments. Soon, you’ll be on the road to a successful email marketing campaign.

Email marketing in the healthcare sector is here to stay. Contact us to learn how to use email marketing for your healthcare business.