Comprehensive Guide To Successful Healthcare Email Marketing

Healthcare email marketing is a great way to connect with your patients and promote your services. However, it can be challenging to get started if you don't know where to begin. This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about healthcare email marketing, as well as federal regulations you need to be aware of. Let's go!

Staying HIPAA Compliant With Email

One of the most important things to consider when planning your healthcare email marketing strategy is staying compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This act protects patient privacy by regulating how protected health information (PHI) can be used and disclosed. PHI includes any information that can be used to identify a patient, such as their name, address, birth date, or Social Security number. To stay compliant, you'll need to make sure that you:

• Obtain patient consent before sending any emails that contain PHI.
• Use a secure email service that encrypts emails containing PHI.
• Do not include any PHI in the subject line of your emails.
• Only send emails to patients who have specifically requested to receive them.
• Avoid using general terms like "patient" or "client" in your emails, as this could lead to PHI being accidentally disclosed.
• Enable patients to be able to unsubscribe at any time.

Staying Compliant With The CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM act is a law that regulates commercial emails, and it applies to emails sent by healthcare organizations as well. The main things you need to know about CAN-SPAM are:

• You must include a physical address in your email signature.
• You must provide a way for recipients to opt-out of receiving future emails from you.
• You must not use false or misleading header information.
• You must not include any sexually explicit content in your emails.
• You must not send emails to addresses that have been collected through harvesting.

How Often Should I Send Emails?

This is a difficult question to answer, as it depends on a number of factors, such as the type of email you're sending, the size of your list, and the level of engagement you're trying to achieve. 

If you're not sure how often to send emails, start with once a week and adjust based on your results. For example, 33% of marketers send weekly emails, and 26% send emails multiple times per month. 

The right frequency of emails for your specific practice depends on your patients as well as the content in the email. It is crucial to not overdo it and bombard your patients with too many emails, as this will only lead to them unsubscribing from your list.

Healthcare Email Marketing Ideas

Now that you know the basics of healthcare email marketing, it's time to start brainstorming some ideas for your own emails. Here are a few examples to get you started:

     1. Segment Your List

One of the best ways to improve your email open rates is to segment your list. This means dividing your subscribers into groups based on factors like age, location, or interests. Then, you can send each group emails that are tailored to their specific needs. 

For example, if you have a group of older patients, you could send them emails about Medicare. If you have a group of young parents, you could send them emails about child immunizations or back-to-school physicals. Segmenting your list allows you to create more targeted and relevant emails, which will lead to better results.

     2. Send Welcome Emails

When someone subscribes to your email list, send them a welcome email to introduce yourself and thank them for subscribing. This is a great opportunity to give them a brief overview of what they can expect from your emails and how often they will receive them. 

You can also include a link to your website or blog so they can learn more about you and your practice. For example, you could say something like, "Thank you for subscribing to our email list! You can expect to receive one email from me per week with tips on staying healthy and happy. We look forward to sharing our knowledge with you!"

     3. Send Reminders

One of the most popular types of emails to send is appointment reminders. This helps reduce no-shows and makes sure your patients are keeping up with their healthcare. 

You can set up an automatic email reminder system that will send patients a reminder email a few days before their appointment. For example, you could say, "This is a reminder that your appointment with Dr. Smith is scheduled for Wednesday, August 8th at 10:00 am. Please reply to this email to confirm or reschedule."

     4. Provide Promotional Offers

Promotional offers can increase patient loyalty and drive new business. You can offer discounts on services or products, or you can offer freebies like e-books or whitepapers. For example, you could say, "For a limited time, get 20% off your next purchase of vitamins!"

Also consider promoting health fairs or vaccination days at your clinic. All of these increase patient engagement and build feelings of trust.

     5. Patient Education

Patient education emails are a great way to provide valuable content to your subscribers. You can share tips on staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, or understanding insurance. For example, you could say, "5 Tips for Staying Healthy This Winter" or "10 Things You Need to Know About Your Health Insurance."

     6. Track And Analyze Your Results

Last but not least, it's important to track and analyze your results so you can see what's working and what's not. There are a number of different metrics you can track, but some of the most important ones include your open rate, click-through rate, and unsubscribe rate. 

You can use these metrics to see how your emails are performing and make changes accordingly. For example, if you notice that your open rates are low, you might want to experiment with different subject lines or send times. If you notice that your click-through rates are low, you might want to consider changing the content or format of your emails.

Summing Up

Follow these healthcare email marketing tips to create emails that will engage and inform your patients. Email is a great way to build relationships with your patients and keep them up-to-date on the latest news from your practice.

At Digital Authority Partners, we understand the importance of email marketing for healthcare practices. We can help you create emails that will get results. Contact us today to learn more about our services.