The pandemic has brought forth challenging times, and there is a certain level of unpreparedness that has hit everyone. With a decrease in demand, logistic hurdles, and a lot more, businesses are struggling to stay afloat.
Customers are equally confused about what to and how.
In such a situation, empathy is the need of the hour. Businesses that are able to connect with their target group even in such challenging times stand a chance of staying afloat. The better they can empathize, the higher is the survival chance.
Most businesses do not realize that identifying with their situation is what most potential customers expect of them. By creating customer personas, brands will be able to give customers what they value (instead of forcing them to buy what they sell). Naturally, this will boost sales, thereby prompting the way for higher profits.
With physical distancing being the new normal, the best way for brands to engage with their audience will be by using video marketing to drive home empathy. Here are some tips on how you can make the most of digital marketing to drive better marketing results.
Table of Contents
Re-evaluate Your Present Marketing Strategies
In the COVID situation, marketing campaigns need to be helpful and focused and not necessarily self-promotional. This makes it important for you to evaluate your healthcare marketing calendar. Depending on your area of operation and the relevant pandemic situation, make sure that your campaigns are not promoting any irrelevant or insensitive topics.
For example, if elective dental procedures are one of the specialties offered by your brand but current local laws don’t allow elective procedures to be carried out, then you cannot turn a blind eye towards it. By promoting elective dental procedures at such times, you may hurt the sentiments of your target group, and this will have a negative impact in the long run. At the end of the day, it is all about survival of the fittest and the faster your marketing plans adapt to the COVID situation, the higher will be your success in a post-pandemic world.
Set up Telemedicine Services
Amidst the pandemic, your customers may not be very keen to risk catching the coronavirus while visiting the doctor for a minor ailment. As a healthcare business, you can express empathy to the situation by coming up with telemedicine services. That way, your regular patients will feel cared for even if your office operation is restricted by local laws.
Irrespective of whether you are introducing telemedicinal services or have always had it, this is the best time to promote such a service. Start by sending out emails to your present and prospective clients elaborating on the type of services that you offer telephonically. Try to explain the process of telemedicine in the email as this might be a new concept for most people.
You may create a video on it and circulate the same on your website and social media pages. Coming up with popup announcements is another option that you would want to consider. During the pandemic, a lot of people who were skeptical about telemedicine are adapting to it, and this is a golden opportunity for you to display some empathy and attract such patients.
Capitalize on the Power of Video Marketing
High internet penetration, social distancing norms, and others have played a major in increasing video consumption. The average person today prefers watching a video over reading long tines of text. As a healthcare brand, you can come up with animated videos illustrating the do’s and don’ts or symptoms and precautions of common ailments. With an increase in health awareness, people are more likely to watch such videos.
You can take things a step further and use recorded video as a means of communicating any new service offered, change in your operational hours, or any other details. If patients see a doctor telling things to them, they relate with your healthcare brand at a personal level. Not only does it help in earning their credibility, but quality videos will also ensure that patience chooses you over your competitors.
Harness the Power of Live Videos
Many social media platforms have the provision of live videos. These go a long way in boosting customer engagement. Consider a situation where a patient (or potential patient) has some health-related doubt. Because of the pandemic, they are unable to reach out to a healthcare service provider to discuss their doubt.
If you organize a live session, they will be able to clarify their doubt from the comfort of their homes. Moreover, it is possible that multiple people participating in the live session had the same question but were apprehensive of saying it aloud. By answering the question, you will earn the trust of your target group, and that will boost your sales in the days to come.
Focus on User Generated Content
People trust the word of their peers over that of a brand promoting itself. With millions of people quarantined in their homes and having a lot of time to spare, this is the golden opportunity for you to leverage the power of user-generated content.
You may ask satisfied patients to record a video wherein they speak of their experience with your brand. If you have treated any patient during the pandemic, ask them to record a video about how your brand is committed to ensuring the utmost sanitation and healthy setup. Using the mp4 video editor, you can collate and edit these videos to perfection.
These can then be circulated in your social media pages to attract potential customers. If your business centers around a healthcare product, incentivize customers to tag your social media handle when they post a picture with that product. Share the picture of video yourself to increase your reach.
Thanks to the developments in technology, despite the social distancing norms in place, things are not utterly gloomy. As a brand, if you can adapt your marketing strategy to the customer expectations of a pandemic world, you will emerge victorious in the long run.
