Top 3 Ways to Differentiate Your Healthcare Brand

Today’s healthcare landscape is bursting at the seams with innovation, ingenuity, and promise. We’re poised to see more changes in the next three-to-five years than we’ve seen in the past 25. In this exploding industry, branding and marketing are more important than ever. You have an amazing product or service, but how are you making sure your potential customers know or care?

Branding is the first glimpse consumers have into your company, and marketing is how they receive your message. Companies that fail to recognize and pursue these truths may find themselves struggling to break through the healthcare haze. This list is not exhaustive, but here are a few ways to differentiate your healthcare brand.

1. Make Trust a Standard, Not an Exception
We know that it’s critical to form a real connection with all stakeholders, including patients. So what’s the single strongest connection we can foster with our fellow humans? Trust. How do we establish that our brand is worthy of a patient’s trust? Trust emerges when we share a set of common values and beliefs. Trust is the key ingredient to building healthy relationships before, during, and after the sale. Trust is the new currency.

In order to gain the trust of prospective patients, you need to show them why you’re worthy of their trust. After all, healthcare patients are literally trusting providers with their lives. We can’t sit idly back and assume that they understand our motives. It’s our responsibility to build, foster, and grow the bond of trust. And that starts the second they learn about your company and see your branding.

2. Understand and Embrace Technology
Technology has revolutionized the way we communicate with each other and consumers. With more people using technology and social media to learn, share information, and connect with each other, it’s critical for us as brands to be involved in the conversation.

At first glance, technology may seem impersonal and disconnected. It’s true that a Facebook “like” can’t replace a handshake. But the key is that technology isn’t here to replace the fundamentals of forming real, personal connections. It’s here to facilitate these connections through a new, unique element. Healthcare brands are using technology as tools to connect with patients, strengthen relationships and foster loyalty. More and more patients and consumers are seeking to engage with their healthcare providers through technology.

3. Balance Service and Customer Service
Even in the incredible shift toward a digitized world, patients have not abandoned their expectations for customer service. They want to be greeted with a smile and given time for a quality conversation with their providers. I understand that this can be tough in a fast-paced environment where the top priority is to deliver critical healthcare with swift speed and impeccable efficiency.

But it’s also important to make sure that patients are fully informed and that they understand that you care. They need to understand how your services and processes relate to their health and wellbeing. When providers fail to ensure this strong communication, they’re losing pivotal opportunities for trust and overall patient satisfaction—brand attributes that can help you differentiate your brand and break through the healthcare haze.

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About the Author Roxie Mooney is the Founder and President of Legacy DNA Marketing Group, an Aster and FHSPRM award-winning marketing firm that offers the highest level of personal and creative strategic planning and development for healthcare brands, products and services. Experienced in business strategy, digital health marketing and communications, and leadership, Roxie has a passion for helping clients drive growth, revenue, and innovation in healthcare. Follow her here by clicking the yellow FOLLOW button, on Twitter, @Legacydnagroup, on Facebook,www.facebook.com/legacyDNA, or digitalhealthDNA.com.