Why Healthcare Providers Want To Adopt Omnichannel Marketing In The Post-Pandemic World

In a world where the pandemic isn’t letting people feel safe when they go out, digital channels have become the primary source of information and services. If we look at the healthcare industry, patients are no longer satisfied with basic portals, landing pages, or websites. This pandemic situation led to many stages of the digital evolution of how healthcare marketing and patient engagement happen online.  

Recently, I got a chance to host a virtual conference Global Healthcare Market Outlook 2020 Post-Pandemic organized by ADMH as a part of their Healthcare Summit 2020. Leading healthcare marketing experts shared a great deal of knowledge and gave insights on what to expect from 2021 in terms of healthcare outreach and engagement.  

During the conversation, “omnichannel healthcare marketing” was a term that came multiple times in the limelight. Patients who were earlier ready to visit a healthcare facility, now want the same level of experience online to ensure their safety. This is why omnichannel healthcare marketing has become a primary objective for healthcare providers.   

Omnichannel is better than Multi-channel  

Multi-channel and omnichannel both involve engagement on multiple channels. But the difference lies in the connection between those channels. While multi-channel engagement creates isolated touchpoints, omnichannel engagement enables well-connected channels to ensure a seamless experience for patients.   

Here are a few key aspects of the omnichannel patient journey:  

• Integration of all digital channels (Websites, Landing Pages, Messaging Platforms, Social Network, etc)  
• One patient experiencing continuity in the conversation with a healthcare service across all touchpoints.  
• A single tracking system to analyze engagement, patient behavior, lead quality, etc 
• Centralized digital marketing approach to connect a patient’s journey on every touchpoint.  

  Reasons why the Healthcare industry is adopting Omnichannel Marketing  

• It allows the ability to design a seamless patient journey from offline facility to online touchpoints.  
• It lets healthcare services go beyond work hours and geographic locations.   
• Different channel combinations are possible to give the best kind of experience (WhatsApp + Conversational AI + Social Media Profiles)  
• Providers can attract more patients with clinically relevant, evidence-based, and personalized services.  

Importance of Conversational AI in Omnichannel Healthcare Marketing  

Conversational AI or AI-powered chatbots are crucial assets to enable omnichannel presence for healthcare services online. A single AI integrated across all digital channels can turn multi-channel presence into omnichannel by:  

• Remembering patients, their medical details, and preferences across every channel.  
• Anticipating and offering best-suited information, actions, or recommendations for patients.  
• Ensuring on-time intervention to assist patients throughout the offline and online journey.  

And more!  

Where else do you think omnichannel marketing can help healthcare providers?! If you’d like to discuss more on conversational AI for healthcare, click here to chat!