Public relations is vital to any medical or healthcare brand, especially in a multi-trillion dollar industry with spending expected to grow at a rate of 5.4% each year through 2028.
If you are a medical provider, or a supporting player such as a brand that has a digital health platform, having a strong communications strategy is key in not only promoting your company, but also how to protect your business should the unexpected occur, such as a global pandemic.
How can this be accomplished?
One way is through medical public relations.
Public relations (PR) is the strategic manner in which an organization’s brand, mission, service, or expertise is effectively communicated to stakeholders, who in the healthcare industry are typically patients or other medical providers.
What is the value of healthcare PR?
A dedicated public relations plan and associated marketing efforts can generate tremendous value and benefits. Some of these include:
Acquiring new patients or customers
Solidifying long-term relationships with existing patients who are often inclined to refer others to your services
Creating new liaisons with fellow providers or practices for mutual referral purposes
Establishing expertise and credibility in a particular treatment, service, product or medical specialty field
Attracting new talent to join your team
Another important and extremely valuable component of smart healthcare public relations is having a detailed crisis communication plan before the unexpected happens. In an emergency, this is used to keep your brand’s image intact and ensure services continue operating to the best extent possible.
Healthcare providers, for example, who weathered the initial challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic were those who already had tools such as telemedicine in place and were able to pivot and adapt immediately.
Don’t wait until it’s too late for your practice.
How is effective healthcare PR rolled out?
A full-service PR and communications agency, like us, that can help you define your unique goals in the healthcare industry and tailor effective strategies to achieve them. Having a combination of the following efforts is a good start:
An informative and easily navigable website
Compelling patient, or customer, success stories
Positive patient reviews and testimonials
Fresh and frequent blog content and social media posts
Earned (or editorial/non-paid) media coverage from credible print, radio, television or online outlets
Community outreach efforts by offering public education and charitable services throughout your local area
What is the ROI with a public relations campaign?
One of the most common questions we are asked is, ‘how do you determine my ROI (return on investment) of a medical public relations campaign?’ This can be tricky, but one way is by comparing the funds dedicated to a specific campaign or activity with the direct outcome through measurable markers like the number of new patients acquired, referral rates, or increased website traffic.
For more information about how public relations can benefit your healthcare or medical brand, please contact us here.