Whether you’re a small, independently owned office or part of a larger group, chances are that your practice has been hugely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. All across the country businesses from every industry have been hit hard by COVID-19, but there’s no doubt that the healthcare industry is one of the ones that’s been hit the hardest. In addition to the drastic shift in protocols that every medical organization has been faced with over the past few months, the restrictions on elective procedures have left thousands of practices in turmoil - forced to make difficult decisions about their staffing and desperate to cut costs as they watch the days pass by and see revenue continuing to plummet to all-time lows.
It’s true. All across the US there are tens of thousands of employees at local plastic surgery groups, imaging centers, dermatology offices, etc. that are holding their breath, waiting for the ban on elective procedures to be lifted and for the world to return to some semblance of normal. While they wait with anticipation for work to begin again, many are plagued by difficult questions. How can we stay engaged with patients during this time of uncertainty? What can we do to make sure that patients remember us and come flooding back once we’re able to open our doors? How can we make up for the revenue loss that this COVID-19 pandemic has caused?
There’s a lot that you can’t control about the COVID-19 situation, but the one thing you can control and that you should be working towards every single day is making sure that you’re doing everything you can to remain front-of-mind for your patients during this time of uncertainty. If you’re working with a healthcare marketing agency, chances are they’ve already devised and rolled out a COVID-19 strategy for your business, which is great for you. If you’re not partnered with a marketing group, however, there are several marketing tactics that you can employ yourself to ensure that your practice bounces back once things return to normal.
Here are four things you should be focusing on:
Even if your doors are temporarily closing or your office is functioning in a limited capacity, the biggest marketing mistake you can make during this pandemic is to let your social media fall by the wayside. Social media is one of the best ways to stay connected with your patients and keep them emotionally attached to your brand, even during a crisis like this one! There are tons of ways you can utilize social media to keep your practice front-of-mind for patients...in fact, we devoted an entire blog specifically to the topic. If you’re struggling with what to post on social media during the COVID-19 crisis, check out our social media content ideas here.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the COVID-19 situation, it’s that information is changing on a daily basis. Healthcare organizations are being forced to continually update and evolve their internal processes and their daily operations, and the “new normal” for this week may look totally different by the time next week rolls around. That’s why it’s imperative that these changes are reflected on your company’s website to eliminate any patient confusion.
Try dedicating a portion of your site strictly to COVID-19 updates, and make sure that this information is easily accessible by either placing a link in your navbar or directing people to the page through an announcement banner or pop-up. It’s also a good idea to share these updates through additional channels, such as a blog post or social media. If you do create any blogs about operation or protocol changes in response to COVID-19, make sure that you are going back and continuing to update these blogs as the situation evolves within your practice.
While providing COVID-19 updates on your website may seem like common sense, don’t make the mistake of neglecting your other platforms. Consistency is key, and there are lots of areas where this information about changes in your daily operations may need to be updated. If you don’t already know, make sure that you compile a list of everywhere your organization’s office hours and information are listed online. Do you have a Google Business profile? Are you on Yelp? Do you still have that RealSelf profile that your office manager created ages ago? All of these platforms should be regularly updated with new information as the COVID-19 situation develops for your practice.
If your office hours have changed, this information should be communicated consistently across every listing for your organization. Similarly, if your office is temporarily closed because of COVID-19, most platforms like Google Business, Yelp, and even RealSelf have options available for marking your company as “temporarily closed”. Whatever the changes to your daily operations may be, it’s crucial that they are reflected across all platforms so your patients aren’t frustrated by conflicting information.
Even if you’ve done your due diligence and are regularly updating your website, your connected platforms, and your social media channels with information on how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting your daily operations and patient appointments, take the extra step and make things even easier for your patients by communicating this information directly to their inbox via email. Whether you have robust email marketing capabilities or can only manage something as simple as a text-based email, providing helpful information and updates once a week to your patients is an easy way to keep them informed on what’s happening within your practice and to show them that you still care!
Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic can be tricky, especially without the help of a marketing agency, but if you remain clear and consistent in your patient communications and utilize the four marketing tips above, you should be able to keep your practice front-of-mind for your patients during this uncertain time and ensure that business bounces back once things return to normal. If you’re finding yourself struggling to retain business and drive revenue increases post COVID-19, talk to our healthcare marketing agency about how we can help!