In 2016, more immersive healthcare experiences must be explored to improve physician, patient, and payer relationships and to get better health outcomes. There's no better way to accomplish brand immersion than through personalization. The opportunities surrounding personalization outside of healthcare have been significant, with a "300% improvement in lifetime value, and 77% of shoppers making additional purchases when provided with personalized product recommendations” according to CEOBiz.com. Consumers’ expectations have been set by the Googles and Amazons, and healthcare marketers need to keep raising the bar.
The good news is that personalization in healthcare can be accomplished in lots of different ways with different levels of effort and risk thresholds. Consider some of these as entry points to the new school of personalization for healthcare marketers:
- Personalized marketing materials include different treatments and offers – or the copy, creative (imagery), and calls to action – based on the recipient
- Personalized content provides specific materials that are relevant to the individual based on preference data, medical specialty, condition, or demographic data, or based on key terms that the individual provides
- Product selection personalization provides healthcare customers or stakeholders with the means to customize the product, commodity, or merchandise to their own unique specifications
- Preference personalization is when healthcare companies enable their consumers to select product options and manage desired interactions.
- Personalized products and offers give the customer control – for example, the use of 3D printers, where the consumer enters specifications, the customer service center carries the materials, and the printer delivers the specified offer
Ultimately, healthcare companies of all kinds will realize that personalization is a strategy and not a piece of technology, and while many healthcare providers will continue to interact on a one-to-many basis, the dawn of personalized relationships is well underway. Delivering personalized experiences means having relevant, seamless interactions with a consumer across an omni-channel ecosystem. Regardless of how the consumer chooses to engage with your company, some form of personalization should be considered.
Read more in a recently published white paper titled “Drive Profits with Personalized Experiences,” which explores the most effective techniques for creating personalized experiences.
