Back in 2007 when the first iPhone hit the market, there was nothing else like it. No phone on the market had the amazing capabilities of the iPhone, and no computer could fit so neatly in your pocket. It was an innovation and it changed the way we as a society communicate. Here we are seven years later and smart phones are ubiquitous pieces of technology, and many would argue pieces of our lives.
It’s not often that a device or idea comes along and changes the way people act or interact the way the iPhone did. However, some might say that telehealth is doing just that within the healthcare industry. Telehealth technology, in its many and various forms, is solving problems across the board for todays healthcare leaders, from reducing hospital readmissions, to increasing access to care for patients in rural areas, to providing a staffing solution for home health agencies feeling the crunch of the caregiver shortage.
Surprisingly, however, many people still do not know about or fully understand the true benefits of telehealth or remote monitoring devices. The following are some top strategies for marketing telehealth to your clients.
Contact corecubed today to learn more about how we can help with telehealth marketing to seniors.
- Identify Your Client Base: Knowing who your message will target is the first step in any marketing strategy. The Telehealth Resource Center offers a particularly good nugget of advice when identifying your audience: “While we often think of patients as our primary ‘customer’, we need to look more broadly at customers. It is important to identify the persons or groups that need to be engaged in order for your program to be successful. In health care you may find a number of critical key customers.” For example, a home health agency’s customer may be an adult child of a senior loved one, a physician looking to refer patients, or a hospital discharge planner. All these potential customers need to know how your telehealth program can work to meet their specific needs.
- Identify Your Unique Message: With telehealth growing in popularity, it’s important to be specific about what makes your telehealth program unique. Why should your clients invest in your solution as opposed to all the alternatives they can choose from? What problems will this technology solve for them?
- Online Marketing: Information is power, and in today’s highly mobile and online world, it’s important to get that information to your clients and potential clients in a number of ways. The purpose of online marketing for your telehealth program should be focused on informing your target audience about key industry issues that your telehealth program can solve. This can, and should, be done via a page on your website, an e-newsletter, blog, social media, whitepaper, or educational webinars.
- Print Marketing: Regardless of what you may have read online, print marketing is far from dead. Create professionally designed brochures and flyers about your telehealth program and ask it they can be displayed in local hospitals, doctors’ offices, or wherever you receive the most referrals.
Telehealth Is Changing Care for the Better
There’s no argument that telehealth is changing the state of healthcare for the better. As the silver tsunami continues to crest, creating an increased demand for care, the telehealth industry is poised to grow and expand exponentially. Marketing your telehealth services now will better position your agency when clients come looking for a more convenient and more accessible form of care.
Looking for a home care marketing company or need help with your marketing strategy and message? Contact the telehealth marketing experts at corecubed today to learn more about marketing to seniors online!