Healthcare and medical marketing priorities: 2020 edition

Marketing success is impossible without a keen eye for the future. In 2019, there are innumerable touch points where consumers can discover and develop relationships with brands. In 2020 and beyond, the number of these channels will only expand. For healthcare and medical marketing, there are some industry-specific opportunities for expansion as well.

If you're not prepared for what's coming next, you will risk long-term losses to competitors who meet the future first.

Here are the top three priorities for savvy healthcare and medical marketers as we look to 2020.

What are your 2020 priorities for healthcare and medical marketing?

Priority #1: Optimize for voice search

Why now?

By the end of 2018, Amazon had sold more than 100 million Alexa devices, according to a claim from Amazon executive Dave Limp in The Verge. Voice assistants have come pre-installed on many smart devices for a number of years, and now, the growing appetite for voice-first devices signals a need to expand voice search optimization for forward-thinking digital leaders. Updates may be especially important for healthcare marketers; voice search can sometimes be more accessible for users who have trouble interacting with devices through touch. Making your information directly available to that demographic, as well as to the growing number of younger voice search users, can help your brand stand out. If consumers are aware of your brand, they're more likely to ask their physicians for input on your products.

What do healthcare and medical marketers need to do?

The good news is that many techniques you probably already use for search engine optimization will also help you optimize for voice searches. You should still be targeting both short and long-tail keywords and making sure your site works well on mobile devices and loads quickly. In addition, you'll want to take a deeper dive into your website's structured data. Content that is tailored to respond to conversational queries will help.

Priority #2: Make telehealth connections

Why now?

Telehealth refers to the growing field of technology-mediated healthcare. It includes doctors' visits conducted over video on a phone or computer as well as telepharmacy and other services. Availability is limited, but demand is growing and access may soon expand.

In a survey of older adults conducted by Ipsos and the University of Michigan, 48% of respondents were interested in using telehealth for primary care provider appointments, 40% for specialist appointments and 35% for mental health.

What do healthcare and medical marketers need to do?

The ability of telehealth practitioners to prescribe medication or provide other treatments is currently limited, but regulations are undergoing updates to accommodate the growing field and increase patient access. Medical marketers should not overlook telehealth practitioners, and they should keep up with changing regulations to find out which jurisdictions will now, or in the future, allow doctors to more extensively treat patients remotely.

Priority #3: Empathize through content

Why now?

Content marketing is more than just an opportunity to inform and educate your audience. It's also a chance to express your organizational values, and to empathize with your consumers and prospects. Medical companies should think carefully and critically about how their brand is perceived in the public eye.

What do healthcare and medical marketers need to do?

Healthcare marketers must demonstrate to the public, and to physicians and potential consumers, that their greatest ambition is to raise the well-being of the individuals who use their products and services. Your informational and empathetic original content can go a long way toward demonstrating your values. Bringing your brand personality to bear on a carefully considered social media campaign can forge a connection with your audience.

For 2020 and beyond, we're here to help your brand connect with medical practitioners. Contact us today to learn how we can help you realize your healthcare marketing goals for the coming year.