The ways you do business, care for your patients, and market your practice have all changed over the last 9 months, thanks to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. While some of these changes might be temporary, such as travel restrictions or local lockdowns, others are not. The pandemic has forever changed the way businesses market their services and products, as well as how you interact with your patients.
The changes in how you engage with and market to your patients are not caused only by pandemic-era practices like social distancing; they are also caused by greater, more lasting effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Many people’s livelihoods have been put in jeopardy, and people have a greater concern for personal and public health and wellbeing.
You may remember that in the early days of the pandemic, many companies sent emails to their clients to share their concerns about the virus, to update them on new practices, to make them aware of any business closures, and to inform them of their safety measures. (Your own practice may have even sent such an email!) Messages like these resulted in a 19 percent increase in email send volume in March over January 2020. With such a large volume of emails being sent, it is crucial that your messaging resonates with your clients and draws their attention.
To earn and maintain the attention of your audience, you must focus on customer-first digital communication and engagement. Customer-first messaging should take into account your patients’ concerns, desires, emotions, and needs. Here are a few important traits to focus on:
- Empathy
Be aware of what your customer needs, and then support their needs, respect their decisions, and value long-term loyalty over short-term gains. In these unprecedented times, some people may be holding off purchases and controlling their spending more than usual. If you are able, consider offering additional options for need-based financing to assist clients who are facing financial hardships.
- Trust
Trust has always been important for business-client relationships, but it is now paramount. Consumers are gravitating towards companies they can trust. Make sure you are one of those. Convey your messaging in honest, simple terms, prioritize building relationships with your clients over transactions, and communicate your business policies in easy-to-understand wording. As always, follow all applicable privacy practices.
- Relevance
Relevance may be more difficult to achieve, but it can be done if you use customer data. Relevance focuses on providing your client with what they need when they need it. This may take into account factors such as location, recent activity, and current environment.
As you incorporate each of these points into your digital communications, remember that the goal is to build and maintain relationships with your clients. Engaging with them on a personal level is more important than ever. This may require you to reach beyond the forms of communication you have used in the past. Today’s digital engagement is accomplished via email, social media, and other marketing channels. You can also build trust with your clients through online reviews, which allow them to see what others think of your services. It may take some time to adjust to the new ways of digital communication, but it is certainly doable—and well worth it. To learn more about how digital engagement has changed in 2020 and how you can best attract new clients, we welcome you to contact us at AudiologyPlus.
