Social Distancing Shifts Hospices Toward Digital Marketing
The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of life. Every industry has been forced to adapt to shelter in place and social distancing orders. The healthcare industry is no exception and has received more of the burden than other sectors. Providers still must care for their patients without inadvertently spreading the disease or being ill themselves. During these trying and uncertain times, the medical industry has changed to continue operation as safely as possible. Thankfully, the Internet is a tool many medical practices are now leaning on more than ever to keep business going. Practices like hospice services are shifting to digital solutions so companies can continue, and patients can still receive care. By turning to creativity and new digital solutions, hospice centers use digital tactics to keep employees and patients safe without sacrificing their outreach efforts. Other health care services can learn hospice’s successful jump to digital marketing to maintain business during the current pandemic. Outpatient services like hospice, counseling, or physical therapy can also use similar online outreach tactics.
Old Methods Aren’t Safe Right Now
Traditional hospice marketing depends on face to face interactions and recommendations. Many hospice providers connect with patients at outpatient clinics like outpatient physical therapy offices. These clinics are the perfect place for hospices to make connections because these patients are mostly self-sufficient, but still need some help before they are fully healed or want at-home care before their life comes to an end. Hospice can swoop in and provide care for these patients currently in between complete independence and needing full-time at-home care. While hospice is a perfect fit for these patients, with many clinics or assisted living facilities closing, severely reducing capacity, or changing to virtual care, hospice providers are having a harder time connecting with new clients. Hospice’s marketing strategy has been entirely disrupted, but the digital world has presented a solution. With the help of various digital platforms, hospice can still safely connect with people in need despite the pandemic.
New Outreach Methods
Many hospice services have turned to social media to meet new clients and continue marketing. Now that in-person marketing is not possible, social media is the closest you can come to talking to someone in person. The average person spends five hours a day online, which means there are millions of people for hospice to reach out to in place of in-person marketing. Hospice can now reach potential clients worldwide with social media, including people who had never heard of hospice care before. By using social media, hospice has increased its chances of connecting with a younger person who may have a family member in need of hospice care. Joining with the tech-savvy generations means hospice is being exposed to new eyes that may connect hospice to potential new patients.
Indirect Marketing With Emotional Appeals and Education
By using social media to connect, hospice can explain their services and appeal to users who can pass the information on to patients. The platform also gives hospice centers a place to promote other content like educational videos or articles. Even if people don’t become hospice customers, they could learn something from a hospice post and remember the service in the future. Marketing consists of more than just sales pitches, and hospice uses the emotional appeal of end of life care to increase awareness. The Canon Hospice Northshore center is using social media to host an educational podcast, show off their new in-patient facility, and showcase caretakers sending out care packages. While these types of posts don’t directly ask for viewers to become customers, the content highlights that hospice center’s offerings and commitment to the community, which is a form of indirect marketing. Hospice centers that use social media to show how much they care for their patients and the quality services they provide are successfully and safely replacing their usual in-person marketing tactics.
Every industry is adapting to a new normal in light of COVID-19. Companies must continue to bring in new business despite the pandemic, and hospice providers are no exception. Thankfully, hospice centers have taken to social media to advertise and bring in new patients. Even posts that don’t directly market services, merely showing what hospice does and how it helps people may convince someone that their relative could benefit from hospice care. Putting hospice services in front of new eyes on digital platforms may bring quality care to new people to improve their quality of life in these difficult times.
