The first week of November marks World Communication Week, highlighting the importance of clear, effective communication in our personal and professional lives. Effective communication is especially vital for healthcare marketers year-round since the health and wellness of our patients often depend on the quality of the patient communications we publish. Clear, empathetic communication between healthcare organizations and patients can drive better outcomes, build trust, and increase patient satisfaction. 

As healthcare marketers, we play a crucial role in shaping the interactions between our organizations and our patients. In honor of World Communication Week, we’re taking a look at how we can improve our patient communications to make them clear, compassionate, and effective. 

Understand patient needs and preferences  

Effective patient communications start with understanding who we’re speaking to. In healthcare, our patient audiences are often diverse, representing different ages, economic groups, cultural backgrounds, levels of health literacy, and comfort levels using technology. 

By tailoring our approach to their needs and preferences, you can create messages that resonate with the issues patients are facing when they visit your website, scroll your social media profile, or sign up to receive emails from your organization. 

Here are a few tips on how you can gain a better understanding of your patients’ needs and preferences: 

Know your audience: Take time to understand your organization’s patient demographics. Use surveys, feedback forms, personas, or patient interviews to understand their needs and expectations. 

Select the right channels: Once you know how patients prefer to receive information, use that to inform your strategy. Some may rely on digital platforms, like email or text messages, while others prefer less tech-reliant forms of communication, like printed materials or direct mail. 

Keep it clear and simple 

When it comes to vital healthcare information, complexity can get in the way of patients understanding your messages. Instead of creating patient communications that are long and full of medical jargon, opt for messages that use straightforward language and are easy to understand and act upon. 

Use plain language: Replace technical terms with simple alternatives. For example, instead of “hypertension,” use the more commonly understood “high blood pressure.” Short sentences and common words help patients grasp the message quickly, regardless of their reading comprehension or health literacy level. 

Organize information for easy navigation: Prioritize critical points by bolding them or using bullet points for readability. Design messages so patients can quickly find what they need, like appointment details, health advice, or action steps. This tip is especially important as more patients use mobile devices to view healthcare websites and emails — organizing your content for readability allows them to scan through the message while on the go and still retain the critical information. 

Incorporate visual aids: Use images, infographics, or quick videos to illustrate complex concepts. A simple visual can go a long way in helping patients understand health information. 

Establish trust 

Trust is fundamental in healthcare. Patients need to feel confident that the information they’re receiving is not only accurate but also beneficial to their well-being. By communicating transparently, we can strengthen this trust and improve patient engagement. 

Explain the “why”: Patients are more likely to follow through when they understand why something is important. For instance, explain the importance of an annual check-up or how a procedure benefits their health in the long run. 

Prioritize privacy: With increased digital communications, data privacy is a growing concern. Clear privacy policies and reassurances about data confidentiality can help ease patient concerns. (Want a surefire way to protect patient privacy while using your marketing data to its fullest potential? Check out Geonetric Privacy Filter!) 

Show empathy: Empathy-driven patient communications are key. Train your teams to be patient, understanding, and compassionate regardless of whether they’re communicating in person or through an online channel — patients remember when they feel respected and cared for. 

Leverage technology to improve your reach 

Digital tools can help you reach patients effectively, at the right time, and on the channels or platforms where they prefer to receive information. By using technology thoughtfully, we can make information accessible, timely, and personalized. 

Implement omnichannel strategies: Use a mix of website landing pages, text messages, emails, patient portals, and even social media to keep patients informed and connected. Consistent messaging across channels can reinforce important points and ensure that patients stay engaged. 

Automate for personalization: Tools that allow automated, personalized reminders for appointments, medications, or preventive care can be invaluable for effective communication. Simple, timely reminders help patients stay on track with their health needs, especially as health consumers are increasingly expecting personalization from their digital experiences. 

Design for accessibility: Ensure digital content is accessible to all patients. Use clear font sizes, readable colors, alt-text for images, and compatibility with screen readers to make your content as inclusive as possible for your patients. 

Evolve your messaging 

Effective patient communications aren’t static — you should consistently be reevaluating your patient demographics, tactics, tone, and other aspects of your messages to make sure they’re resonating with your target audiences. 

Here are a few ways you can improve your communications over time: 

Establish patient feedback loops: Regularly seek patient feedback through surveys, after-appointment check-ins, or comment cards. This input can highlight areas where communication is working well and where it can be improved. 

Update information regularly: The information you share, especially on easily-editable channels like your websites, patient portals, and social media, should be accurate and up-to-date. Patients rely on these sources, so regular reviews are essential. 

Measure success: Track key metrics such as email open rates, website engagement, and patient satisfaction scores to monitor the effectiveness of communication strategies. These insights can guide adjustments and keep your communication strategy evolving. 

Clear, compassionate, and connected communication is foundational to patient care. By putting patients at the center of our communication strategies, we build trust, improve health literacy, and help patients feel empowered in their healthcare journeys.  

This World Communication Week, commit to a communication approach that’s inclusive, empathetic, and accessible — because every patient deserves to be heard and understood. 

Need help getting your message across? 

If your organization could use a helping hand when it comes to fine-tuning your digital marketing messaging, Geonetric has the know-how you’re looking for.  

With more than 25 years of experience helping healthcare organizations communicate effectively through website content, search engine optimization, and digital advertising, we can assist your team in bringing your communications to the next level. Contact us today to get started! 

Your content management system (CMS) should allow you to do just that: manage your website content. But when your CMS falls short, it’s not just frustrating — it can significantly impact the marketing efforts that rely on your website to deliver results. 

In this eBook, we break down the most common issues healthcare marketers face with their CMS platforms, the impact they can have on marketing goals, and CMS solutions that can help overcome those roadblocks.

Download your copy today to learn if your CMS is helping or hurting your marketing efforts and the choices you have for a CMS that will grow and evolve along with your organization.

When was the last time you really looked at your employee intranet? Log in and try to complete some simple tasks: find and fill out an HR form, check what’s for lunch today, and read the latest company news. 

Were you easily able to find and complete those tasks? Or did you feel like you were sorting through an endless digital filing cabinet that hasn’t been tidied up in years? 

An easy-to-use, streamlined intranet is essential for healthcare organizations, where employees might not have more than a minute or two to search for what they need before returning to work. An effective healthcare intranet should be more than just a place to dump your organization’s documents — it needs to be an intuitive, engaging space that employees want to use. 

So, what exactly are employees looking for from an intranet? Let’s break down the key features that increase engagement and make your intranet the go-to spot for employee information. 

Figuring out what matters 

Before we dive in, it’s important to note that every organization — and every employee — is different. What might work for a standalone hospital in Massachusetts won’t cut it for a 50-location health system based in Nebraska.  

The best way to tell what features genuinely matter to your teams is by surveying your employees to gauge why they visit the intranet, their complaints about your current site, and what they might like to see from a redesign. You can send this survey via email or create a popup on your current intranet for employees to complete when they log in. 

From there, you could go one step further with a smaller group of employees by conducting a card-sorting exercise where they arrange a list of features or content into groups that feel natural for them. For example, an employee might create a group that includes links for their webmail access, timecard, and company updates that they’d like to see under a “Daily Applications” menu when they first log in. 

This interactive experience can provide insight into where your content should live within your intranet structure, driven by the people who use the site the most. 

With that in mind, we can now jump into the features we recommend as the must-haves for a successful healthcare employee intranet.

1. App-like design and mobile functionality

Employees have come to expect seamless, user-friendly experiences in every digital interaction — just like they get from their favorite apps. This means your intranet should offer intuitive navigation, clean design, and mobile responsiveness. 

An app-like design allows employees to find what they need quickly, whether at their desks, on a tablet between patient visits, or on their smartphones during a break. A cluttered or confusing layout will only discourage usage, while a sleek, simple interface makes interacting with the intranet a breeze.

2. Organizational branding

Your intranet should be an extension of your organization’s brand identity and marketing assets. Employees want to feel connected to the organization, and branding your intranet with the organization’s logos, colors, and tone can foster that connection. 

A branded intranet reminds employees of your organization’s culture, mission, and values every time they log in. When the look and feel of your intranet match your public-facing website and communications, it creates a sense of cohesion, as well as a sense of pride and belonging among employees.

3. Personalized content

One-size-fits-all doesn’t work for intranets. Employees in different departments, locations, or roles need content that’s relevant to them. Personalized dashboards, targeted news feeds, and job-specific notifications ensure that users see what matters most to their work. 

For example, someone in HR might need quick access to benefits updates, while a nurse in a direct care setting may prioritize scheduling or compliance training materials. Tailoring the intranet experience to each user’s needs not only improves satisfaction but also boosts productivity.

4. Custom content types

A modern healthcare intranet must be flexible enough to handle diverse content types. Employees expect more than just policy documents or forms — they want access to a variety of resources like: 

• Cafeteria menus 

• HR policies and forms 

• Instructional content and how-tos 

• Company news and announcements 

• Facility maps 

• Staff directories or org charts 

• A calendar with upcoming events 

Providing these custom content types in an organized, easy-to-find format ensures that employees can access everything they need in one central location.

5. Powerful search function

There’s nothing more frustrating than needing information but being unable to find it. A robust search function is critical for a successful intranet. Employees should be able to quickly search for files, directories, policies, and company news with ease. 

Advanced search features like filters, autocomplete and suggested content make finding the right information fast and efficient. This kind of functionality transforms your intranet from a simple document repository into a true knowledge hub, saving employees time and increasing organizational efficiency. 

6. Up-to-date information

Keeping your intranet current is essential. Outdated content can lead to confusion, misinformation, and a lack of trust in the platform. Employees need to know they can rely on the intranet for the most accurate and up-to-date information. 

Regular content updates, automated notifications for changes, and content expiration tools can help ensure your intranet remains a trusted resource. Whether it’s policy changes or company-wide announcements, up-to-date information builds confidence in the platform.

7. Robust resources

Employees need access to a wide range of resources to do their jobs effectively. Whether it’s training materials, compliance documents, or how-to guides, your intranet should be a central hub for all of your organization’s necessary resources. 

Organizing these materials in an easily accessible way — whether through searchable databases, categorized sections, or resource libraries — makes the intranet an indispensable tool for your employees. A well-stocked intranet can cut down on time wasted searching for information, leading to a more productive workforce.

8. Opportunities for engagement

An intranet shouldn’t be a static tool — it should foster interaction and engagement. Employees want to communicate with their colleagues, share feedback, and participate in company culture. Including features like discussion boards, comment sections, feedback forms, and even social elements like employee recognition or polls can transform your intranet into a collaborative space. 

Engagement features encourage employees to not only consume information but also contribute to the ongoing dialogue within the organization. It builds community and encourages open communication across all levels of the company. 

Ready for an improved intranet? 

A well-designed, feature-rich healthcare intranet is critical for fostering employee engagement, improving productivity, and maintaining efficient internal communications. From app-like design and organizational branding to personalized content and engagement features, each of these elements plays a crucial role in making the intranet a valuable tool for employees. 

If you’re ready to level up your intranet to make it a go-to hub for your employees, Geonetric is ready to help.  

Check out this case study to learn how we helped Ohio and West Virginia-based Holzer Health System overhaul its intranet and bring in more than 41,200 unique user sessions in the first three months after its launch. Then, if you’re ready to take the first step to an improved intranet, contact our team to schedule an introductory call! 

Design plays a critical role in the way we, as consumers, interact with brands and go about our daily routines. And in today’s digital age, there are few places where design is more prominent and impactful than website design. 

As trends come and go — think back to minimalism, flat design, oversized typography, etc. — they shake up not just the way websites look, but the way users interact with them. Designers utilize trends to create visual hierarchy and depth within a website, guiding where users look and how they act without them even realizing it. 

In the world of healthcare website design, recent design trends reflect aesthetic changes as well as technological advancements that prioritize user needs, accessibility, and personalization. Geonetric Design Director Christina Hoge shared more about these design trends in our recent “Beyond the Horizon: Digital Healthcare Marketing Trends Shaping the Future” webinar. 

From glassmorphism to micro-interactions, the future of web design enhances the user experience in subtle yet powerful ways. Here’s a look at the top trends influencing healthcare website design and UX today:

1. Glassmorphism

One design trend we’ve seen gain momentum in recent years is glassmorphism, a visual effect that mimics frosted glass through semi-transparency and blur.  

This technique creates depth and draws attention to specific elements on the page by organizing content in layers, helping establish visual hierarchy. When used thoughtfully, glassmorphism can provide a polished, modern look to healthcare websites. 

2. Microinteractions

Microinteractions — those small, subtle animations that provide instant feedback — are becoming more prevalent in healthcare website design. Think of a button that changes color when clicked or a notification to schedule an appointment that pops up when a user enters a page. 

These small touches improve responsiveness and enhance engagement, making users feel in control. When used correctly, microinteractions add personality and can guide your patients intuitively through their digital journey while helping them feel more in control of how they interact with your website.

3. Dark mode

Dark mode is now offered on many websites, apps, and operating systems, allowing users to switch between light and dark themes. Beyond aesthetics, dark mode can reduce eye strain, conserve battery life (especially on mobile devices), and make long-form content more comfortable to read.  

By offering users control over their visual preferences, dark mode can enhance usability and improve accessibility for individuals with visual impairments, which is especially relevant for healthcare providers. 

4. AI and personalization

AI has started impacting almost every facet of digital healthcare marketing in recent years, and website design is no exception. AI-driven personalization is shaping the way users interact with websites by suggesting content, recommending products, and adjusting website design elements to match individual preferences.  

Personalization can be used to update design elements based on the time of day, users’ location, or even their past interactions with your website. This could include changing website backgrounds based on whether it’s day or night or replacing a banner image with one that includes care options after regular business hours — the sky is the limit to how you can pair AI-driven personalization and design to provide more relevant content and improve the overall user experience.

5. Inclusive and accessible design

Inclusive design is no longer optional; it’s essential. With a focus on accessibility, websites are increasingly designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring that they are usable by people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities.  

Inclusive design can include everything from text alternatives for images to keyboard-friendly navigation that makes finding information more accessible. Inclusive design not only supports the content needs of a broader audience but can also protect your organization from potential legal risks.

6. Responsive and adaptive design

While responsive and adaptive design may not be new concepts, they remain critical in healthcare website design. As patients (especially younger ones [link to Gen Z blog once live]) increasingly access websites on mobile devices — smartphones, tablets, and wearables — ensuring a seamless experience across all platforms is essential.  

Responsive design allows a site to adjust automatically to the user’s screen size, while adaptive design offers tailored layouts for specific devices, contributing to a more user-friendly experience.

7. User experience research

User experience research is the foundation of effective UX design and staying ahead of design trends. By gathering insights into user behaviors, needs, and preferences, designers can make informed decisions that lead to more successful outcomes from the start. 

In healthcare, user research enables designers to learn what features patients want when they visit a website and the steps they can take to create meaningful, user-centric experiences. 

Design trends today go far beyond mere aesthetics. They are driven by advancements in technology, user preferences, and a deeper understanding of accessibility and personalization for healthcare consumers. By focusing on creating engaging, inclusive, and adaptive user experiences, your organization can create a website that looks great and resonates with users, assisting them on their care journey and building their relationship with your brand. 

As technology evolves, so will design trends. Yet the ultimate goal remains the same: improve the user experience by putting the needs of your patients first. 

Check out the recording of “Beyond the Horizon: Digital Healthcare Marketing Trends Shaping the Future” to learn more about these design trends in healthcare, then contact our team today to learn how you can incorporate them on your organization’s website! 

If the first thing you think of when you hear the term “Gen Z” is a teenager sitting around absentmindedly scrolling TikTok, think again. 

Gen Z is typically categorized as people born between 1997 and 2012, meaning that while some of them are still teenagers, many have now moved into young adulthood — and have started making their own decisions regarding healthcare (and yes, some of them are using TikTok to do it). 

This presents healthcare marketers with an opportunity to guide these Gen Z consumers as they handle their own healthcare for the first time, answer their questions, and build lifelong customer relationships. Even if a Gen Z consumer is still using their parents’ health insurance and the providers they grew up seeing, you can foster their continued loyalty by offering marketing messages that speak to the healthcare challenges they’re facing as they enter adulthood. 

But what is the best way to reach this valuable new audience? Here are a few things to consider when marketing to Gen Z patients. 

They’re stressed, and looking for answers

Despite their age, Gen Z keeps up with — and is significantly impacted by — today’s news, especially political unrest, climate issues, and mass shootings.  

A study from the American Psychological Association found that Gen Z reported higher stress levels than any other age group, including Millennials and Gen X, and are 37% more likely than any other generation to report their mental health as fair or poor. 

But amidst that stress, there is hope. Gen Z is open to talking about their mental health and asking for help when they need it. They also value diversity and inclusivity and tend to align with brands consistent with their core values and beliefs. 

They prioritize online experiences

Remember that Gen Z was raised alongside smartphones, apps, and social media, and they expect instant, online answers when researching their care options.  

Gen Z also prefers service transactions with minimal human interaction. They don’t want to wait in line or be on hold for a human operator — they expect to be able to handle most, if not all, of their healthcare tasks online, including: 

• Scheduling appointments 

• Checking to see if your organization accepts their health insurance 

• Seeing if a provider is accepting new patients 

• Reading provider reviews 

If your organization doesn’t offer ways that patients can easily complete these tasks online or through a mobile app, now is the time to change that.  

They’re looking for convenient care

Gen Z is increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of traditional healthcare services — they don’t want to wait to see their primary care physician in six months if another option is available today. 

That means they’re looking for more emergent types of care like walk-in clinics, urgent care, retail clinics, on-demand services, and telehealth. Research has shown that this generation is extremely interested in emerging health technologies that allow them to receive care faster, especially virtual health. 

But that doesn’t mean they’re eschewing traditional healthcare entirely — 45% of Gen Z patients report having a primary care physician. However, they supplement those visits by searching for their conditions online, using walk-in clinics, and seeking out more convenient options for care whenever possible. 

They listen to their peers

Gen Z is twice as likely to make a purchase based on the opinions of their peers or Millennial friends and family members as they are based on a celebrity or influencer.   

One study found that the people Gen Z trusts the most are their family members (88%), friends (84%), and regular people doing good things (81%) compared to journalists (47%), religious leaders (44%), and politicians (42%).  

This means that your Gen Z consumers will be paying special attention to any social proof you can provide about your organization, including patient stories, testimonial videos, and ratings. 

They’re at a critical point in their healthcare journeys — and you can meet them there

Many Gen Z consumers are at a point in their lives where they’re independently interacting with the healthcare system for the first time.  

This provides an incredible opportunity for you to forge a connection with those consumers now while they’re actively looking for answers and starting from a blank slate, compared to years down the line when they already have healthcare experiences and additional needs. 

So, where should you start to ensure your marketing is ready for this new wave of young healthcare consumers? 

Your Gen Z marketing checklist

Here are a few takeaways to keep in mind when assessing your marketing strategy’s readiness for Gen Z patients: 

1. Your website needs to be easy to use on a smartphone or tablet. 

1. If you have the resources, consider investing in an app that allows patients to schedule appointments, request prescription refills, see wait times, etc. 

1. User-generated social proof matters — craft social media campaigns that prioritize reviews, testimonials, patient stories, and “behind the scenes” content of your organization. 

1. Forty percent of Gen Z Americans spend more than four hours on social media per day, so make sure your messages extend to platforms including Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. 

1. Young consumer prefer to consume educational materials through video, so consider utilizing TikTok and YouTube when creating educational campaigns. 

1. Gen Z is looking for “snackable,” short, and impactful videos. When creating videos for TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts, keep your important messages in the first eight seconds (the average attention span for short-form video content). 

1. Keep your marketing messages authentic and showcase real patients and people within your organization.

Are you ready for Gen Z patients?

Whether your marketing strategy is ready or not, this new generation of patients is headed your way. Grab their attention now and help them build lifelong relationships with your organization with impactful, authentic marketing. 

If you’re looking for help with website design, content marketing, or social media strategies that can win over younger patients, our team is ready! Contact us today to find out how we can get your marketing strategy ready for this next generation of consumers.

Having a solid digital foundation is essential for any healthcare marketing strategy. But the real magic happens when you take those fundamentals and amplify them to reach a larger audience, build a more robust digital presence, and reach your marketing goals faster. 

In this post, we’ll break down the fundamentals of digital healthcare marketing and explore how your organization can supercharge them with advanced techniques and tools to stay ahead of the competition. 

What are the fundamentals?

1. Website information architecture (IA)

It all starts with ensuring your high-level website information architecture aligns with user expectations. How your website and IA is structured impacts everything your organization does online — from your content marketing to design and even social media strategies. 

A successful high-level website architecture boils down to which pages, sections, and features exist on your website, how they relate to each other in terms of page nesting or parent-child relationships, and whether they have a consistent, predictable URL structure. Think easy-to-navigate menus, straightforward internal linking, and sitemaps that meet user expectations and help them find the answers they need. 

2. On-page content structure

The way content is arranged on your web pages is another fundamental you’ll want to nail down. Content should be scannable, not only so the user can glance at the page and get a good idea of what it’s about, but also so it’s easily scanned by search engines. 

Aside from general content layout, successful on-page content structure means properly using header tags and ensuring your H1, H2, and H3s are sequentially ordered on the page. It also means formatting your text in bulleted or numbered lists, tables, accordion menus, etc., so your content is easy to read, and both people and search engines can find what they need on the page quickly. 

3. User-centric content

Beyond how you display content, a major fundamental of digital marketing — especially for healthcare organizations — is that the content you create puts the user first.  

Content must consider the users’ needs and answer their questions before it ever addresses your organization’s business needs. To accomplish this, use user-friendly and easy-to-read language, have crystal clear calls to action on every page, and distinctly show what the next logical step is in the users’ path through your website. 

4. Images and multimedia

A frequently overlooked and powerful fundamental for digital marketing success are images and multimedia. Making seemingly small changes to the images on your website can lead to huge gains, both in the load speed of your pages and how you rank in Google Image search results. 

The most important factor to nail here is file size for load speed reasons, but it’s also essential to consider the overall image quality, the alt text description, and keyword-rich file names. 

All of these factors contribute to page load speed and reliability but also help your site reach more users through search engines. (If you’re a VitalSite® user, you won’t have to worry about image file size — the Image Manager takes care of it for you.)  

5. SEO metadata and an internet mindset

Metadata includes your page titles, meta descriptions, header tags, and descriptive URLs, along with organically using SEO and localized keywords in your content. Making sure your pages include this data will help boost your search engine performance and ensure prospective patients will see your organization when they search for care.  

It’s also crucial to adopt an “internet mindset” to understand that all of the content and SEO metadata on your site needs to be continuously updated, assessed, and optimized to keep it current and effective for your marketing goals. 

Time to supercharge! 

Once you’ve mastered these fundamentals, it’s time to supercharge them to maximize your marketing ROI! Here are a few ways you can take these building blocks of marketing success to the next level. 

1. Invest in advanced metadata like Schema.org markup

Schema.org markup helps search engines understand the content on your pages beyond basic metadata. Implementing it can result in rich snippets and enhanced search results, helping your content stand out.  

For healthcare organizations, Schema markup can be used to display things like facility images, maps, provider ratings, and business hours on the search results page, giving users the information they need and showcasing your organization before they even get to your website. 

2. Track content performance

Content shouldn’t be a “one-and-done” endeavor. Knowing what’s working (and what isn’t) is key to refining your strategy. Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor how users interact with your site, what pages are keeping them engaged, and where they’re dropping off. 

Reframing your digital marketing tracking and reporting efforts as content performance tracking is a fantastic way to help you better understand how well your content is, or isn’t, serving users. Using that data to continuously make improvements to your site will keep your digital presence dynamic and ensure it meets consumers’ preferences and pain points. 

3. Implement workflow or governance standards

Creating great content is only part of the equation. Workflow and governance standards ensure that it stays relevant, up-to-date, and aligned with your business goals. Establish standards for regular audits and analysis of your website content to help your entire team understand how to keep your website content fresh, accurate, and aligned with changing user needs and expectations. 

You can also set day-to-day workflow standards to support your daily content creation as well as your ongoing content strategy. 

 Ask your team questions like: 

• How often does content need to be reviewed, republished, or archived? 

• Who has the power to say “yes” or “no” to content requests for the website? 

• What happens when there are competing priorities or requests? 

• What happens when content goes stale or is underperforming? 

4. Leverage generative AI tools

One more way to power up your marketing efforts is by utilizing everyone’s favorite hot tech topic: generative artificial intelligence. You can use tools like Chat GPT and Jasper to streamline your content writing and production tasks, including generating campaign ideas, developing outlines for service pages, identifying common patient questions, writing short-form copy like headlines and UI text, and more. 

By building on these fundamentals and investing in advanced techniques, you can supercharge your digital marketing efforts to improve your ROI and reach your long-term marketing goals. The digital healthcare marketing landscape is always evolving, and staying ahead means being willing to take your strategies to the next level to stand out in a crowded marketplace. 

Looking for ideas to supercharge your strategies?

Geonetric has been helping healthcare organizations stay ahead of the curve for more than 25 years, and we can help your team as well!

Whether you’re looking for SEO, content marketing, or web design help, we have the solutions you need to supercharge your digital healthcare marketing efforts and see incredible results. Contact us today to get started! 

Join Geonetric CEO Ben Dillon and a panel of our experts as they dive into:

• Using personalization to improve conversion rates
• SEO strategies in the age of AI
• Data use post-HIPAA tracking guidance
• Gen Z marketing strategies
• Design trends to improve user experiences

You’ll leave this webinar with a better understanding of the trends that will impact our field in the coming years and how your organization can leverage them as part of a successful digital healthcare marketing strategy.

As someone working in the healthcare space, you undoubtedly understand the power of trust when it comes to a patient’s choice of provider. Prospective patients want to know they’re in capable, caring hands — and nothing helps establish that trust like hearing other patients’ positive experiences. 

This is where the concept of social proof comes into play. Whether through patient testimonials, online reviews, local awards, or other marketing collateral, social proof is a powerful tool that can reassure patients on their journey of care and drive conversions for your organization. 

What is social proof — and why does it matter?

Social proof is a psychological term for the way people take cues from the people around them in certain situations.  

When used in marketing, social proof refers to the way consumers look for reviews and recommendations while shopping to help inform their final decision. It’s an incredibly valuable marketing tool, with one 2022 survey finding that a staggering 95% of consumers read online reviews before they make a decision while researching a product or service. 

When trust and reassurance are this essential to bringing in new patients, a well-placed testimonial or glowing online reviews can make all of the difference. 

Social proof for healthcare websites

There are several ways to incorporate social proof into your healthcare website to build trust with potential patients: 

Patient testimonials

Real-life patient stories can be some of the most impactful pieces of content on your website. People searching for care are more likely to trust your organization’s providers when they can read or watch firsthand accounts of others’ positive experiences. 

Testimonials can be gathered via surveys or follow-ups and should focus on specific outcomes or aspects of care (e.g., “The staff made me feel comfortable during my procedure.”).  

Remember to obtain consent in accordance with HIPAA regulations prior to posting any testimonials on your website or social media channels. You could also take a page from Geonetric client Bronson Health, whose Bronson Positivity blog features stories patients and staff members submitted on their own. 

Online reviews and ratings

Positive reviews help build credibility, but even negative reviews, when handled professionally, can show potential patients that your organization takes feedback seriously and is committed to improvement. Make it easy for visitors to find your ratings by embedding them on key pages. 

If you plan on encouraging patients to leave a review following their visit to your facility, be mindful of when and how you do so. A recent survey of consumer reviewing habits found that for healthcare, the sweet spot for requesting a review from patients is three days to one week after care is provided. Send out that request email too soon, and the patient may not have recovered enough from the condition that drove them to your organization to write a testimonial or review. 

Provider profiles and credentials

Highlighting the credentials and experience of your doctors and staff in your provider directory helps establish authority and build confidence in your organization’s expertise. Including patient satisfaction scores, awards, publications they’ve written in, or specific accolades in provider profiles can add a layer of trust and professionalism. 

We worked with Nebraska-based Bryan Health to create a directory that put their providers’ ratings and reviews front and center, alongside introductory videos, showcasing their transparency and helping reassure patients that they’ve made the right choice before they ever schedule an appointment. 

Before-and-after case studies

For certain specialties like plastic surgery, dermatology, or dentistry, before-and-after case studies can provide tangible evidence of successful treatments. Featuring real patient results through photos or videos, when HIPAA-compliant, can reassure prospective patients that your practice delivers results. 

Endorsements and awards 

Another way to build trust with prospective patients is by showcasing any endorsements or certifications your organization has received from local groups or healthcare organizations like the Joint Commission, U.S. News & World Report, Best Places to Work rankings, etc. These validations can strengthen your reputation among patients and offer an added layer of reassurance. 

Whatever you do, stay HIPAA-compliant

In healthcare, any form of patient information — including testimonials — must comply with HIPAA. Ensure that you have explicit consent from patients before using their stories or images, and anonymize details where necessary to protect patient privacy. Have clear guidelines on what constitutes a HIPAA-compliant review, and encourage patients to follow those when leaving reviews online. 

Reviews, ratings, and results

Social proof is an essential part of any successful healthcare website strategy, and can go a long way to help boost conversions by increasing trust and credibility, improving SEO rankings, and decreasing patient anxiety as they research their care options. 

By using patient testimonials, online reviews, provider credentials, and case studies, you can reassure prospective patients that they’re making the right decision in choosing your organization. 

Not sure where to start with your organization’s social proof strategy? Geonetric is here to help through tactics like robust provider directories, user-generated blog content, responding to patient reviews, and more. Contact us today to get started! 

In today’s digital landscape, brands are expected to provide personalized experiences to consumers that meet their unique needs and preferences. This is even more true for healthcare organizations when prospective patients are faced with making decisions about care and looking for information supporting their care journey and concerns.  

In a field where trust and timely access to information can impact patient decisions, personalized websites offer more than just convenience; they enhance the overall experience and turn prospects into loyal patients. From guiding users to relevant health resources to streamlining appointment scheduling, personalization helps healthcare organizations offer meaningful, patient-centered digital experiences.  

Despite the uptick in personalization, it still remains a relatively new concept in the healthcare marketing space. If your organization has never tried personalization before or was unsuccessful in launching a home-grown personalization solution, you likely have some questions.  

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about personalization and why now is the time for your organization to incorporate it into your marketing strategy. 

What is personalization?

Personalization is a marketing strategy that identifies user groups based on their browsing habits and other broad identifiers in order to provide them with a unique experience.  

How can personalization be used in healthcare?

Personalization offers a way to provide tailored experiences that increase patient engagement at several key decision-making moments. 

For prospective patients, you can use personalization to deliver content that aligns with the service lines they’re researching and shares why your organization is the best choice in the area for receiving care for that condition. 

One example of this could be setting up a heart and vascular care campaign that features two distinct patient experiences: one that shows up when a user arrives at your site after clicking a paid ad and one that’s set to appear after a user visits two specific pages. 

This same concept can be put in place for current patients after they visit a certain set of pages or arrive at your site after clicking a link in an email sent out to patients.  

Perhaps their browsing habits show they have a new condition they’re seeking care for and are wondering about next steps — your personalized digital experience can guide them through this new care journey and reinforce why your organization continues to be their best choice for care. 

Why should we include personalization on our site?

First and foremost, today’s patients expect personalization. 

Our 2022 consumer survey found that 68% of respondents agreed it’s frustrating when healthcare websites recommend information or calls to action that aren’t relevant to their unique needs. In that same survey, 79% of respondents said that they agree healthcare websites should personalize their experiences based on their preferences. 

But this focus on personalization goes beyond healthcare. A 2024 Deloitte Digital report found organizations that excel at personalization are 48% more likely to have exceeded their revenue goals and 71% more likely to report improved customer loyalty. The organizations that Deloitte surveyed as “personalization leaders” also reported improvements in conversion rate (54%), customer engagement (61%), and customer satisfaction (57%). 

Aside from the fact that patients are looking for personalized experiences, personalization is also a great way to “do more with less” and increase the value you get from your existing digital collateral. Personalization campaigns can be set up with existing paid ads and website pages, and designed so the most relevant content appears after a certain set of requirements are met. 

If you don’t invest in personalization now, as it’s becoming more prevalent in healthcare, you could miss opportunities to exceed patients’ expectations, differentiate yourself from competitors, expand marketshare, and boost revenue. 

What is optimization?

Optimization is a key part of the personalization journey! Optimization refers to the process of testing personalization campaigns to see how they resonate with website visitors. 

Optimization could include A/B testing, multivariate testing, and multi-armed bandit testing that only a small portion of website visitors see to determine if the original content or test content is more successful in driving users to an end goal. 

For example, on an orthopedic services page, a test might show 50% of visitors the original “schedule an appointment” call-to-action that’s been on the site, while the other 50% receive an optimized version of the call-to-action. 

If the test clearly shows that one version is more successful than the other at encouraging a user to schedule an appointment, the test is complete, and we can implement the winning strategy.  

Won’t personalized experiences violate HIPAA?

It’s a fair question — wouldn’t taking patients’ browsing habits and identifiers put your organization in violation of HIPAA? The answer is no, if you do personalization right and work with a team that has experience with personalization and HIPAA compliance. 

For example, the personalization platform Geonetric uses is HIPAA-compliant, and we have a Business Associates Agreement (BAA) in place that covers our personalization and optimization offerings. Our team also exclusively works with healthcare organizations, so they’re already well-versed in the intricacies of industry regulations that could take other agencies longer to work around. 

How can I get started with personalization?

Understanding where to start with personalization while remaining HIPAA-compliant can be overwhelming — but when you work with Geonetric, you have a partner who’s here to support you every step of the way. 

As a healthcare-focused agency that’s created more than 500 healthcare websites and intranets, our team has what it takes to navigate personalized patient experiences and data privacy. 

Geonetric routinely provides reports and recommendations on how we can evolve your personalization campaigns to meet your changing business goals. We pride ourselves on continuously communicating complex topics in a way that allows the key contacts at your organization to feel empowered to discuss our strategies with internal stakeholders. 

If you’re ready to see the difference personalization and optimization can make for your organization and your patients’ digital experiences, reach out to us today! 

Your organization’s careers webpages are likely among your most viewed digital content. That’s no surprise, considering 76% of job seekers research a hiring company before applying for a job, either most of the time or every time they apply, according to a 2023 survey.  

But does the information on your website answer job seekers’ top questions? Complete, persuasive content can help attract more talent. But most importantly, it attracts the right talent — the applicants most likely to be a good fit for your organization’s culture.

Research shows healthcare job seekers want to know four key things when considering a prospective employer.  

1. What are the pay and benefits? 

More than 70% of healthcare workers feel underpaid, according to a 2023 survey of 500 medical professionals. Among nurses who planned to leave their jobs in 2022, 69% said they sought a higher salary. If the laws in your state don’t require pay transparency in job postings, it’s up to your human resources department to choose whether to specify salary ranges. But as a marketer, you may have opportunities to highlight other factors contributing to compensation.   

If your organization offers sign-on bonuses for nurses or other positions, add that information to your careers website, not just the individual job descriptions. If your area has a low cost of living, note that team members’ pay goes far. This is especially valuable when you’re recruiting physicians or promoting other positions that often draw non-local candidates.  

You should also advocate for publicizing benefits information. This content is highly viewed on many health systems’ websites. By publishing it, you send a clear message that your employee benefits are something to brag about. You also foster a sense of trust and transparency among job seekers, especially if your website provides more information than competitors do.  

Your organization’s employee benefits vendor or manager has probably told your HR department how your benefits package compares to similar organizations. Are you a leader? Highlight your generosity.   

Don’t forget to mention perks that enhance your overall benefits package, such as a cafeteria discount, commuter transit accounts, legal and financial services, etc.   

2. How’s the work-life balance? 

Physicians and job seekers of certain age groups have named work-life balance their top consideration when looking for a job. Among healthcare workers:   

• 68% want better staffing levels to reduce workload and stress   

• 58% want more flexible scheduling options  

• 51% want more opportunities for breaks and rests during shifts   

Plenty of organizations say they value work-life balance. You can stand out by highlighting specifically how your health system supports (not just allows) team members to rest and take time to care for themselves and their families. Highlighting the amount of paid time off is a start.  

Other possible examples include: 

• Floating personal days off 

• Employee assistance programs 

• Mandatory breaks 

• Health condition management 

• Wellness programs 

• Fitness center memberships 

If your organization has recently made specific changes to address work-life balance — especially in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic when many professionals have left the healthcare field — briefly describe those as well. Doing so shows you’re serious about addressing new employees’ health and wellness. It may also give some former team members a reason to reconsider your organization as an employer.  

3. What growth opportunities will I have? 

Lack of advancement opportunities is one of the top causes of employee turnover, according to a survey of human resources professionals. Healthcare job seekers ranked “development opportunities” just behind benefits in a survey of their priorities when choosing a position.  

Since professional growth starts with a solid onboarding process, spotlight your organization’s training and orientation programs. Does your health system provide reimbursement or flexible scheduling for employees pursuing a relevant degree or certification? Management training? Formal mentorship for certain roles?  

By promoting career advancement opportunities, you’ll attract ambitious, driven job seekers. You’ll also show your organization’s dedication to helping employees succeed.   

4. How happy are the current employees? 

Among job seekers who research an organization before applying, 65.7% want to read employee reviews or testimonials to gauge what it’s really like to work for the employer. Don’t force prospective applicants to rely solely on Glassdoor or other external review sites. These sites tend to attract disgruntled former staffers seeking an outlet to vent their complaints.   

It’s your job to help ensure applicants hear satisfied employees’ voices. Gather testimonials from team members in nursing and other areas that are a high priority for staffing. When soliciting reviews, jumpstart employees’ thought processes by asking open-ended questions like:  

• “What made you say yes to our organization?” (If they want to answer, “the pay,” let them!)   

• “How has your career advanced since you started here?”   

• “How do you feel your department supports work-life balance?”  

• “What’s the most rewarding part of your job?”  

When publishing employee testimonials, include full names and photos to ensure credibility. If you can get some team members to agree to record a video, that’s powerful social proof.  

Track & tweak your content  

Once you’ve published your new careers web pages, practice good content governance of the information. Monitor the pages’ performance, and work with your human resources department to review them regularly and identify opportunities for updates.   

Want guidance on your digital strategy for careers? Our content strategists, writers, SEO and PPC specialists, designers and other digital marketing experts are ready to help. Contact us today to get started!