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With the new year in full swing, it’s important to know about the marketing trends for 2017. Last year we were presented with some big changes to the marketing landscape, particularly with digital marketing. For example, the Rio Olympics and the Presidential Election flooded newsfeeds via hashtags, and celebrities continued to “break the internet” by going viral. However, a new year brings new trends – and what was popular in 2016 may not be the case for 2017. As we know, the healthcare industry presents its own challenges, and what was a “hot” marketing trend last year may not necessarily translate to the healthcare sphere.
Let’s take this time to look at some of the anticipated marketing trends for 2017 and how they apply to the hearing healthcare industry.
Personalization/1:1 Marketing
According to Forbes, “personalization”, or the segmentation of content to hone in on specific audience members, is a marketing trend that will take center stage this year. In today’s world, there is too much content and too little time. We are inundated with advertisements and news articles on a daily basis, so much so that these messages become like white noise to us. Enter “personalization”.
In order to break through the sound barrier and stand out among all the other white noise, your business needs to be engaging in 1:1 marketing. The practice of 1:1 marketing means considering your customers individually to connect with them by using the most relevant messaging catered to their personal experiences.
How does this apply to the hearing industry? Tapping into your existing database is the gateway to implementing 1:1 marketing in the hearing industry. Think about it, you wouldn’t send a notice that a patient’s technology was out of warranty if they were a tested-no-candidate patient – that message would be immediately disregarded by the TNC patient because you failed to speak to their own personal experience. The content you put out needs to be reaching the right people at the right time with the right messaging – it’s as simple as that!
Engaging in personalization and 1:1 marketing tactics will help you connect with your customers on an individual level and ultimately enhance the customer experience. This is not a trend to be ignored this year!
Influencer Marketing
Traditional influencer marketing is defined as “a non-promotional approach to marketing in which brands focus their efforts on opinion leaders”. For lots of big name brands, this trend has already taken off in the form of social media personalities and celebrities endorsing products and services. When customers are making purchasing decisions, they often turn to these influencers to help guide them in their decision making.
Let’s look at influencer marketing through the hearing healthcare lens and see how this trend can apply to our industry. The bottom line to influencer marketing is ultimately leveraging relationships with customers to get them to serve as your own personal brand advocates. Recognize the patients who come into your office who’ve had a great experience, ask them to write you an online review, refer a friend, or provide a testimonial – show them that they are a valued opinion, and in turn they will help promote your practice.
Purpose-Driven Marketing
This is perhaps the trend that speaks most directly to the hearing health industry. Every practice owner has a story behind what inspired them to go into business – whether it’s a personal story of how hearing impairment impacted their life, or how they want to champion their community in overall wellness. In today’s day and age, consumers feel more drawn to businesses that show some corporate responsibility to give back to the community and are driven by an overarching sense of purpose for enrichment.
If you are passionate about a certain comorbidity associated with hearing loss, include messaging in your marketing materials to support a local charity that is related to that condition. If you opened your practice because you yourself, or a loved one is hearing impaired, open up about it to your patients. Whatever your own story is – share it!
As we know, the marketing environment is rapidly changing. Make sure your practice is staying current with this year’s marketing trends – reach out to CQ Marketing to learn how to implement these tactics in your everyday marketing practices!
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