With winter right around the corner, skiing is a popular sport. Most ski resorts offer different trails to meet the needs of skiers with different levels of expertise. Healthcare marketers can take a similar approach to navigating the slippery slope of email marketing by tailoring their messages for different audiences.

The Importance of Precision Targeting

There are many types of skiers with different skill levels. Similarly, there are many types of physicians and patients with different needs and interests. Just as you wouldn’t send a beginner skier down the black diamond slope, you also wouldn’t want to send an email with physician CME opportunities to non-physician audiences.

For instance, physicians will want to know about new service lines you offer and how your health system can benefit their patients. On the other hand, patients care about how good your doctors are and how quickly they can get an appointment. They are also interested in the resources you offer  to manage chronic and acute conditions. This means that it’s important to segment your mailing lists for different groups of recipients. The good news is that the wealth of data available today makes this a very viable proposition.

Identifying Different Subsets of Your Groups

Healthcare marketers can navigate the slippery slope of email marketing by tailoring their messages for different audiences

In the same way that there’s much variation in the abilities among skiers even in the same level, there’s also real variation among groups of physicians and groups of patients. Therefore, you’ll want to avoid sending a one-size-fits-all email to each of these groups. Instead, use precision targeting to further identify subgroups and tailor your messages for specific interests and needs to increase engagement. This will provide a very personalized experience for your recipients.

Physicians can be grouped by:

• Specialty

• Geographic location

• Procedure codes

• Referral patterns

Patients can be grouped by:

• Health status

• Demographic info (marital status, children in the household, age range, income ranges, and other financial details)

• Lifestyle markers (i.e. recent marriage, birth, graduation, home purchase, and retirement)

• Historical spending patterns and future predictions.

Tailoring Email Messages

Such specific details can help you craft messages designed to resonate with recipients’ specific interests. This can help you grow your system.  For example, for new parents, you might promote the expertise of your pediatricians, while busy professionals will be interested in learning more about the extended hours and convenience offered in your walk-in clinics.

Segmenting your mailing lists into specific subgroups and creating targeted messages increases engagement among recipients

You can also tell physicians about your services so they can refer patients with a variety of needs. Surgeons may be interested in learning more about your new simulation suite to practice new techniques.

Reaching New and Current Physicians/Consumers

For both physicians and consumers, be sure to think about targeting both those you already have a current relationship with, as well as those currently outside of your network. In addition, consider when (time of day and day of week) to send your messages to get the best results.

The Value of a Quality Email List   

Just as a skier needs the right equipment and weather conditions for a successful ski, marketers must rely on a high-quality, comprehensive database that provides an array of personal and professional insights. When you have the right level of detail and insights  to guide your communications with different audiences, you’ll be able to keep your balance as you navigate the complex healthcare marketing landscape.