What is telehealth?
Telehealth is the future of patient care. Telehealth gives patients the ability to check in with their doctor without having to step inside of an actual office. Telehealth services can be offered over the phone, through chat, or using teleconferencing. The doctor’s offices that have embraced telehealth most successfully give their patients a range of options.
And telehealth isn’t new. It’s been around over the past 10 years and was growing steadily prior to coronavirus. But since it’s imperative that people stay home right now, telehealth is booming.
Why telehealth is growing
People are busier than ever before. As of October, 18% of people already worked remotely. In the U.S., 25% of adults make online purchases once a month and the number of online shoppers worldwide is expected to hit 2.14 billion by 2021.
We’ve become a society that is used to doing everything from the comfort of our home, and doctor’s offices shouldn’t be excluded from that. In fact, 75% of in-person healthcare appointments could be handled over the phone.
And with the rise of wearable devices, people are more in-tune with their own health. They know their usual heart rate and sleeping patterns, and they’re probably thinking about their health more than ever before. But if they’re thinking about their health more often, it also means more possible visits.
A dozen in-person visits a year doesn’t make sense for a generally healthy person. But offices can give their patients peace-of-mind by offering telehealth services to answer a quick question.
Offices that haven’t adopted telehealth services yet will need a little help to get things going. But one thing they should start doing to help get things off the ground is telehealth marketing.
Why you should practice telehealth marketing
By implementing telehealth marketing early, you can stay ahead of the competition. Like with any industry, when a trend begins you need to be an early adopter and have a complete strategy in order to get the most out of it. As discussed, telehealth marketing isn’t just for marketing during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s here to stay.
Adopting an email campaign, putting together a good SEO strategy, and testing out paid advertising are just a few ways that medical practitioners can keep their customers happy. Telehealth isn’t just a goodwill gesture for patients, it can also drive more revenue for healthcare providers.
Contact Nicklaus Marketing today to find out how we can help you with telehealth marketing.
