Marketing Healthcare to Moms

I am a mother of two and have high expectations in the healthcare providers I choose for my family. Despite working in marketing, I’m skeptical of advertising and rely on the recommendations of friends. For me, choosing a doctor is akin to finding a good mentor.  It’s about building a relationship. The first visit is the final test. From the moment I step up to reception I’m asking myself, Can I trust you? Will you listen to me? Do you know your stuff? Will you make my life easier? I study how the staff interacts, assessing the paperwork I’ll have to complete, and counting the number of people that are ahead of me to see the doctor.

In many ways, appealing to women and mothers has more to do with how you operate your business than how you market it. Fundamental shifts like when Mobile, the gas station, allowed mom’s to pay at the pump rather than drag their kids inside the station, create more impact than putting a female face are on the face of your advertising campaigns.

In 2008, the American Academy of Family Physicians polled 1,193 American women who defined themselves as primary health care decision makers for themselves and/or their family. They shared frustrations on filling out redundant paperwork; having to tell one doctor what another had recommended or diagnosed; and getting contradictory recommendations from different medical providers. Solutions that were most important included:

1. Better Access: same-day appointments for unexpected health concerns
2. Dedicated Doctors: who are informed on their family medical and can manage chronic illnesses
3. Technology: for easier communication between doctors and patients, a faster flow of information between providers, and prescription fulfillment to pharmacists

Healthcare providers that are able to deliver on the above will draw patients, and moms will be right in the front line.

Moms and iPhones

Holly Pavlika from The Fuel published an interesting article today on digiday:DAILY that’s especially relevant for healthcare marketers who count on moms as a core audience. Holly quoted a new study by Greystripe. A few interesting facts:

• There are over 6.4 million iPhone users in the U.S. and over 50% of them are women.
• Nearly 60% of iPhone moms depend on their phone to locate the nearest store.
• 39.43% use their iPhone to comparison shop.
• 64% of iPhone moms use their phones for managing their calendar and schedule.

Does your healthcare brand have an iPhone app yet? AppMakr now offers a fast, easy tool to build an iPhone app for under $200.00.

Connecting with your audiences–especially busy moms–means engaging them on their own terms. Which, more and more, is on an iPhone.