What Is Brand Awareness in Healthcare? 5 Best Practices for Facilities

For healthcare organizations, brand awareness is crucial to winning the trust of patients and building credibility in an increasingly competitive market. Patients feel more confident in their healthcare decisions when they visit facilities with strong and positive reputations. But, what is brand awareness in healthcare and how do facility leaders go about building it?

If you’re looking to enhance your marketing strategy and attract a wider patient base, we’ve got you covered. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the importance of brand awareness and best practices for cultivating a positive, recognizable image.

What Is Brand Awareness in Healthcare?

Brand awareness refers to the level of familiarity that the general public has with your healthcare organization. Building awareness is the process of shaping an identity and personality that the people you serve — patients, families, and providers — can easily recognize and trust.

Brand awareness goes beyond simply claiming a unique name and logo. More importantly, it means establishing a meaningful connection with the community by living up to your healthcare facility’s mission and values.

Why Do Healthcare Companies Work on Their Image?

Today’s digital world offers patients a plethora of tools to research, vet, and select healthcare services based on reputation alone. In fact, an estimated 71% of patients report using online reviews as a first step to choosing a new provider. Without a strong brand image, healthcare facilities may be losing out to their competitors — even if they’re offering better services.

By taking steps to build a reputable brand, you can set yourself apart from other healthcare organizations. This not only helps attract new patients and employees, but also provides an avenue for staying on top of market trends and understanding your patients’ needs.

5 Best Practices for Building Brand Awareness

Now that we’ve answered the question, What is brand awareness in healthcare? You may be wondering how to foster a more reputable image. Here are five essential branding strategies, illustrated with healthcare branding examples, that will help you build trust and loyalty throughout your community.

1. Understand What Patients Want

Market research is the first step to building brand awareness. Understanding what prospective patients are looking for and what drives your competitors allows you to position your brand around the needs of your market. This enables you to hone in on why patients should choose your facility over others and what gaps your services can fill.

Examples:

• Read online reviews of other facilities in your area of care.
• Read online forums where patients share their experiences with health services.
• Conduct market research surveys or focus groups to hear directly from patients.

2. Develop a Recognizable Brand Identity

After you get a sense of how to position your brand, it’s time to start building your identity. But this doesn’t just mean trademarking your facility’s name and logo. It means figuring out how to reach and engage with your community through a unique voice and purpose.

Examples:

• Create a meaningful tagline. This is a one-line slogan that summarizes what makes your facility exceptional. Consider working with a healthcare branding agency that can help you develop eye-catching marketing materials around your tagline.

• Write a mission statement. This is a 1-2 sentence statement that you can use to spread awareness of your agency’s purpose, values, and commitment to high quality care. Center your mission around what makes your services stand out from others.

• Use consistent brand messaging. This is the voice in which you communicate with your community. Are you aiming to sound authoritative, casual, or empathetic as you market yourself? Consistency will help you retain a recognizable and authentic image.

3. Expand Your Marketing Channels

Once you have a sense of your brand identity, it’s time to get your name out there and start building your reputation. Utilize diverse channels of outreach so that you can get noticed by a wider audience. This can include registering your organization on social media, utilizing online marketing strategies, or promoting your services locally through word of mouth.

Examples:

• Set up a Google review page and remind patients to leave reviews.
• Pay for ads on TV, social media, or search engines.
• Publish educational blogs that drive online engagement.

4. Focus on the Patient Experience

As you build your reputation, you want to ensure that you’re getting noticed for the right reasons. Building positive brand awareness means living up to the expectations that you’re setting through your branding. This fundamentally comes down to focusing on the patient experience.

Branding is only one aspect of running a successful healthcare organization, and it must be improved alongside the quality of your care and customer services. The more patients learn to trust your facility through first-hand experience, the better your reputation will become.

Examples:

• Send out patient experience surveys to get consumer insight on how to improve.
• Stay engaged with patients by responding to reviews or comments on social media.
• Respectfully respond and act on negative feedback to continually improve your services.

5. Create Engaging, Shareable Health Content

A large part of building brand awareness is storytelling. Spreading an engaging narrative around your organization helps you form an emotional connection with your community. This can be done by sharing stories that readers can relate to on a more personal level.

Examples:

• Publish stories of patients who have had life-changing experiences with your care services (with permission).
• Spotlight stories of staff and providers who are proud to play a role in furthering the mission of your healthcare organization.
• Display patient testimonials on your website and social media pages (with permission).

Take Your Healthcare Branding to the Next Level

Now that you can answer the question, What is brand awareness in healthcare? It’s time to develop your branding strategy. If you’re not sure where to start, IntelyCare has your back. Our team of healthcare marketing experts offers free marketing tips and insights to give your brand the boost it deserves.