The healthcare industry is always evolving and so are the marketing tactics used by brands to maintain their positions in the industry. In such a competitive environment where hospitals are coming up with innovative and efficient strategies to market their services, narrative marketing has evolved into a powerful tool that can increase brand visibility, awareness, reputation, and consequently, brand revenues.

What exactly is narrative marketing?

Narrative marketing is a strategic marketing tactic where you create stories that connect deeper with your audience to evoke interest, trust, and loyalty in your brand so as to trigger the desired action. The stories used for narrative marketing should encompass the experience your brand provides to your patients, employees, and the general public.

How does it help?

When it comes to healthcare industry, the first and foremost interest of the brand should be in building brand trust and credibility. Since healthcare requires a more personal approach, it is essential for the hospital to present itself as a trusted, well reputed organization where patients are given maximum care and comfort. This is where the specifically crafted stories intended for narrative marketing come in. These stories help the brand in:

• Connecting with the audience on an emotional level
• Keeping your audience engaged with the brand
• Making your brand voice distinct from others
• Boosting reputation
• Increasing memorability and recall
• Influencing behavior and encouraging action
• Enabling better reach and impact

Why does it work?

What makes narrative marketing stand out from other modes of healthcare marketing tactics? The answer is simple—human empathy. Before choosing a healthcare service, the patients want to make sure that they are getting the best service from the best professionals and this is exactly why you need narrative marketing. Carefully curated stories presented to your target audience through various media channels enable your brand to humanize itself and become more appealing to prospective patients. When they keep seeing inspiring human stories and testimonials that show off your expertise and commitment, the strong empathy invoked will result in them seeing your brand as a trusted, capable, and dedicated healthcare provider which in turn will reflect in your revenues as more and more people get interested in your brand.

What all stories can you use?

When planning your narrative marketing tactics, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve from the campaign. Once you have decided on your goal, you can then start creating stories intended to serve that particular purpose. These stories can be then spread through social media for maximum engagement and efficacy to bring you the results you want. Now comes the question, what kind of stories can you use for your hospital’s narrative marketing? Let’s take a look.

Patient stories: Patient stories are the easiest way for your brand to reach your targeted audience. This happens to be so thanks to how personal an experience healthcare is for each individual patient. Patient stories are capable of showcasing a wide range of your services and the experience and expertise of your team as well as the latest technology and tools you have available at your hospital, all of which are things potential patients look for before choosing their healthcare provider. Patient stories have a powerful impact on the audience as they connect with them on a personal/emotional level and by establishing your brand’s commitment and care through these stories, you are reminding your audience why they should choose your hospital over others.

Employee stories: The beating heart of any healthcare facility is the team of doctors, nurses, and other professionals who dedicate themselves to patient care. By giving them an opportunity to tell their own stories related to your brand is a surefire way of reassuring the potential patients that they will be getting the best treatment possible from your hospital. The positive employee stories will also influence the public perception of the brand and will let them know how committed you brand is to being the best not only in treatment, but also in providing a highly supportive working environment to your employees, thus building credibility and trust.

Brand stories: Let your audience know your brand better. Share brand stories that tell them your brand values and goals. Once you have stories that display your brand’s mission, diligence, integrity, professionalism, knowledge, and technical prowess, patients will be influenced to engage more with your brand for their healthcare needs as they gain the necessary reassurance from these stories that you are the best choice for their needs.

Educational stories: Providing educational, informative stories that help your audience become more familiar with various health conditions and treatment procedures can assist your brand in keeping patients—new, old, and potential ones—engaged with your brand as a source of knowledge. Through sharing such stories, you are giving them the necessary push they need to take action regarding their own health and the reputation you build through these stories as a reliable healthcare service provider will help position your brand better.

Strategic narrative marketing is one of the most effective ways of marketing your healthcare brand right now and this is why hospital brands are focusing on creating stories that resonate with their audience. Moksha Media, Hyderabad, has acquired ample experience and expertise in this field over 15+ years of servicing highly reputed healthcare brands as well as startup ones, delivering them results beyond delight. The knowledge and insights thus gained is what makes Moksha Media one of the best digital marketing and branding agencies for hospitals in India. Get in touch to know more about our services. Let us transform your brand together.

15 April 2024 | Branding, Digital Marketing for Hospitals