Just like audiology, digital marketing is an ever-changing field that requires professionals to keep up with the latest trends in order to stay at the top of their game. Although most digital marketing professionals are aware of personalization and how it relates to digital marketing and customer experiences, a gap remains between what a customer wants from a business online and what the business provides.
According to a survey conducted by Cloud IQ, 64 percent of respondents expect a personalized online experience, and 83 percent think an individualized experience is important. That is an overwhelming majority of online customers who think individualization is important—which means it should be important to you, too.
The same survey found that four key points were important to customers in a personalized experience. Customers want:
- Relevant offers
- To be remembered
- To feel listened to and understood
- To be in control
In order to personalize your marketing, you need to understand your customer, their experience, and their expectations. One way to gain information about your customer is to gather data online about how they use your website.
Since the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the rules and regulations regarding the collection of data online have been tightened. However, with consent from website users, data can be stored via cookies. It is important to present your customer with a clear and easy-to-understand policy regarding how their data will be used. Here are a few points from user data that can be helpful:
- What they recently purchased online
- Which pages of your website they visited and for how long
- Which buttons or links they clicked on
However, it is important to be certain that user information is up to date. In a survey, Sitecore found that 59 percent of respondents have experienced websites using out-of-date information, and 57 percent said they had found websites using incorrect personal details.
Marketing personalization is unique among audiologists. The first step is to understand your patients’ needs and expectations. If a patient visits your website and stays on a page about hearing aids for three minutes, they likely need hearing aids or hearing aid maintenance. If they spend time reading a page about tinnitus, your website could suggest relevant content about tinnitus treatment options. Data such as time spent on a page can help your website tailor the customer’s experience to their needs.
Try to anticipate what you would expect from your website experience if you were a potential new patient. Would you expect the practice’s website to have a login area to see patient information like when your next appointment is? Would you expect the site to recommend pages with relevant content you might be interested in?
Another special aspect of marketing personalization for audiologists is that you are caring for a person and their medical needs, as well as selling products and services. The key is to understand your patients’ needs so you can provide personalized care both in and out of the office.
Of course, when the patient is in the office, it is just as important to provide a great customer experience there as it is online. Remember your patients’ names, discuss their personal lives (if they are willing), and provide thorough, compassionate care. Keep the four points above in mind and make sure your patients feel listened to, understood, and in control.
To learn more about how you can personalize your marketing and other ways to boost your practice’s online marketing, please contact us at AudiologyPlus. We have over 20 years of experience in marketing, and we are here to help you and your practice succeed.
