August 1, 2024
Discover how a holistic approach to analytics—from identifying key performance indicators to optimizing post-launch—can transform media campaigns and drive patient growth for your healthcare organization.
Arjun Kumble
It’s been said that you can’t have great media without strong analytics. For analytics to effectively serve as the backbone of a successful healthcare media campaign, it must be a holistic approach that spans from planning to optimizing post-launch – incorporating strategies, tactics, and campaigns to find out what works, what doesn’t, and what could work. Effective analytics involves identifying key performance indicators (KPIs), setting up data capture strategies, and ultimately turning insights into action.
Choosing the Right KPIs and Measuring Patient Demand
Not all KPIs are the same. Think of the market as a chessboard; different strategies require different tactics. The goal for healthcare marketing leaders should be to select meaningful KPIs that guide both strategic decisions and tactical improvements.
These include:
For healthcare organizations looking to elevate their media campaigns, the journey toward first establishing a comprehensive analytics foundation will involve several steps, including:
*Through the implementation of an A/B testing platform, the analytics team at MERGE conducted experiments for a healthcare client that identified user journeys that converted online booked appointments between 300% to 1,700% higher than previous landing page experiences.
**By implementing a closed loop measurement strategy, MERGE’s analytics team informed media mix optimizations and channel selection resulting in new patient appointments increasing by 30% YoY and Cost per Appointment improving by 13% for a national VBC provider.
Healthcare marketers must dare to drill deeper into their organization’s approach to measuring brand health, going beyond the “what” to understand the “why.” This means interpreting the numbers to get a broader understanding of the brand’s direction.
To do this, align yourself to these four fundamentals:
The result of deeper analytics reaps numerous benefits. It not only drives patient growth, but enables consistent reporting, the opportunity to fine-tune performance, and ultimately validates your marketing strategy. Perhaps more crucially, it can transform decision-making, allowing for a data-driven approach.
*Comparing YoY performance for a service line campaign for a mid-sized health system, channel mix optimizations led to a 34% increase in cardiology admissions despite a budget decrease of 52%. This resulted in cost per admission improving by 64%.
Indeed, great media campaigns rely on robust analytics. With careful planning, a solid understanding of KPIs, and a willingness to dive into the numbers, healthcare marketing leaders can shape future strategies confidently, optimize ROI, and succeed through data-driven decision-making.
*Samantha Stout, MERGE SVP, Group Business Development Leader, and Kellie Bliss, MERGE EVP, Client Service, also contributed to this article.
