Craft Your Messaging To Each Stage of the Patient Journey

You don’t need to be an industry expert to know that today’s healthcare structure is experiencing tremendous change. Organizations are grappling with new technology as well as adjusting to reimbursement models that involve taking on more risk for patients’ health and well-being.

These changes affect healthcare operations and administration, and they also trickle down to marketing departments. Healthcare marketers, who may have previously focused on patient volume, find themselves shifting some of their attention to population health and patient wellness.

Susan Dubuque, principal and co-founder of ndp

“It’s no longer only about getting patients to come to your hospital for their surgery, it’s about how organizations can partner with patients and the community to help engage them in healthier behaviors,” says Susan Dubuque, principal and co-founder of ndp, a marketing and advertising agency that specializes in healthcare and service industries.

Dubuque, who has a background as both a mental health specialist and a marketer, approaches healthcare marketing from a unique angle — through Stages of Change. This model, originally conceptualized by James Prochaska, PhD, can give marketers the ability to better understand and engage their target market.

When applied to marketing, the Stages of Change theory makes perfect sense, Dubuque says, and should feel familiar to marketers. After all, the six Stages of Change correspond nicely with the typical funnel model you see in marketing:

Stages of Change

• Pre-contemplation
• Contemplation
• Preparation
• Action
• Maintenance
• Termination

Marketing Funnel

• Awareness
• Interest
• Desire
• Action
• Satisfaction

In our new article, we’ll explain how the Stages of Behavioral Change model mirrors the marketing funnel, how to craft consumer messaging that corresponds to each stage, and how a CRM platform helped one system target and track patient activity at all points along the journey.

Read it now: Stages of Behavioral Change + CRM: A Winning Strategy for Healthcare Marketers

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President