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Healthcare is one type of service that will always be in demand. Regardless of age, gender, or educational background, for the span of their lifetime, people will always find themselves in need of some type of medical care at one point or another. That being said, today, people have more choice in where they have their medical needs taken care of than ever before.
For this reason, it’s important for any Healthcare practice to take advantage of print. Not only are there multiple forms of print that act as great resources for patients in general, but can also act as a great marketing tool. The following print materials are essential for any Healthcare center to have on hand.
Forms and Documents
Forms and documents, while essential to any medical practice for non-marketing reasons, also serve as a great way to express their brand. For example, NCR (No Carbon Required) Forms are heavily used in the Healthcare industry for a variety of reasons, including invoices, statements, contracts, purchase orders, applications, receipts, and other vital documents. While obviously serving a practical purpose, adding the name of the practice, logo, or other well designed visual branding to the header, footer, or background of the document is a great way to increase brand recognition and give off the air of professionalism and trustworthiness to patients.
Postcards
One way any Healthcare center can leave a great, lasting impression on their patients potential customers, while providing a practical tool, is with the use of Postcards. For one, these print materials are a thoughtful way to remind people about upcoming appointments, while pushing a practice’s branding to the forefront of their minds. Patients often hang these postcards on their fridge, stick them on calendars, or keep them in some other area where they can be frequently seen. This is a great way to boost brand awareness in a frequent, yet subtle way. They can also serve as a tool for reaching out to potential customers. Postcards are often seen as a more personal and warm form of communication, which is particularly useful for those in the Healthcare industry, which are typically viewed as cold, clinical entities. Using postcard marketing can offset this view and appeal more to the public at large.
Brochures and Pamphlets
If you’ve ever had to sit in a waiting room, chances are you’ve sat next to a brochure display. Having medical brochures and pamphlets available in this area is the perfect opportunity to engage and inform patients at the point-of-care. With average wait times clocking in at about 20 minutes, patients have time to read these helpful resources when health and wellness topics are on their mind. Printed materials also reinforce advice given by healthcare professionals, and increase the retention of information by up to 50%. Plus, these informative resources can be taken with patients when they leave. This means that helpful medical information associated with your practice’s branding can be viewed repeatedly in the home, and passed on to friends and family, expanding your reach even further.
Signage
Yet another print material that can act as a great resource for patients, a marketing tool, or both simultaneously, is signage. This includes wall signs, banners, informational signage and more. Signs that are often used in the Healthcare field can provide important medical information to people at a glance. Furthermore, they can also depict graphics such as happy patients or doctors hard at work, to give the impression that your practice is reputable and that it’s viewers are in good hands. They can also provide directions to patients to help them navigate the facility. Signage can also be used outside the facility itself. Advertising your practice through the use of signs is a classic and effective way to increase brand awareness and get your overall message across to potential customers.
Healthcare, while a very unique and ever-evolving industry, still needs to utilize print just as much as any other industry. As the medical field continues to advance and grow, tried-and-true print continues to prove itself as an essential resource for every market out there. Whether its’ print that’s essential for the running of a particular practice, that acts as a helpful resource for patients, or serves as a beneficial marketing tool, there are some print materials that any Healthcare center simply cannot go without!
Written by Omega High Impact Print Solutions Digital Marketing Specialist, Emily Steel