Have you ever wondered why the pace of technological advancement seems to speed up every couple of years? In 1965, Gordon E. Moore – a co-founder of Intel – made an observation that would come to be known as Moore’s Law. Moore’s Law states that “the number of transistors on a microchip will double about every two years,” essentially offering a hypothesis for why we can expect the speed and capability of our computers to increase exponentially.
The only problem with Moore’s Law is that it is now being outpaced by our technology. And with new advancements in AI, it is thought that Moore’s Law will be rendered obsolete by 2025. In addition, it’s also been projected that the rate at which Big Data is growing across all industries will require artificial intelligence just to keep track of it.
Artificial intelligence is just beginning to be leveraged by businesses for a variety of tasks – and marketing is one space where AI can be a huge asset. But what does the implementation of AI mean for healthcare marketing? Will AI change marketing in the healthcare space? How can AI help your healthcare business scale and grow?
The truth is, AI will likely change how consumers shop and purchase services in the healthcare space. And in this guide, we’ll explore how AI can create amazing opportunities for healthcare brands.
Would you like to learn more about the future of AI in healthcare marketing? Reach out to Beacon Media + Marketing today to find out more.
Trends in AI Healthcare Marketing
The digital marketing space is one of the most rapidly evolving industries today. And with the increasing presence of AI, the technological advancements that marketers are able to leverage are mind-blowing.
Younger generations are steeped in tech. They’re learning new and complex technology from a very young age. And with younger generations becoming fluent in emerging tech much faster than ever before, it’s imperative for marketing companies to realize this and use AI to their advantage.
When it comes to healthcare marketing, much of the same trends that can be seen in other major industries are just as evident.
Focusing on Personalizing the User Experience
Market trends are always changing. But with AI and its ability to predict consumer behavior, professionals in healthcare marketing are finding new ways to make their clients stand out.
By using AI-collected data, marketers can deliver targeted ads, content, and other deliverables all while tailoring a user’s journey to their individual preferences. And this can also include utilizing personalized messaging in a variety of channels based on AI data collection.
Immersive Content Experiences
With the rise of new platforms such as augmented reality and virtual reality, healthcare marketers are beginning to think about how to create engaging content that leverages these emerging platforms.
A couple of examples of this may include a virtual tour of a healthcare clinic or constructing digital telehealth experiences. And content experiences of this level may even be used to attract younger consumers who are more accustomed to shopping and browsing in the virtual world.
Chatbots
As mentioned, targeted messaging is critical for getting consumers to notice a brand. And healthcare marketers can utilize chatbots to offer consumers the ability to get their questions answered in real-time. However, with new advancements in AI, chatbots are getting a complete makeover.
Though chatbots usually have scripted messages, AI-enhanced chatbots have real, human voices and can converse with users – learning from each interaction.
Automation
Healthcare marketers need to have access to multiple campaigns across several channels. This can take hours of work on its own. But through the help of AI, marketers are able to analyze data and understand how effective each campaign is in a fraction of the time.
In addition, AI is able to generate personalized recommendations of products and services and generate content (and personalize it) based on collected data. And AI can even send these deliverables over to your target audience whenever you choose.
How is AI Helping the Healthcare Industry?
Not only is AI giving healthcare marketers a huge competitive advantage, it’s reshaping the healthcare space in significant and beneficial ways. And while many people may still view AI with a wary eye – nervously awaiting the day when the machines “take over”– right now, AI is helping humanity far more than harming it.
But where can we see AI’s footprint in the healthcare space? And how is it really helping?
A few areas where we can see AI at work are:
- Data and records management
- Improving patient care
- Pharmaceutical product creation
- Virtual assistants
Data Management
Storing data, along with collecting and analyzing it takes time – lots of time. But AI is changing the game and making data management faster. This equates to providing more proficient health services and correspondingly adds to an arsenal that a healthcare marketer can leverage when looking to get clients more patients.
A great example of data management with AI is the DeepMind Health Project launched by Google to crawl medical records to help boost efficiency.
Patient Care
The fact is, human-based operations are synonymous with errors and processes that contain flaws – even in the healthcare space. The more AI is able to organize treatment plans and enable physicians to make diagnoses and decisions based on sound data, the more efficient a healthcare brand will become. And with greater brand presence, marketers can utilize this when highlighting and scaling a marketing program.
Pharmaceutical Product Creation
It’s no secret that pharmaceutical development often takes decades and billions of dollars. But with AI and machine learning, drugs can be developed in a fraction of the time that they used to take.
For example, many people were alarmed at how quickly a COVID-19 vaccine was developed and tested. But many people fail to realize that this was made possible through AI and its ability to test millions of molecular structures in months instead of years. And this same technology has also been used to redesign medicines to treat the Ebola virus.
Virtual Assistants
If you’ve ever been to a healthcare clinic or hospital, you’ve probably waited several hours to be seen. And this has always been a major pain point for consumers. One of the biggest challenges that a healthcare provider will face is improving the interaction between patients and caregivers.
AI technology can streamline the traditionally slow processes between patients and caregivers, and help physicians and nurses to avoid unnecessary visits. With AI virtual assistants, caregivers can monitor their patient’s conditions and treatment.
How Can AI Help With Patient Acquisition?
Of all the things that a healthcare provider needs – aside from office space, qualified practitioners, supplies, and equipment – the one thing they need the most is patients. And patient acquisition has traditionally been a clumsy process, but not anymore.
In the past, the patient acquisition process was performed (and plagued) with a great deal of guesswork. With AI and the power of predictive analysis, healthcare marketers can now use advanced algorithms to predict consumer intent and utilize other tracking methods that have the uncanny ability to predict how consumers will behave – and even divide them into groups.
By using AI predictive analysis, grouping prospective customers give a marketer the ability to develop and modify programs tailored specifically for a target group. And it should go without saying that knowing your customer is one thing, but knowing your customer’s next move is an entirely new level of power that can lead to much higher conversion rates.
Not only can AI predictive analysis drill down to recommend the right product or service for the right person, but it can also help you target those who will be most interested. The bottom line – acquiring new patients through the use of AI places you at the highest level of competition.
What are the Predictions for AI Marketing in Healthcare Beyond 2023?
We’ve already mentioned that the pace of technological advancement is exponential. But with AI, marketers who embrace this new technology and understand it while it’s still in its infancy will be much better positioned to get their healthcare clients exactly what they want – and at a much faster pace.
Though the future of marketing will likely include a higher level of data security and online privacy that may present a challenge to marketing professionals operating in any space, the future is sure to see a surge of AI marketing which will also likely usher in a new era of SEO tactics. And with AI as the new kid on the block, this technology will likely be better able to keep up with the pace of changing consumer trends far more efficiently than with any traditional methods.
In addition, with AI-driven data and tools, healthcare businesses will become much more competitive. Patients will know all about a healthcare provider without ever having to walk through the door. And this will also require some of the best marketing talents to keep clients on par with their competitors. This will also result in healthcare companies needing to attract the best talent to keep up with larger patient numbers.
The key takeaway here is this: Embracing AI now, learning its advantages, understanding its capabilities, and implementing the technology today will only serve to enhance marketing efforts and put you in the lead – way ahead of healthcare businesses that choose to stay on the sidelines.
Enhance Your Healthcare Marketing Efforts with AI and Beacon Media + Marketing
Here at Beacon Media + Marketing, we welcome innovation with open arms. We understand that AI may be a great unknown for some. But we also know that it will be those who leverage this technology at the outset who will be poised to change their clients’ lives for the better – and the lives of all of their patients.
Our team is composed of talented professionals who look for exciting new opportunities to embrace new technology and allow it to enhance their own natural skills and productivity. And with an innovative team at your side, you’ll have the technological edge that you’ll need to grow and thrive in an extremely competitive market – all enhanced by AI.
Does AI sound like it could be a game changer for your healthcare marketing efforts? Reach out to Beacon Media + Marketing today to learn how we can help.
