Since the onset of digitalization, the healthcare industry has been pushed to keep advancing and innovating with each day passing by. The online healthcare market developed by healthcare information technology advancements is a great example of the constant need for adaptation and growth in the industry.
However, as the market continues to grow, so does the struggle to maintain it and stay ahead of all the competitors. So therefore, it is a well-known fact that to succeed in this rapidly evolving sphere, organizations undoubtedly need a comprehensive understanding of their consumer needs and want to develop impactful marketing strategies.
What is customer segmentation?
It is basically the process of dividing the healthcare market into smaller groups of consumers with similar needs or characteristics. This is done in order to better understand and target these groups with personalized marketing efforts.
When the segmentation is done using healthcare big data, it helps organizations improve patient satisfaction, engagement and outcomes while also increasing profitability.
Lastly, segmentation is done on the basis of demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioural characteristics.
Demographic
Healthcare consumers can be divided based on factors such as gender, age, income, education etc.
Behavioural Segmentation
Here, the consumers are segmented based on their healthcare behaviours. This includes medication adherence, screenings and doctor visits.
Psychographic Segmentation
When it comes to psychographic segmentation, healthcare customers are divided based on their lifestyle, personality, interests etc.
Geographical Segmentation
Segmenting consumers on the basis of their location is the fourth way. This is beneficial for targeting specific health initiatives and resources in certain areas.
(Tip: These factors also play a very crucial role while implementing healthcare programmatic advertising.)
How to create a customer segmentation strategy?
The first and foremost step of creating a customer segmentation strategy is identifying who your customers are. This basically means collecting demographic information, identifying pain points, conducting trend and behavioural analysis related to purchase histories. Further, establishing customer personas is essential, which means dividing the demographics into groups. These personas are then used as archetypes to articulate needs and connect your product to those needs. Therefore, then you can evaluate and prioritize your best segments to develop specific marketing strategies.
What are the benefits of customer segmentation in the healthcare industry?
Patient engagement
Apart from all the clinical information, the behaviour and attitude of the patients are one of the best ways to communicate and engage with them and improve the care provided.
Healthcare Marketing
Gaining a deep knowledge about the preferences of the patient helps determine the message types and marketing communications that potential consumers are more likely to respond to.
New product/service development
Segmentation helps organizations identify how different consumers respond to different healthcare plans and the gaps in the current offerings. This information can also help the providers to enhance their current products/services.
