Have you heard the buzz? Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new shiny toy in healthcare marketing. It promises to revolutionize how we reach and engage with patients, analyze data, and optimize campaigns. All the bells and whistles. To infinity and beyond!
Maybe you’re excited to play with this new toy and see what it can do. Or maybe you’re skeptical because healthcare marketing is all about people. Real humans. (Even if we’re not as new and shiny).
Can you do both? Use AI but keep the human touch? Absolutely. In fact, integrating AI with a human-centric approach can lead to effective and compassionate healthcare marketing.
The impact of AI on healthcare marketers
If you are a healthcare marketer, take AI by the hand and let it help you:
Streamline data analysis
AI can slice and dice data faster than any human could. It helps marketers identify trends and gaps and predict future behaviors. This allows for better decision-making and resource allocation, freeing marketers to focus on strategy and creativity.
For example: Use ChatGPT to analyze your content and tell you what’s missing. Then fill in the blanks.
Personalize interactions
AI’s ability to segment audiences and tailor messages can be a game-changer for patient engagement. Personalized marketing strategies lead to more meaningful interactions.
But while AI can personalize, it can’t empathize. AI lacks the emotional intelligence to fully understand and respond to human emotions. It can suggest what might work based on data, but the empathetic touch has to come from human marketers.
Optimize marketing strategies
AI can automate routine tasks like scheduling social media posts or generating reports, improving efficiency. Yes, it can even write copy. But it doesn’t do well creating original, brand-building content. The heart and soul of storytelling – empathy, creativity, and nuance – remain distinctly human domains.
Integrating AI while keeping the human touch
AI isn’t going anywhere. (And neither are human marketers!) The trick is to master these tools to give you and your brand a significant competitive advantage. Learn how to leverage AI to enhance our work while keeping the essential human element at the forefront.
How do you do that? So glad you asked.
1. Storytelling with empathy
Human-generated stories create emotional connections. Sharing patient stories and behind-the-scenes insights brings depth that AI can’t replicate. Use AI to identify a pattern of anxiety about a treatment. Then, craft a message that draws on personal experience, acknowledging and alleviating that fear. Think of AI as your co-writer who is great with data but terrible at metaphors.
2. Interactive and engaging communications
AI can help handle the basics. Chatbots and automated responses give patients 24/7 access to your organization, tackling those technical questions and letting you focus on the more personal stuff.
Nobody wants to spill their heart out to a robot – that’s where we step in. Human oversight in AI-driven interactions keeps empathy front and center. So when we chat with patients through email, social media, or feedback portals, they’ll know it’s not just a bot. Personalized responses and real conversations show them they’re heard and cared for by actual people.
3. Community connection
AI can help you connect with the community you serve. For example, AI might help analyze community needs and suggest the best partnerships for your organization. Then you can add the human touch. Partner with those local organizations on health initiatives to strengthen connections and enhance your reputation.
Only you can reach out and build relationships. AI can identify the needs, but it can’t march in your 4th of July parade or sponsor a youth sports clinic. That’s all you.
4. Maintaining ethical standards
AI is fantastic at digging up data, stats, and facts, saving you loads of time on research. But AI can carry biases, and it doesn’t check itself before it wrecks itself. That’s where we come in. It’s up to us to fact-check AI outputs and ensure everything is reliable and trustworthy. We’re the guardians of integrity and fairness, making sure the information presented to patients is ethical and bias-free.
ChatGPT and other AI tools can only create outputs based on the information they’re trained on – which may be biased.
AI can play well with others
Don’t be afraid to experiment with AI — use your imagination and explore its potential. AI can handle data and automate tasks, freeing you to focus on what really matters. But remember, the skills we learn from playing with others — empathy, communication, creativity — are what make us great marketers.
It’s the human touch that crafts compelling stories, builds trust, and connects with patients on a deeper level. By integrating AI thoughtfully and maintaining our commitment to empathy and understanding, we can build brands and relationships that last beyond infinity.
