The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the world completely, and everything we do has changed to keep people’s health and wellness up while society pushes forward. That said, with the whirl of fear and uncertainty that has come with this upheaval, many people are starting to become wary of continuing with important health visits they would have otherwise gone to as usual. Whether it’s getting that much-needed root canal or getting checked up for a persistent ache in their stomach, patients are feeling too wary of stepping foot in a clinical setting. This fear keeps them from maintaining other sections of their health, though, so that poses its own issues.
How can we keep clinics running and people getting the check-ups they need? Here are a few things to consider.
Create reassuring messaging.
A lot of people could do well with just reminders and content that give them some peace of mind and make them feel better about continuing with their regular check-ups. The important thing is to make use of media channels properly so that they have a trustworthy resource to rely on when considering safe options. Since clinics are clean and follow social distancing protocol anyway, the importance lies in communicating and reaching those who may be reliant on what they read online right now.
Digital marketing for dentists has seen an uptick, mainly because people have become wary of going somewhere they’d have to go mask-free eventually. That is where the right content strategy can pierce through waves of fake news and fear-mongering to ensure that everyone still takes care of themselves carefully.
Continue putting out information and updates.
In an age of constant information and shorter attention spans, you need to provide consistent updates on the state of healthcare, your specific clinic, and significant updates on the pandemic in line with what you do. One of the biggest sources of fear is uncertainty and the unknown, so simply putting out correct and efficient informative pieces and posts can help your audience to feel more at ease in continuing to rely on your services. It is more important than ever to show trustworthiness and timeliness to a public that is seeing all-time high levels of stress in history. Social unrest and the pandemic flood their resources and consume their minds, so it’s essential to serve as a stalwart reminder for other aspects in their life and well-being that are just as important.
Make sure physicians are easy to reach.
Yes, frontliners are arguably the busiest group right now. That said, people still look at medical professionals to shed light on health concerns and the like. For that purpose, the best thing is to ensure that patients are not kept in the dark. That can help regulars feel like they are still connected and prospective visitors to develop more comfort. Keep social media pages active and have assistants on standby to keep patients connected when they feel the most vulnerable. If they know that there are still practitioners who can see to their non-COVID concerns with the same credence, they’ll be more likely to reach out.
These are just some ways to maintain a working relationship with patients during this pandemic. Still, it should ease some concern and wariness enough to give you time to encourage them to keep up their health beyond the coronavirus.
