What’s the role of promotional products in healthcare
| May, 31 , 22Promotional products play a huge role in any marketing strategy, including healthcare. Both large and small organizations can benefit by creating custom products with their logos; it provides a means for targetting your audience better. Often the goal is to increase brand awareness and highlight the advantages of being loyal to a specific organization. However, marketing in healthcare is not considered ethical, so it becomes a dilemma. But, promotional products are different because they are not direct marketing; they provide value to the user’s life. It helps motivate people and employees with positive messages about the organization.
So, if you are contemplating using promotional products, the blog will provide you with all the facts and information. Before establishing your next marketing campaign, let’s look at how promotional products will make up your marketing efforts. Let’s start with answering:
What is a promotional product?
Any product helpful for promoting brand awareness is a promotional product. The products carry the logo, name, tagline, and contact information of the organization distributing the items. It can be custom t-shirts, hoodies, socks, caps, mugs, or other products. People view them as an extension of the company distributing the items; you need to consider them before creating the products.
How do promotional products differ from advertising?
For the uninitiated, promotional products and advertisements may seem similar, but they differ significantly. Advertising is pretty expensive than promotional products and helps generate long-term effect or service awareness. E.g., ads in print and digital media like social media platforms, direct mail, newspapers, magazines, etc. Compared to advertisements, promotional products are helpful to prompt a fast response. However, it will be fair to point out that promotional products have long-term effects also. According to market research, over 750,000 products will be used as promotional products in 2022. The plethora of products you can use for marketing is endless; however, for the best results, you need to create products providing value to people’s lives and are durable so receivers can interact for many months with the products. It is a continuous process, and a one-time distribution is insufficient to generate awareness.
Reasons to use promotional products:
There are various benefits of adding promotional items to your marketing; let’s highlight some of the important ones:
- Promotional products are kept for a long time and used often; it provides repeat brand exposure.
- Custom logo items like direct mail are physical forms of advertising, allowing organizations to interact with receivers, making a stronger connection.
- Who doesn’t like freebies? People love organizations giving them free valuable products.
- You can use it to target prospects and reward loyal customers and employees.
- 74% of organizations accept that promotional products have contributed to their success.
- They help broaden your reach; since 55% of people keep promotional products for more than a year, you will get many repeat exposure.
How does it apply to healthcare?
Like every other business, healthcare systems and hospitals are looking for effective ways to improve patient experience, grow their relationships and strengthen their brand name. Healthcare promotional products can be pretty helpful in achieving these goals.
You can use the products in employee recognition ceremonies, job fairs, events, and fundraisers to promote your organization’s name and positively impact your patients.
We can break down the underlying applications of promotional products in healthcare into five categories:
- Patient experience: is the sum of all interactions created by an organization’s culture, and it influences patient perceptions across the care continuum. You can impact patient experience with various promotional products to enhance patient interaction. It will undoubtedly resonate with people and give a lasting positive impression of your name. Consider these to promote a positive user experience: amenity kits, info, welcome kit, patient belonging custom tote bag, etc.
- Brand management: It is more than apparel and employee uniforms. Promotional products can help engage staff and patients; they can identify the concerned person for faster and more effective help while differentiating your brand from the competition. E.g., people can quickly identify the nurse or relevant staff and contact them.
- Nutrition and wellness: Finding fun and effective ways to promote nutrition and wellness is vital for healthcare organizations. You want your patients to remain healthy and happy after leaving the hospital stay or appointment. You can achieve it with gifts helping them manage overall wellness and reminding them that your brand is more personal.
- Nurse and physician recruitment: To provide good healthcare, you require a team of doctors, nurses, and other staff. One of the most effective ways to recruit and retain talented people is to gift them promotional products for their hard work and dedication.
- Community fundraisers: Hospitals and the healthcare system needs a constant flow of money to make people aware of various issues. E.g., raising money for diseases like breast cancer or opening a new wing in the hospital. Branding is vital for fundraisers because it prompts emotional connection and brand recall. They can use promotional products to achieve their goals.
Most organizations have to work hard and put in countless hours to devise the perfect marketing plans. According to market research, promotional products are beneficial, and healthcare is among the top ten industries that use them. Patients are most receptive to these products, and 58% of them keep a product from one to four years; imagine the kind of brand exposure you can get.
Some healthcare products you can create:
- Custom socks: Doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff have to work hard for long hours, and their feet take a toll. Custom compression socks effectively help cope with the long working hours by providing optimal compression for blood flow, moisture-wicking, breathability, etc. With your organization’s logo, you will positively connect with your staff. Patients with extended bed-ridden hospital stay also need compression socks to maintain proper blood flow in their feet. You can create hospital logo custom socks to provide comfort during a difficult time; you can also gift these socks to patients discharged from the hospital as goodwill.
- Custom patches: You can make hospital uniforms more professional and insightful using custom embroidered patches. People can see the staff name and their designation to quickly recognize and reach the concerned person. You can also give personalized patches with a meaningful message to people visiting or leaving after treatment.
- Custom plush toys: Hospital visits can be challenging, especially for children. It is difficult to comfort ailing children; custom plush toys can be a fantastic item for them. With some branding, you can reach out to their parents because if a child is happy, they will like your brand.
- Custom tote bags: People visiting hospitals need to carry their stuff; custom tote bags are perfect for everyone, including nurses and staff, for easy accessibility to do their job effectively and efficiently. Every bag will be a reflection of your commitment to helping patients. You will build lasting relationships with people with your logo.
- Custom face masks: Masks and hospitals go hand-in-hand, protecting people and staff from contamination. It can be a powerful and unique branding tool also.
- Custom drinkware: Hospital staff and patients need beverages like water, coffee, tea, etc., to be healthy and working at their optimal capacity. Custom drinkware with your organization’s logos is fantastic for accomplishing these. Patients can take it home when discharged, and it will provide you comprehensive coverage.
- Custom keychains: Hospital staff have to carry a lot of keys, and custom keychains are perfect for branding and organizing the keys.
- Custom lanyards: These are an excellent way to present your photo ID and credentials or authorize access to various departments faster.
Conclusion:
Promotional products for healthcare will help you reach more people and build goodwill, and it will positively impact your brand image and recognition. Your healthcare organization will grow because of strategic promotional product plans, but you need high-quality products from a reliable manufacturer. EverLighten has over eighteen years of experience manufacturing promotional products for hospitals and healthcare.
Best pricing: They are a factory for producing custom products and not intermediaries, ensuring customers always get the best prices.
Quality in every product: They use top-quality materials and the latest processes to produce products.
Real people, outstanding service: EverLighten loves helping; they offer various options.
Designs to impress: Your product design will look as you imagined with help from in-house designers.
No minimum order requirement: You can order any number of products you need; they accept every order without a minimum limit.
Worldwide shipping: They deliver worldwide, and customers can track their orders online with an order tracking tool.
For information and design, visit https://everlighten.com/ to design your custom products today.
FAQs:
What defines a promotional product in healthcare?
A promotional product in healthcare refers to any item carrying the logo, name, tagline, or contact details of a healthcare organization. These items, such as custom apparel, accessories, or useful items, serve as an extension of the organization, enhancing brand visibility.
How do promotional products differ from traditional advertising in healthcare?
Unlike traditional advertising methods that involve significant costs for long-term service awareness, promotional products offer a cost-effective means for prompt responses. They provide tangible, physical forms of advertising, fostering a direct connection with recipients and ensuring long-term brand exposure.
What are the reasons for using promotional products in healthcare marketing?
Promotional products offer several advantages, including prolonged brand exposure, physical interaction with recipients, the appeal of free valuable items, targeted marketing to prospects, and a proven track record of contributing to organizational success.
How do promotional products apply specifically to healthcare organizations?
Healthcare promotional products play a crucial role in improving patient experiences, building brand loyalty, and strengthening relationships. From enhancing patient interactions with thoughtful gifts to promoting wellness and recruiting healthcare professionals, these products serve diverse purposes within the healthcare industry.
What are some healthcare-specific promotional products that organizations can create?
Healthcare organizations can design custom products like compression socks for staff, embroidered patches for professional identification, plush toys for pediatric patients, tote bags for convenient carrying, face masks for protection, and drinkware for staff and patient hydration. These items contribute to positive patient experiences and effective branding.