How to promote the mobile application of the clinic?

The digitalization of medicine is an important achievement of IT. Through this process, people can get help related to their health online. Nowadays, this opportunity is especially in demand, because, on the one hand, it helps to reduce the workload on doctors, and on the other hand, it reduces queues in the corridors of medical institutions. In this article, we will consider how a custom healthcare software development company can help medical workers and patients to cooperate effectively through the application.

Why a mobile application for a medical clinic is profitable 

A mobile application for a clinic can become a really convenient tool for working with patients. There are several prerequisites for this statement: 

1. It is easy and convenient to analyze the audience of the clinic through this channel: about 80% of users are ready to share their data. 
2. The application for the clinic collects an up-to-date client base without the exhausting processing of paper questionnaires. 
3. It is convenient for the client: he gets the opportunity, depending on the functionality of the application, to independently sign up for a clinic with a doctor, view the history of visits, and contact the administration. Users always have their smartphones at hand, and notification settings are easy to edit. 
4. It is comfortable for business: using the application, the clinic can easily carry out marketing campaigns and track its results. 
5. The clinic application can be promoted in conjunction with other marketing tools – set up advertising on social networks or, conversely, attract subscribers to a group from the application. 
6. Receiving feedback and prompt response to it positively affect the quality of service and, consequently, increase customer loyalty.

What can a mobile application for a clinic do?

Mobile applications can be either applied to the site platform (sometimes HIS), or an independent IT product.

You can synchronize information from the site or HIS, or you can fill out the application manually.

How you do it depends on many factors, including the degree of site automation and HIS.

Even if you are dissatisfied with your HIS or website, this does not prevent you from making a mobile application right now, without waiting for the improvement of the entire system in the clinic.

The standard mobile application contains:

• descriptive part (company page, contacts, cover)
• a catalog of services, goods, or offers (usually the same as the site or a simplified version of the site), as well as a list of doctors, services
• online chat
• the ability to send a request (a question or a request for an entry)
• basket of orders (in the case of a clinic, the basket can be used to select services and request an appointment with doctors for selected services)
• order history (basket history, that is, the history of its entries)
• opportunity to send feedback
• push notifications
• the ability to identify the user (password\login) or not use identification

Extended functionality:

• personal account (test results, etc.);
• payment module (possibility of prepayment for services);
• auto-reminders about entries or recommended entries (when synchronized with MIS).

Use this list when compiling terms of reference for mobile application developers. It is not necessary to use a complex, expensive system and a personal account if the budget of the clinic or your IT system does not allow it. Use the default option, it’s better than nothing.

Remember that a mobile application is your base, a way to communicate with your patients, and an intangible asset. In the digital age, it is almost mandatory to use it.

How to promote the medical mobile application of the clinic

A few recommendations for promoting the mobile application of the clinic. 

1. Use the site. 

Post information in the promotions section. Make sure that the page has the opportunity to share the news on social networks. Fix an advertising banner on the main page of instituitoin’s site.

2. Connect social networks.

Let your subscribers know about the clinic’s mobile app. On Instagram and Facebook, it is worth pinning a post for a while to increase coverage. Display a call to download the clinic app on the cover pages. Put the download link on the call-to-action button on Facebook. Educate clients on how to use your medical mobile application: create an easy-to-understand infographic or a short informational video that highlights the main features and benefits for users. Organize a social media contest. A free consultation with a specialist in your clinic can serve as a gift. Use the possibilities of targeted advertising – its settings allow you to redirect users directly to download a medical mobile application. If your main audience is local, then you should test geotargeting. 

3. Inform current customers about the medical mobile application: launch email and SMS mailings to your customer base. 

To increase the percentage of installations, interest users with a weighty argument: for example, guarantee a gift or other bonus for downloading. Connect the referral program and start word of mouth marketing strategy. For example, give bonus points to both the person who downloaded the medical mobile application from a friend’s link and the person who shared this link. Another option is to earn points for a friend’s first visit to the clinic. 

4. Connect new customers to the mobile loyalty program. 

According to statistics, the application is most often downloaded after the recommendation of employees. Instruct your administrators to educate visitors about the loyalty program. Add an extra incentive: implement a system of bonuses within the company and reward the most successful employees. For those employees who do not show interest in the prize, it is worth setting a minimum plan. Add two items to your job description: When placing an order, ask the customer: “Do you have our mobile app?” and recommend installing it on your phone, talking about its features and benefits. When paying, be sure to offer the client to accrue points for visiting. Use promotional materials: table tents at the reception desk, stickers with a QR code on the doors. Tell people who live nearby about the bonus program: organize a leaflet distribution on the street near the clinic, and distribute materials to mailboxes in your area. 

5. Use partner contacts to promote the medical mobile application. 

Exchange banners, advertising posts, and flyers. To track the effectiveness of each partner, you should assign an individual promo code.

Conclusion

There are many benefits of telehealth, for example, online consultations are conveniently carried out in a mobile application: your doctors can call up patients, monitor their condition, give recommendations, and comment on test results. At the same time, the cost of services will remain the same as in the clinic, and the cancellation of appointments due to the fact that the patient cannot come to the clinic will become less. Inoxoft is a reputable custom healthcare software development company. It can create telemedicine apps for iOS and Android as well as software for medical institutions and devices.