Healthcare Keeps Growing – Your Business Should Too

Healthcare is the Top Industry to Use Promotional Products

Getting your name out in healthcare is Code Blue.

Healthcare is the top ranked industry for using promotional products for the second year in a row. For 2021, the most recent year measured, it was at nearly 10% of all industry sales. More astoundingly, it showed an annual increase of 16%, after already increasing 4% the previous year

A quick look at numbers of the U.S. medical industry shows why reaching the healthcare segment is so critical.

• Physicians – 1 Million-plus licensed in the U.S., a growth of 20% in the past 10 years
• Overall Healthcare Occupations – 13% growth through 2031, about twice the average for all occupations
• Hospitals – 6,000-plus in the U.S.
• Physician office visits – more than 860 million annually

You could be a physician or medical service provider increasing brand awareness while letting your community know you are now an in-network provider. Maybe you are a hospital trying to recruit new doctors or nurses, looking to educate on your organization while showing you care. Or your clinic management team might want to give appreciation for your hard-working medical staff, a group where 9 of 10 practitioners report experiencing stress. Whatever your message, promotional products leave a healthy image and long-lasting impression.

8 of 10 consumers have a positive reaction to receiving a promotional product, even from a company they have never heard of. For most consumers, a quality promotional product conveys a quality reputation for the company. Three-quarters of consumers say they will switch brands to a company they have never done business with before if they get the right promotional item.

That means your healthcare-related promotional product has significant power to influence the opinion of your potential customer.

You might think that a logoed pill reminder bottle or imprinted magnet with emergency numbers is just a “nice-to-have.” But industry experts say these are important tools for helping people know how, where, and when to use medical products and services. “The most important factor among the benefits of advertising in health services is the power of individuals to make decisions about their health,” says author Aykut Ekiyor. He identifies the goal as interacting directly with individual customers or customer communities, to make relationships more permanent.

Consumers agree. 86% say that promotional products are a good way to learn about new businesses in the area. A quality promotional item wins out over other forms of advertising, besting fliers and letters 85% of the time, preferred to sponsored posts in social media by 82%, and strongly ahead of a telemarketing call by 92% of respondents.

Your organization can use custom imprinted items to help commemorate a special time in someone’s life. What new mother wouldn’t love a stuffed animal wearing a t-shirt with your hospital’s logo, and an imprinted zippered tote filled with new-baby necessities. Make it a messenger bag, so the new dad will look stylish carrying baby gear. Parents could also remember their trip to urgent care, and desire to not return soon, with a cold pack for smaller emergencies at home.

Maybe it is a promotion to join your organization’s fitness club. Join AND come regularly for 3 months to get a yoga mat and tote. If you have a physical therapy group as part of your practice, include a set of logoed work out bands so patients have no excuse to avoid their exercises.

Let’s not forget about the dentist’s office. The profession of dentist has the same growth rate as the overall occupational outlook, but the profession of hygienist is growing at 1.5x that. If you run a dental office, you are going to need to compete to hire and keep quality dental hygienists. Woo them at recruitment with a combination of business – a quality journal, and personal – a self-care gift set. Make part of their new employee welcome kit a set of custom embroidered fleece, color coordinated with the rest of the office staff so they instantly feel like they fit in.

How about patients? Most only see a dentist twice a year, and often dread the visits. Have winter-month clients look forward to walking in the door with a bowl of lip balms waiting at the front reception. Make it an all-season promotion with a sunscreen / lip balm combo pack. Patients have come to expect a fresh toothbrush and toothpaste sample when they walk out the door. Help keep brushing handy and sanitary with a wall-mount antibacterial toothbrush protector.

Send kids (and adults) on their way with a “No Cavity Club” sticker. At an orthodontist’s office, a slightly higher value gift might be in order for good tooth health. Your teen-age clients will love a new pair of ear buds, imprinted with your logo so all their friends know where to get the best braces in town.

Add an appointment card and a pen so patients can write the date on their calendar at home. Put it all in an eco-friendly plastic bag to let patients know you care about them and the environment.

The key to promoting your healthcare organization is knowing your target audience. From the Greatest Generation all the way through Gen Z, promotional products are the top ranked way to prompt consumer action. Wearable items, like jackets and t-shirts , will generate the most impressions during the product lifetime. Less expensive items like water bottles , tote bags , and the ever-popular pen are consistently in the Top 10 of products consumers are looking for. Let the experts at MARCO Promos help you find the right product to fit your budget and your audience. Contact your Account Executive today.

Sources:

2021 U.S. Distributors’ Promotional Products Sales, ASI
2020 U.S. Distributors’ Promotional Products Sales, ASI
FSMB Census of Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2020
Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Fast Facts on U.S. Hospitals, 2022, American Hospital Association
Ambulatory Care Use and Physicians Office Visits, CDC
A Prescription For Promotional Products, Audrey Sellers, November 1, 2022
PPAI 2019 Consumer Study Report, PPAI
Marketing Communications and Promotion in Health Services, Aykut Ekiyor, March 20, 2020
PPAI 2021 Consumer Study Report, PPAI
Top 10 ESP Searches: Events Drive Product Shifts in Q4, ASI