Brand values drive healthcare marketing

Healthcare marketing is a dynamic and ever-evolving industry, and understanding the power of brand values is key to connecting with your audience and standing out in the wellness marketplace.

Let’s start with the basics. First of all, brand values aren't just buzzwords! Or at least they shouldn't be. Done well, and they’ll act like the heartbeat of your brand's identity and a crucial element that informs the rest of your healthcare marketing strategy.

So, let's dive into how aligning your brand values with your marketing efforts can be the secret sauce to attracting more clients and thriving in the health and wellness marketing sphere.

Section 1: The essence of brand values

What exactly are brand values, especially in the context of healthcare marketing? Brand values in healthcare marketing can be defined as the core principles and beliefs that guide a healthcare organization's behavior, communication, and business practices.

They usually aren’t where people start when they build their marketing engines, but I’d argue they’re important to the underlying ethos that informs every interaction with clients, the community, and the market at large. Brand values are pivotal because they make a brand relatable, trustworthy, and unique amidst the competitive landscape of the healthcare industry.

Done poorly, these can fall flat. Or worse, they can come across as inauthentic. These trust issues can easily happens when your values are too generic, or if your brand doesn’t actually live up to them. So it’s important to make sure your company’s brand values are well-thought-out rather than just marketing fluff.

Let’s consider the following elements that contribute to good brand values:

Authenticity: Genuine brand values should reflect the true spirit and ethos of the organization. They aren't just for show; they are lived and breathed by everyone in the organization.
Relevance: Effective brand values resonate with the target audience. They address the specific needs, desires, and concerns of the clients and community the healthcare organization serves.
Consistency: Strong brand values are consistently demonstrated across all aspects of the business, from patient care to marketing messages and employee behavior.
Differentiation: Well-defined brand values should set a healthcare organization apart from its competitors, highlighting unique aspects that make it special.
Clarity: Clear and understandable values are more likely to be remembered and embraced by both employees and clients. They should be easily communicable and not overly complex.
Alignment with business goals: Good brand values align closely with the long-term goals and vision of the healthcare organization, guiding its growth and evolution.
Flexibility: While being consistent, good brand values also possess an element of flexibility, allowing the organization to adapt to changing market dynamics while staying true to its core beliefs.

By incorporating these elements, healthcare and wellness organizations can ensure that their brand values go beyond mere words and genuinely embody the essence of their brand.

“Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touch points.”

— Jonah Sachs

Speaking of storytelling, we wrote a blog on that too if you’d like to start here: “A step beyond the best healthcare marketing: storytelling that captivates.”

Section 2: Examining brand values across industries

Having laid the groundwork for what brand values are and why they matter, let's broaden our perspective by exploring some iconic examples from outside the healthcare sector.

In this section, we'll examine how globally recognized brands have utilized their core values to carve out a niche in their respective industries. This will give us a broader understanding of the powerful impact brand values can have on customer relations and marketing success.

Apple

Values: Accessibility, education, environment, inclusion and diversity, privacy, supplier responsibility

Impact on customers: Emphasizes inclusivity and responsibility, resonating with a diverse customer base that values ethical and environmentally conscious practices.

How their values influence their marketing: Apple's marketing emphasizes sleek design and innovative features, appealing to a customer base that values modernity, simplicity and the company’s core values.

Starbucks

Values: Craft, courage, results, belonging, joy.

Impact on customers: Encourages a sense of community and individual expression, appealing to customers who appreciate artisanal quality and joyful experiences.

How their values influence their marketing: Starbucks' marketing campaigns celebrate individuality and community, often highlighting the craft behind their products and the joy they bring, fostering a sense of belonging and courage in their brand narrative.

Patagonia

Values: Quality, integrity, environmentalism, justice and not bound by convention.

Impact on customers: Appeals to consumers who are environmentally conscious and value social justice, highlighting the importance of sustainable practices.

How their values influence their marketing: Patagonia's marketing focuses on environmental activism and sustainability, often featuring unconventional campaigns that prioritize environmental justice and high-quality products.

As you can see from these famous across-industry examples, values matter. Integrating them into your marketing will add credibility to what you write and share. We wrote a blog called, “Mastering brand voice in healthcare marketing,” if you’d like to read a little more on the role of brand voice (once you’ve got your values locked down).

Section 3: Brand values in healthcare and wellness

Cleveland Clinic

Values: Safety & quality, empathy, teamwork, integrity, inclusion, innovation.

Impact on customers: Builds a reputation for trustworthy and empathetic patient care, appealing to those who value safety, quality, and innovative healthcare solutions.

How their values influence their marketing: Marketing focuses on content for SEO and paid search campaigns and educational resources, appealing to those prioritizing advanced, informed healthcare.

Headspace

Values: Put members first, bring a beginner's mind, seek truth, speak truth, embrace ownership

Impact on customers: Promotes a culture of openness and honesty, appealing to users who value mindfulness and personal growth.

How their values influence their marketing: Emphasizes the ease and accessibility of their meditation tools, targeting a wide audience seeking mental health support in everyday life. Doing so in an authentic, humanistic way that feels empowering.

Peloton

Values: Put members first, operate with a bias for action, empower teams of smart creatives, be the best place to work, together we go far.

Impact on customers: Cultivates a community of motivated individuals, resonating with customers who value fitness, innovation, and communal support.

How their values influence their marketing: Focuses on the community aspect and innovative nature of their fitness products, appealing to a health-conscious audience that values community support and modern fitness solutions.

Section 4: Developing your brand values - a framework

Now, bringing our focus back to the health and wellness industry, let's see how these principles are applied in our domain. In this section, we will showcase specific examples of healthcare and wellness companies that have successfully woven their brand values into their business fabric. This will offer us real-world insights into how well-crafted brand values can resonate with consumers and shape effective healthcare marketing strategies.

Define your brand values, a framework:

1. Identify your core beliefs

Reflect on what matters most to your healthcare business. Consider your mission, vision, and the impact you want to make in the healthcare industry.

2. Understand your audience

Analyze your target demographic. What are their needs, preferences, and values? Understanding your audience is crucial in developing brand values that resonate with them.

3. Differentiate from competitors

Look at your competitors and identify what sets you apart. Your brand values should highlight these unique aspects.

4. Integrate with your marketing strategy

Ensure that your brand values are reflected in every aspect of your marketing. This includes messaging, visual elements, and the overall tone of your campaigns.

5. Live your values internally

Brand values should be more than external messaging; they should be embedded in your company culture and practices.

6. Regular evaluation and adaptation

Revisit and evaluate your brand values regularly. As your business grows and the market changes, your brand values might also need to evolve.

Using this framework, healthcare entrepreneurs can develop brand values that are authentic, resonate with their audience, and integrate seamlessly into their overall healthcare marketing strategies. If you’re interested in learning more about overall healthcare marketing and knowing which campaigns are working versus not, feel free to check out our foundational blog on understanding metrics: “Navigating the numbers: essential marketing metrics for wellness businesses.”

Conclusion: embracing brand values in your healthcare marketing journey

In summing up our journey through the landscape of brand values in healthcare marketing, it’s evident that these values are far more than just words.. From global giants like Apple to healthcare leaders like Cleveland Clinic, the impact of genuine and well-implemented brand values is undeniable. They shape customer perception, build trust, and forge lasting relationships.

For healthcare entrepreneurs and wellness practitioners, integrating these values into your marketing strategy is a really good idea. It will help you create a more authentic narrative that will theoretically resonates with your audience because it will reflect the core of your mission. This alignment is key to not just attracting the right clients who you’re most naturally suited to help, but also build a nurturing a brand that is both respected and meaningful.

As you craft and refine your brand values, remember their power. They should be authentic, clear, and reflective of what sets you apart. Let them infuse every aspect of your business, from marketing to customer engagement.

Let your brand be a testament to your values, standing as a beacon of trust and excellence in healthcare.

Aligning brand values with holistic marketing: A guide for healthcare entrepreneurs