How to get people to join your mailing list

Healthcare mailing lists are collections of patient information (at least a name and email address) that allow health-related organizations to:

• Reach their target audience
• Share health information
• Promote their services
• Encourage patient engagement

A contact list can expand and foster connections with existing and potential patients. When it comes to healthcare marketing, however, standard tactics for adding names aren’t always effective.

See more: HIPAA compliant email marketing: What you need to know

Healthcare email marketing

Healthcare organizations use email marketing to connect to patients and target specific populations. Email marketing is a valuable tool for reaching out and promoting services in the healthcare industry. What can doctor-patient email marketing do for healthcare organizations?

1. Introduce exciting changes/updates
2. Offer treatment discounts
3. Explore research related to conditions or treatment plans
4. Provide step-by-step treatment plans
5. Send appointment reminders
6. Show how to book/cancel an appointment by email
7. Arrange a non-urgent consultation or a prescription renewal
8. Give receipts for visits, treatments, and prescriptions
9. Include test results, reports, charts, and data for diagnoses

Central to applying HIPAA regulations to healthcare email marketing is patient consent and authorization. What this means is that patients must explicitly agree to receive marketing communications. Moreover, patients must be able to opt out of receiving emails at any time.

A happy patient is a better-engaged patient who has a better chance to receive comprehensive patient care. In fact, patient care improves when patients play larger roles within their health programs. Even for something as small as being included on a contact list.

Healthcare email contact lists

Healthcare marketing contact lists contain information about patients who have chosen to receive communications from healthcare providers. The most important part of a health contact list is that it is voluntary. Accurate contact lists allow precise targeting, ensuring that patients receive information relevant to their needs.

Indeed, contact lists can include more than just a name and email address to accurately market health-related products. With a well-made health contact list, organizations have a high chance of conversions and clickthroughs.

Ensuring that contact lists are accurate helps organizations avoid unintentional messaging to patients who have not opted in. Purchased lists raise concerns about sending unsolicited emails and inadvertently releasing protected health information (PHI). What follows are five organic ways that healthcare organizations can get people to join their mailing lists.

Related: Understanding opt-in and HIPAA compliant email marketing

Include new patients’ email addresses

Get new patients’ email addresses early in their journey by asking for consent when they first fill out their paperwork. Catching patients during their first appointment is an easy and smart way for organizations to collect information. One important note: ensure that patients understand that they can opt-out at any time.

Offer free consultation with sign-up

Offer a free consultation when a patient or prospective patient signs up to receive emails. This allows patients to see an organization’s services and gives providers the ability to expand their base. Moreover, it lets patients be in charge of contacting health organizations rather than the other way around.

Host medical webinars

Host a medical webinar that becomes accessible to those who sign up to be a part of a contact list. Webinars attract new patients and strengthen the relationship with the existing ones. They also provide information about an organization’s services and excite patients about what other information they might receive in emails.

Use a form or similar on a website or blog

On a blog or a website, create integrated forms, popups, and/or custom landing pages that include callouts to sign up to receive email. In fact, include multiple callouts on one or several web pages. Most notably with forms, make sure that they are visible and easily accessible. For a seamless sign-up process, require minimal information at first, such as a name and email address. Other information can be voluntary or come later.

Use an online booking system

A final organic way to acquire email addresses is to reach people with an online appointment booking system. A simple check box at the bottom is a simple and efficient way for patients to give consent.

Bottom line: keep your contact list up to date and safe

Healthcare organizations should build and maintain contact lists properly to comply with healthcare regulations and to ensure patient privacy. For example, email list hygiene aims at improving the health and performance of an email marketing list. A clean list reduces bounce rates, improves open and clickthrough rates, and maintains a good sender reputation.

It also keeps PHI safe and secure. To ensure HIPAA compliant email, organizations need to follow the regulations laid out by the HIPAA Act. The idea is to minimize the risk of PHI breaches and reduce the chance of sending sensitive information to incorrect or unauthorized individuals.

First, organizations need to use an email service provider who will sign a business associate agreement (BAA). Second, they need to ensure the chosen platform offers encryption, secure storage, access controls, and data backup. Finally, the platform should provide tools to manage consent.

The best part of a HIPAA compliant contact list is that the provider owns the list and those on it choose to be there. The bigger (and more engaged) a healthcare organization is with its patients the quicker it can grow. This means there is an engaged audience waiting to listen and interact.

FAQs

What is HIPAA and why is compliance required for email marketing in the healthcare industry?

HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a U.S. law established to protect sensitive PHI. Compliance is necessary in email marketing to ensure that patient information is safeguarded from unauthorized access and breaches, thereby maintaining trust and avoiding severe legal penalties.

Is it permissible for healthcare organizations to use email for marketing purposes under HIPAA?

Yes, healthcare organizations can use email for marketing, but they must ensure that all emails comply with HIPAA regulations. This involves protecting PHI through encryption, obtaining patient consent, and ensuring that email service providers sign a BAA.

How can healthcare organizations legally obtain patient consent for email marketing?

Patient consent can be obtained through clear opt-in forms that explain the purpose of email communications, how their information will be used, and assurances that their data will be protected according to HIPAA standards.

Why is it important to clean an email list regularly?

Regularly cleaning the email list improves deliverability and engagement rates by ensuring communications only go to interested and active recipients.