By Maha Makled, Greybeard Healthcare marketing expert
May 2026
How many interactions does it take for a patient to choose a healthcare provider?
It has not been a single interaction for some time. Patients evaluate providers through multiple touchpoints, from online search and reviews to referrals and social content. In fact, 77% of patients use search engines before booking an appointment and over 90% of patients read online reviews before choosing a healthcare provider [1].
Congratulations. You convinced the patient to choose you.
Now the real work begins.
In healthcare, growth depends not only on attracting patients, but on building trust, delivering consistent experiences, and sustaining engagement across the patient journey.
These ongoing shifts are redefining healthcare marketing across four key areas:
- Omnichannel patient journey
Patients do not experience healthcare in silos, and increasingly expect providers to reflect this reality. The patient journey now spans multiple digital and physical touchpoints, from initial search through to post-treatment follow-up.
However, in many organizations, these interactions remain fragmented, resulting in inconsistent experiences and reduced engagement. Recent research suggests a typical patient undergoing a routine inpatient procedure experiences 12 separate touchpoints during their admission [2].
Leading providers are responding by developing integrated, end-to-end care journeys that connect:
- Digital entry points (websites, mobile applications, social platforms)
- Telemedicine and virtual care
- Call centers and in-person visits
- Clinical and operational systems that support continuity of care
Digital platforms now play a central role in consolidating appointments, records, communications, and results into a unified experience. However, digital convenience must be matched by operational delivery. Any gap between expectation and execution can quickly erode trust.
At the same time, access must remain flexible, allowing patients to engage through digital platforms, AI-enabled chat interfaces, or traditional channels based on preference and comfort.
The goal is not just channel presence, but seamless transition, enabling patients to move between touchpoints without friction or repetition. Disjointed care pathways and poorly coordinated referrals can cause patient frustration, while unmanaged online reviews can further shape patient perception and trust.
What this means:
Growth in healthcare is no longer driven by isolated campaigns, but by the ability to design and manage connected patient experiences. Organizations that eliminate fragmentation and prioritize continuity are better positioned to improve access, strengthen trust, and sustain engagement.
- Personalized preventive care
Healthcare organizations are moving away from broad-based messaging toward data-driven, personalized communication. The increasing use of CRM systems, behavioral data, and AI-powered predictive analytics enables audience segmentation based on patient history, behavior, and risk profiles, allowing for more targeted outreach.
Personalized reminders, preventive health prompts, and educational content can significantly influence patient behavior. Timely and empathetic communication can often be enough to encourage preventive action, whether that is booking a screening, following up on a condition, or adopting healthier behaviors. Patient expectations are now formed by their experiences of personalization in other sectors, leading 80% to “want or expect” guidance in messages to be personalized (with 36% of hospitals referencing “lack of personalization” as a major communications challenge) [3].
As healthcare systems increasingly emphasize population health, the focus is shifting toward proactive and continuous engagement, not just during episodes of care. Personalized communication is no longer optional; it is a critical driver of engagement, prevention, and better outcomes.
What this means:
Future growth will depend on the ability to anticipate patient needs and engage proactively. Organizations that leverage data to deliver timely, relevant, and personalized communication will be better positioned to drive preventive care uptake, strengthen patient relationships, and improve long-term health outcomes.
- Content-led engagement
Patients today are more informed than ever, with access to AI tools shaping how they research symptoms, treatments, and providers. A patient waiting five minutes to see a 50-year-old cardiologist will have access, via their cellphone, to a greater volume of cardiology knowledge than the consultant will have read during their entire period at medical school. As a result, healthcare organizations are increasingly stepping into the role of educators, meeting patients earlier in their journey with clear, credible, and accessible information.
This shift is being driven by content across formats, with video emerging as a primary engagement medium [4]:
- Educational articles, webinars and podcasts
- Short-form video content explaining conditions and procedures
- Physician-led content, including introductions and practical health guidance
- Myth-busting and misinformation correction using simplified language
There is also a clear transition away from fear-based or overly clinical messaging toward symptom-led, awareness-driven communication that is easy to understand and act on.
Trust is no longer built through institutional branding alone. Patients increasingly connect with physicians as individuals. As a result, showcasing clinical expertise through accessible video content helps humanize expertise and build credibility at scale. This requires equipping physicians with the right guidance and training to communicate effectively on social platforms using formats audiences already engage with.
As trust in individual physicians grows, so does patient loyalty and advocacy. Patients are more likely to recommend providers they trust and continue their care with them, making referrals one of the most credible and influential drivers of growth.
What this means:
Competitive advantage is increasingly driven by the ability to educate, not just communicate. Organizations that invest in structured, video-first, physician-led education will be better positioned to build trust, influence decisions, and engage patients earlier in their journey.
- Execution discipline
Healthcare marketing is shifting from campaign-driven activity to continuous, system-led engagement. In an environment where patient decisions are rarely immediate, consistency across touchpoints plays a critical role in influencing choice over time.
Rather than relying on isolated initiatives, leading organizations are investing in integrated engagement systems that combine CRM, marketing automation, and journey-based communication to maintain relevance throughout the patient lifecycle. Worldwide, spend by healthcare providers on patient engagement technologies is forecast to grow at 21.3% per annum between 2026 and 2034, reaching almost $200 bn [5].
This approach requires more than message frequency. It requires clear governance, defined processes, and alignment across marketing, digital, clinical, and operational teams. Without this internal discipline, execution becomes inconsistent, personalization breaks down, and opportunities to engage patients at the right moment are missed.
What this means:
Sustained growth in healthcare depends on building repeatable, scalable engagement systems. Organizations that embed discipline, accountability, and cross-functional alignment into their operating model are better positioned to remain top-of-mind when patients are ready to act.
Looking ahead
As AI reshapes discovery and patient expectations continue to rise, competitive advantage will be defined by the ability to deliver connected, personalized, and trust-driven experiences at scale.
Across each of these developments runs a common thread: digital capability is no longer a specialist function within healthcare marketing. It is becoming a core organizational competency that must be embedded across teams, workflows, and patient experiences.
In this environment, organizations must continuously evaluate how emerging technologies enhance engagement, while using patient feedback to refine and improve the experience.
Those that treat marketing as a strategic capability – integrated across clinical, digital, and operational functions – will be best positioned to lead in an increasingly patient-centric healthcare landscape.
Notes
- Maniar, How Patients Choose a Healthcare Provider in 2025 – Behavior, Data & What You Can Learn, July 2025 (https://www.zealousweb.com/blog/how-patients-choose-healthcare-provider-2025/)
- Michael Arias et al, ‘Mapping the Patient’s Journey in Healthcare through Process Mining’, National Library of Medicine, Sept 2020 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7557979/)
- Sinch, ‘The state of healthcare communications: Diagnosing the future of patient connection’, Sept 2025 (https://sinch.com/blog/healthcare-communication-takeaways/)
- New Study by Teads and MMA Reveals Video as the Most Essential Marketing Tactic, Sept 2025 (https://mmaglobal.com/news/new-study-teads-and-mma-reveals-video-most-essential-marketing-tactic)
- Fortune Business Insights, Patient Engagement Technology Market Size, Share, and Industry Analysis, April 2026 (https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/patient-engagement-technology-market-111690,)
This piece captures exactly where healthcare marketing is heading: away from one-off campaigns and towards connected, trust-based patient relationships.
What stands out for me is how clearly it links strategy to execution. It’s not just “be omnichannel” or “use AI” – it’s about stitching together digital, clinical, and operational touchpoints so patients don’t feel the fragmentation we see inside organizations. The emphasis on physician-led, video-first content is also spot on; patients increasingly trust people before they trust institutions.
For providers in our region, the real opportunity is to treat marketing as a strategic capability, not a support function – building the CRM, data, and governance foundations that make personalization and journey-based engagement actually work in practice.