Email marketing creates a direct and efficient communication channel between healthcare providers and patients, improving the management of care, especially for chronic diseases. A study focusing on gastroenterology patients showed that email correspondence between physicians and patients improved communication efficiency, allowed for better documentation of patient encounters outside clinical visits, supported patient self-management, and could reduce wait times and unnecessary clinic visits.
The study also notes, “E-mail correspondence between physicians and patients can be a useful tool to improve communication efficiency, provide economic and ecological benefits, improve therapeutic interventions and adherence, and enhance self-management.”
Retargeting tracks user interactions with healthcare services or content and reconnects with those users through targeted ads or emails, reminding or encouraging them to complete desired actions like booking appointments or accessing new services. This is particularly beneficial in the healthcare context, where decisions often involve multiple touchpoints and extended consideration periods.
Integrating retargeting with email marketing can generate holistic campaigns that reinforce messaging across multiple channels. Email retargeting focuses on the institution’s own audience, patients, and leads with prior interactions. These emails can include reminders for upcoming screenings, educational content tailored to the patient’s conditions, or offers of new health programs.
What is retargeting?
Retargeting is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on re-engaging users who have previously interacted with a brand’s website but did not complete a desired action. An excerpt from a chapter in Programmatic Advertising notes, “The structure of a classic retargeting campaign follows the lines of the sales funnel. Thus, retargeting – the addressing of previous visitors outside the actual website– became established some years ago as a fixed component of the online marketing mix.”
It operates through the use of tracking technologies like cookies or pixels to monitor user behavior and personalize ads to those users. In healthcare, it has the potential to address the challenges of patient engagement and conversion but the use of tracking technologies and HIPAA requires careful consideration prior to implementation.
The mechanics of retargeting
The mechanics behind retargeting center on tracking user behavior online, segmenting audiences based on their engagement patterns, and delivering personalized ads or messages to guide these users back through the conversion funnel. Marketing Science Institute Working Paper Series Report 21 ‘Retargeting Using Advertising and Promotions’ provides that its function is, “Many forms of triggering behaviors can be utilized for retargeting, and many variants of retargeting exist in practice.”
This data forms the basis for creating custom audience segments allowing precise targeting of users who have demonstrated interest (but not conversion), ensuring ads or follow-up communications remain relevant and compelling. Retargeting campaigns are then strategically designed with these segmented audiences in mind.
Segment differentiation helps users who added products to a cart but abandoned it receive different ads or emails than those who merely browsed content or informational pages but did not engage more deeply. This behavioral segmentation increases the likelihood of meaningful engagement and conversion because marketing messages are tailored to users’ intent level and stage in the purchase or decision process. For example, retargeting promotions offering discounts or incentives have been found more effective in motivating users compared to generic retargeted ads alone.
The importance of choosing the right marketing strategy
Patient populations are diverse with varying levels of health literacy, technological comfort, privacy concerns, and medical needs. A pilot study involving inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients demonstrated that email communication between physicians and patients enhanced the management of care by improving communication efficiency and convenience, reducing unnecessary clinic visits, and lowering patient anxiety regarding their condition.
In this study, 90% of patients preferred a hybrid model combining traditional visits with email exchanges, as it helped them better manage symptoms and appointments while minimizing the burden of travel and time lost from work. Email marketing, when implemented thoughtfully, is not merely a promotional channel but a necessary component for patient-centered care, allowing providers to sustain meaningful dialogue that impacts health management.
Healthcare organizations must therefore prioritize strategies that respect recipients’ preferences and provide clear, easy opt-out mechanisms. Consent-based email communication builds a productive dialogue, key to maintaining trust in healthcare where sensitive information is involved.
How retargeting operates in healthcare marketing
At the fundamental level, retargeting in email marketing begins with the identification and segmentation of recipients based on their prior interactions with a healthcare provider’s website, services, or previous emails. A Revue of Management Science ‘May I have your attention, please? An investigation on opening effectiveness in e-mail marketing’ provides a perspective on the value of promotional mail, “Tailoring the promotional messages to particular characteristics of each subscriber tend to increase the perceived relevance of the content and, consequently, the likelihood of consumers opening e-mails.”
The process incorporates data collected via customer relationship management (CRM) systems, website analytics, and previous email responses to understand user behavior and preferences in detail. Segmentation is necessary to increase the relevance and effectiveness of retargeted emails. Emails addressed personally to the recipient using their name or referencing specific past behaviors dramatically increase open and response rates by up to 20% or more. These studies reveal personalization as key to overcoming the noise typical of crowded inboxes and enhancing user attention.
Triggered emails form the operational backbone of retargeting in this context. These are automated, personalized messages sent in direct response to specific user actions or inactions, like abandoning an appointment booking form or neglecting to confirm a prescription refill. Automated messages outperform traditional batch-and-blast emails by effectively addressing relevant user contexts. This targeted immediacy helps healthcare organizations maintain continuous engagement during decision-making moments.
Related: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide
FAQs
What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?
Retargeting focuses on displaying ads to users who have previously interacted with a brand's website but haven't converted. Remarketing targets existing customers via direct communication channels like email.
Which channels can be used for retargeting?
Retargeting can be implemented across various online channels, including display ads on websites, social media platforms, and search engines.
When can retargeting campaigns be used?
Retargeting campaigns can be utilized immediately after a user interacts with a brand's website or app. They are effective for converting visitors who showed interest but did not complete a desired action.
What metrics should healthcare marketers track in retargeted email campaigns?
Key metrics include open rates, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates (appointments booked, prescriptions refilled), bounce rates, and unsubscribe rates. Continuous analysis helps optimize messaging, timing, and audience targeting to improve campaign effectiveness.
What metrics should healthcare marketers track in retargeted email campaigns?
Key metrics include open rates, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates (appointments booked, prescriptions refilled), bounce rates, and unsubscribe rates. Continuous analysis helps optimize messaging, timing, and audience targeting to improve campaign effectiveness.
Kirsten Peremore
