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Strategies and Best Practices for Healthcare Email Marketing

Emily Santos
Emily Santos
Jun 21, 2024
Strategies and Best Practices for Healthcare Email Marketing
Strategies and Best Practices for Healthcare Email Marketing

In healthcare, your relationship with your patient is paramount. From notifying them of their next appointment to educating them on the importance of a yearly check-up, your relationship is a vulnerable and sensitive exchange. With patient interaction limited, email marketing emerges as a strategy for fostering client relationships beyond their appointment.

With a higher-than-average open rate of 41.23% and an average click-through rate of 3.0%, it’s clear that patients appreciate email communications care about what their providers have to share. However, healthcare providers struggle to balance personalized, engaging communication and adhering to industry regulations. In this guide, we’ll explore the strategies and best practices healthcare professionals to help you tackle this balance with ease.

Unique considerations for healthcare email marketing

While the benefits of email marketing in healthcare are expansive, there are unique considerations the industry faces due to the nature of their work. As you develop your email marketing program, keep the following in mind:

HIPAA compliance & other legal regulations

Aligning with legal requirements is a critical aspect of healthcare email marketing that shouldn’t be overlooked. Healthcare businesses are legally bound by a range of laws, regulations, and guidelines to ensure patient privacy, data security, and ethical marketing practices. 

HIPAA:

Any emails containing protected health information should be encrypted, secure, and only shown to authorized personnel. Avoid including medical history, treatment, or any personal identifiers in any of your email marketing material.

Additionally, use a HIPAA-compliant email service provider so any unauthorized users can’t access your patients’ email addresses. Also, your email vendor must sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA).

GDPR:

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires businesses to obtain explicit consent before sending any marketing emails. To ensure adherence, your sign-up form should include the option to opt-out of email communications and all emails should always contain the option to “unsubscribe.”

CAN-SPAM:

This Act requires that all marketing emails include accurate sender information, clear subject lines, opt-out mechanisms, and that all email senders comply with unsubscribe requests. 

Before starting your email marketing program, ensure all team members understand legal compliance, data security protocols, and best practices for email marketing to mitigate risks and ensure adherence to regulations.

Increased importance of accessible email design 

In healthcare email marketing, another crucial consideration is ensuring that emails are accessible to all recipients, including those with disabilities and visual impairments. Accessible emails help ensure everyone can effectively engage with the content and understand the information. Some elements to consider include: 

Color contrast and readability:

Proper color contrast helps ensure that individuals with color blindness or with low vision can differentiate text from background colors. To further help ensure readability, choose easy-to-read fonts and avoid small font sizes. 

Structured layouts and navigation

Organize email content with a clear and structured layout that includes headings, subheadings, and bulleted lists.

Accessible links and buttons: 

Ensure that hyperlinks and buttons are accessible and easy to use for individuals using assistive technologies or keyboard navigation. Use descriptive language that indicates the destination or action associated with the link. 

Mobile responsiveness: 

Many users access emails on mobile devices, so test emails across various devices and platforms to ensure consistent accessibility and readability.

Screen reader compatibility 

Optimize your email designs for screen reader compatibility by using clear and descriptive alt text for images, headers, and links. 

Healthcare email marketing strategies

Once you've implemented processes to ensure that all email communications are in compliance with legal regulations and accessibility guideline, it's time to get creative! 

1. Build welcome sequences to introduce new patients to your practice

Your email marketing is an excellent way to welcome new patients. For anyone new to the practice, set up a pre-designed welcome series introducing them to your staff, services, patient portal, and more.

2. Foster trust through education 

Trust is fundamental in healthcare. Patients look for providers not only for treatment but also for guidance. Email marketing can be used to educate people on preventive measures and wellness strategies. These resources should be accurate, evidence-based, and easily digestible for patience, helping build credibility and trust in your expertise. 

3. Propel your business forward 

Email marketing can be used to attract new patients and retain existing ones. For new patients, offer promotions and deals on elective services. For existing customers, remind them of your available services and offer a complimentary consultation. 

On the other hand, you can use email marketing to encourage existing patients to leave reviews and testimonials or request feedback on their experience, which can help improve your client experience. 

4. HIPAA-compliant personalization

Although personalization can feel limiting in healthcare due to regulations, segmentation is one way to personalize your emails. Prior to signing up to your email list, you can ask for patience to choose the kind of material they would like to receive from you. By organizing your email list based on interests, you can send relevant content that aligns with their needs while assuring compliance and consent. 

5. Humanize your brand  

Conversations in healthcare, even virtual ones, benefit from a human and empathetic touch. Using a conversational, human tone in your emails can help nurture the provider-client relationship beyond face-to-face interactions. Humanizing your brand can help create meaningful connections and encourage open communication, which are elements crucial for patient satisfaction. 

Start designing your healthcare emails with Beefree

Beefree offers a range of professionally designed templates that are not only visually appealing but also optimized for accessibility. Our catalog of 1,700+ email templates adhere to accessibility standards by incorporating clear alt text for images, readable fonts, high color contrast, and structured layouts. By using Beefree email templates, healthcare providers can streamline the creation of accessible emails, ensuring that their messages reach and resonate with all recipients.

Start designing for free! 

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Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

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What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns.

Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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