When a patient is considering private oncology treatment, they don’t make a single decision on the spot. They go through a series of stages from the initial diagnosis and research all the way through to evaluation of options and making contact with a specific centre. This private oncology patient journey requires different information at each stage because there are different emotional states and marketing challenges throughout the process.
The four stages of the private oncology patient journey
There are four key stages to the cancer patient decision process. The first stage is the diagnosis and shock, which is when a patient has received a cancer diagnosis and is processing what it means. At this stage, they’ll probably search for information about the cancer type they have, the treatment options and what to expect. This means that it’s a discovery stage because they’re not yet looking for private centres to choose from. They just want to learn more about their diagnosis, so you need to provide them with trustworthy information.
The second stage is when patients start to look at their options, searching for their treatment pathways, asking NHS consultants about their options and considering if they want to go private. For this stage, you need to provide clear, specific and factual communication about your offerings. As for stage three, this is where the patient will make their decision, so you need to focus on encouraging them to choose you and having easy contact options to reach you. Stage four is after their consultation and the communication that follows to keep in touch with patients and encourage them to continue their treatment with you.
Stage one is about information, not persuasion
The first stage is one of the most important oncology patient acquisition funnel stages to be present in with your marketing. However, the focus of your marketing for this stage needs to be on information rather than persuading patients to choose your centre for their treatment. This stage is when the diagnosis and shock occur, so you need to be there for patients with useful information and forget about converting them to private care at this stage. You should create a content library of condition-specific information, treatment option explanations that are in simple language and answers to the questions that newly diagnosed patients have. Doing this builds your centre’s reputation and puts you as a trusted source while creating early brand awareness.
Your content at this stage should use SEO for condition-specific terms and treatment explanation searches, as these are what patients are searching for at this point in the process. They’re not looking at typical commercial terms like “private oncology centre near me” because it doesn’t help them at this stage. They’re not looking to make the decision of whether to go private; they just want information about their diagnosis. If your centre gives patients the most useful information at the scariest moment of their journey, they’ll more than likely remember you when they start looking for treatment providers.
Stage two focuses on the evaluation stage and what patients need
Stage two of the private cancer clinic enquiry process is the evaluation stage, where patients have specific questions that need to be answered. These include questions like “Can this centre treat my specific cancer type?”, “Which consultant would I see?”, “How quickly can I be seen?”, “What does the treatment involve?”, “How much will it cost?” and “Is the centre accessible to me?”
Your website needs to clearly answer these questions in a useful way to show patients that you’re there for them and are an option for their treatment. While answering these questions, you should include named consultant profiles, specific treatment descriptions, a realistic access timeline and transparent pricing or PMI acceptance information. Including these and answering the questions can convert a lot more evaluating patients into enquiries than just general credibility statements.
Patients evaluating private oncology options have already made the emotional decision to explore. What they need at this stage is specific, factual information that reduces uncertainty. The centre that provides it most clearly usually gets the call.
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