How to Nurture Your Patient Relationships Through Thoughtful & Ethical Email Marketing

Building strong, lasting relationships is so important in health and wellness.

While face-to-face appointments offer opportunities for interaction, email marketing presents a special way to maintain meaningful engagement between sessions.

By sending thoughtful, well-written and ethical emails, you can connect with, motivate, and educate your clients in ways that build loyalty and trust.

So, let's examine how email marketing can support your practice, improve patient connections, and grow your company!

Why Ethical Email Marketing Matters for Health/Medical/Wellness Practices

We love email marketing. It’s one of the best strategies for sustaining patient relationships! Even when they aren't actively using your services, you can remain a constant presence in their lives, offering them support and value.

But when it comes to email marketing for your practice, it's important to follow ethical guidelines and be aware of HIPAA (in the US) or PHIPA (in Canada) compliance, so we're going to cover that below!

*The below regulations are true for both Canadian PHIPA and American HIPAA.

Healthcare organizations and practitioners are required to use a HIPAA-compliant email platform when communicating with clients/patients because the messages often contain electronic protected health information (ePHI). This includes information that is both individually identifiable and relates to someone’s healthcare.

Using email for mass marketing purposes is different than the email platform, CRM, and EMR that your clinic uses for 1:1 communication with your clients, but there are still some rules you need to follow.

When we're talking about mass email marketing, it is possible to send general health and wellness email newsletters to a large group of email subscribers that do not fall under HIPAA's definitions with a regular email service.

The email platform itself (for mass marketing purposes) does not have to be HIPAA compliant so long as your content and communication in the emails do not involve electronic protected health information (ePHI) AND so long as you are not gathering personal information from your subscribers beyond their name and email. 

How this works: your email list subscribers willingly opt-into your email newsletter if they desire to receive your weekly or monthly clinic emails. To join, the only information they provide is a first name and email address.

These could be patients/clients or maybe not. Perhaps someone chose to be part of your email newsletter after seeing your clinic at an event or maybe they heard good things about your clinic from a friend.

At the bottom of the opt-in form (and also at the bottom of all of your email newsletters) you can state something like:

→ "HIPAA PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION WARNING - this form and email list is not intended to gather or share any personal health information but rather educate our subscribers on niched health and wellness advice and clinic updates".

Creating Value-Driven Email Content

People appreciate purposeful communication that provides useful information.

When writing emails, focus on creating content that inspires, informs, or offers answers to typical wellness questions. Your clients/readers should feel informed and supported by every single newsletter you send. 

You can use email marketing to inform patients about your practice updates, introduce new services, and share your expertise on certain topics.

You may write about seasonal subjects like springtime allergy management, offer a nutritious smoothie recipe for immune support, or share a simple mindfulness activity that helps manage stress.

Taking this approach to emails reinforces your expertise and keeps your practice top of mind.

Make sure your writing is clear and easy to read. Usually, all you need is a brief introduction, one or two practical or actionable tips, and a friendly sign-off.

You'll want to avoid jargon and excessively technical language; the purpose is to connect, not to overwhelm. Little touches, such as a cheerful subject line or a signature line wishing them well, can have a big impact on how your emails are received, too.

Establishing a Consistent Schedule

Consistency builds trust. When patients know they can expect regular (value-driven) communication from you, it reinforces your relationship and keeps them engaged.

Consider sending a monthly newsletter at the start or end of the month with a predictable structure.

For example, your newsletter could include a quick personal update, some simple wellness advice, and an upcoming promotion or event. Patients will look forward to your emails when they know they offer something useful.

Consistency is important, but we want to avoid overwhelming patients with too many messages. We need to find a sweet spot here! The ideal amount of time to stay present without being intrusive is usually one to three emails per month.

You could also consider varying the frequency according to the season and sending more emails during certain wellness campaigns or busy seasons, like the holidays.

Set newsletter expectations! And early, if you can.

When patients sign up for your email newsletter, tell them how often they can expect to hear from you. This transparency also helps with trust-building and ensures your communication feels welcome.

Measuring Success and Adapting Your Strategy

Email guarantees that your message reaches your patients' inboxes directly, unlike social media, where algorithms determine visibility (we love this!).

And email marketing results are easily measurable. Key metrics like open rates and click-through rates are pretty easy to track to determine what appeals to your audience and what's working and what's not.

For instance, if you find that your open rates are constantly low, it could be time to rewrite your subject lines.

Are they interesting and engaging? Are they relevant?

Similarly, if your emails have a higher click-through rate, experiment with adding booking buttons and more content, like links to blog posts or other resources. 

Don't forget the power of subscriber feedback. If you're not already receiving feedback, include a brief survey or request responses to encourage recipients to share their thoughts.

You might ask, “What topics would you like to see in our next email?” You can use their answers to inform your content and make sure your emails are relevant to what they actually need from you. 

Remember: email marketing isn’t static, we don't set it and forget it!

Your approach should change as your business does. By remaining adaptable and mindful of your patients' preferences, you can ensure that your emails continue to add value and build relationships.

Getting Started with Thoughtful and Ethical Email Marketing

Thoughtful and ethical email marketing is one of the most effective ways to develop patient relationships and expand your health, medical or wellness business. 

If you’re ready to boost (or start!) your email marketing, we’re here to help. Our team can help you build an email strategy that strengthens your connections with patients and grows your practice.

Shayah Reed

Virtuwell Balance Founder

P.S.  We have a WEEKLY RESOURCE for Clinicians and Practitioners who are seeking genuine yet effective ways to market their business.

If you're ready to transform your marketing approach to align with your values, stay ahead of trends, and join thousands of like-minded practitioners who are learning to market their practice in a way that FEELS GOOD, click here to join us!