The Internet seems to be tailor-made for healthcare marketers. Contextual relevance and self-selection have been huge drivers, but healthcare marketers also are embracing search engine marketing, sponsorships and targeted e-mail.

E-mail can be a killer app for healthcare marketers, especially HMOs. Capable of delivering a dialogue over time in an efficient and personalized manner, e-mail can help emphasize the "maintenance" aspect of health maintenance organizations.

In mid-2001, Kaiser Permanente, America's largest not-for-profit HMO, realized the need for partners to help them build an e-mail marketing strategy and campaign to improve customer relations through delivering high-quality healthcare information. Working with Internet marketing and consulting firm Marketleap and eCRM provider Mediaplex, Kaiser Permanente launched a newsletter entitled "Partners in Health."

Partners in Health was designed to increase awareness of Kaiser Permanente's Website – specifically the regional functionality and capabilities that could be found there. The newsletter campaign was a tremendous success:

• 42% of recipients opened the messages
• 52% of those viewing the message became Website visitors
• Newsletter subscriptions increased 61% over a six-month period. Previously, growth was flat.

As is the case with most e-mail campaigns, Kaiser Permanente was able to build its database and engage its target with an ongoing dialogue. A primary benefit of acquiring e-mail addresses of interested consumers is that once a prospect is acquired, he or she can be re-marketed to over and over until the prospect opts out of the relationship. Mediaplex's MOJO Mail tool has the ability to dynamically customize e-mail content when the e-mail is viewed, rather than when it is sent, ensuring that customers receive the most appropriate and timely content.

E-mail is a tremendous opportunity for healthcare companies, as demonstrated by the results above. A campaign like this has tremendous potential to reduce healthcare costs for an HMO by disseminating preventative healthcare tips, reminders for checkups, and other types of content that can help an HMO member to be more health-conscious.