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Blog
Email That Drives Referrals: What Hospital Marketers Need to Know About HCP Engagement
Aug 11, 2025
In today’s competitive healthcare landscape, email remains one of the most powerful tools for engaging physicians and driving referrals. But not all email strategies are created equal—and many hospital marketers are missing opportunities to optimize performance.
The latest IQVIA report, Inbox Intelligence 2025, analyzes over 236 million emails sent to healthcare professionals (HCPs) and reveals what’s working, what’s changing, and how marketers can adapt to drive better results.
Why Email Still Matters
Despite the rise of new channels, email continues to deliver strong ROI—up to $36 for every $1 spent, according to industry benchmarks. Physicians and other HCPs check email frequently across devices and accounts, including during off-hours. That means the inbox is still a prime space for building relationships and influencing referral behavior.
What the Data Tells Us
IQVIA’s analysis uncovered several key trends that hospital marketers should know:
- Triggered emails outperform broadcast: Triggered campaigns had higher open rates (18.26%) and click-to-open rates (3.43%), showing the value of timely, personalized outreach.
- Specialty segmentation boosts engagement: Campaigns focused on specific therapeutic areas—like oncology and respiratory—saw significant increases in open and click rates.
- More volume doesn’t mean less engagement: Email send volume grew by 47% year-over-year, yet HCPs remained highly engaged, especially when content was relevant and well-timed.
- Personalization is evolving: Advanced data and AI are enabling deeper personalization beyond “Dear Dr. Smith,” helping marketers tailor content to individual behaviors and preferences.
What This Means for Referral Strategy
If your goal is to increase physician referrals, your email strategy needs to do more than inform—it needs to connect. That means:
- Using triggered emails to follow up on HCP research activity or event attendance
- Segmenting by specialty and referral patterns to deliver relevant content
- Personalizing messages based on behavioral data and preferred channels
- Optimizing for mobile and multi-device engagement
- Aligning email with broader omnichannel campaigns to reinforce messaging
Want to see how leading hospital marketers are refining their email strategies to drive referrals?
Download the full report to explore benchmarks, trends, and actionable recommendations from IQVIA’s Inbox Intelligence 2025.