Geisinger Health System (GHS) made the news a year ago with a ground breaking commitment to patient experience. GHS was the first hospital group to offer money-back refunds on their care...and with no questions asked. The retail world provides patient experience lessons. The program is for “patients whose experiences and expectations were not met with kindness and compassion.” […]
Podcasts enjoy a heritage of online content that can be compelling and engaging. Podcasting is relatively inexpensive, easy to produce and often underutilized in healthcare digital marketing. And when they are done properly, creating online audio podcasts is an effective content connection between you and your audience. Related: 5 Best Healthcare Podcasts 2018 Podcasts begin […]
The adoption curve for virtual healthcare and telehealth has been mighty steep. In the real world, a large slice of the American public expects everyday living to be “digitally-enabled”...faster, quicker and easier. But healthcare delivery has been a sluggish exception. This picture is changing, and with it, your healthcare marketing and advertising plans may be […]
We’ve long been a fan of LinkedIn for physicians, healthcare professionals and hospital executives. Facebook features friends and family. Twitter is fast and furious. But LinkedIn is the business-serious social media. Until now, that is. LinkedIn is unveiling a major facelift. The redesign aims to make LinkedIn users more social, informed, connected and engaged. (While […]
[Series Installment] As the US healthcare delivery system becomes increasingly consumer-driven, patient satisfaction is more important than ever. Forward thinking medical practices routinely put the patient/consumer at the center of their progressive planning. Hospitals and medical systems have the standardized HCAHPS instruments. Increasingly providers and marketing professionals want to hear the voice of the customer through […]
[Series Installment] There’s an important lesson here for healthcare marketing. It seems the retail world is increasingly hungry for consumer feedback. Here’s why doctors, hospitals and medical marketing professionals need, more than ever, to take a page from service industries, brand names and merchandisers. A reliable measure of customer satisfaction—how products or services meet or exceed […]
Hospitals, as well as some medical practices, can use public service announcements (PSAs) to communicate “messages in the public interest.” The good new and the bad news about creating a public service announcement is that it’s free. Well…that is to say, it’s nearly free. There’s no charge for any broadcast time or print ad space, which can […]
The business of physician referrals—that stream of new cases and revenue—depends on maintaining a solid relationship with colleagues. Doctor-to-doctor patient referrals rely on a trust and confidence that goes beyond your CV, clinical skills and professional experience. Your reputation is on the line. I have the good fortune to travel throughout the country working with […]
Change can be hard to embrace. The nation’s healthcare delivery system—which has traditionally been slow to adjust—is experiencing unprecedented reform. And with it, one significant consequence is the need for healthcare branding, rebranding or a completely new approach. The Affordable Care Act and other social dynamics have changed the fundamentals of doing business. Maybe you are […]
[Series Installment] There’s a line of thinking quietly at work among a few healthcare practices that says: “Simply being a good doctor will guarantee success.” A few satisfied patients will fuel “word-of- mouth,” and that’s all you need in business. There’s a lot of appeal to the idea of attracting new patients with near-no-cost marketing […]
A close friend of mine shared a personal story that’s worth re-telling. It illustrates a real-world patient experience that moved the measure of satisfaction from “simply satisfied” to “raving fan” status. Although this story comes from the dental profession, the core concept will easily transfer to other healthcare specialties. Consider how you can apply this […]
Real-world marketing stories come to my attention with increasing regularity. And, frequently, they reinforce the strategic importance and positive benefits of online reviews by patients. Prospective patients are doing their homework. As many as 85 percent of patients are choosing doctors based on, or assisted by, online reviews, according to the frequently cited study by […]
This question is a tantalizing, but kinda-easy, riddle. How can the largest retail operation in the US have no stores? The answer, of course, is that the Internet (and online shopping) has given us Amazon.com. And, by market value, it’s bigger than Walmart. But Amazon and other online shopping centers have a high-priority need to […]
More than a few doctors, dentists and other providers suffer from “case presentation phobia.” This seems especially common with elective care discussions. Skilled and experienced providers may have buried the ill-at-ease feeling, and they probably have “avoidance systems” in place that point to someone else in the office. But, in fact, they hate making a case […]
Just up the street there’s a popular restaurant that greets customers as they’re arriving. Often a staff person will open the door, and, with a bright smile, offer a warm greeting of “Welcome Back!” The thing is, EVERYONE gets the “welcome back” greeting, even first-time guests, and even if the greeter and guest have never […]
Face-to-face with patients, doctors are expected to do more and communicate better within the same or less time with the patient. It’s the “catch-22” of healthcare’s patient-centered, world. In addition to excellence in clinical care, and a positive outcome, effective and empathetic communications is the essential ingredient. The typical “10-minute-and-10-second” doctor-patient encounter is an agenda […]
[Series Installment] Not long ago, we were talking with the lead physician of a multispecialty medical practice. She was losing sleep because the once-dependable physician referral pipeline had become a leaking bucket. We discovered that part of the problem was the competitive environment of roll-ups, consolidations, mergers and acquisitions in the marketplace. Longstanding referral bridges […]
Many doctors and medical practice executives have their marketing brains on overdrive. They’re looking for new, better, improved and/or more efficient ways to attract new patients and cases. The marketing and advertising plan (a left-over from last year) isn’t delivering results. The entire competitive landscape has changed, and not for the better. New patients seem […]
Many of us at Healthcare Success have visited many hospitals and health care campuses around the country; usually on business, and occasionally as a visitor or patient. More often than not, navigating a large and unfamiliar building is a confusing and unsettling experience. If simply finding their way around is a challenge for a patient […]
It seems like the “popular buzz” attaches to the big names in social media, with Facebook, Twitter and a couple others at the top of the list. But it turns out that email marketing continues to outdistance social media for customer acquisition by a mile. [Custora E-Commerce report] Of course both social media and email […]
A highly successful internist we know frequently enhances his doctor-patient encounters with low-key, casual (but purposeful) chitchat. It turns out that the friendly anecdotes always have a useful healthcare punch line. He skillfully brings home a vital clinical lesson or advice wrapped in an interesting, disarming and personable story. “Doctor Bill,” our internist friend, polished […]
Keeping up with what’s-new-and-creative among thousands of hospital and healthcare videos is daunting. YouTube alone has about a billion (with a B) active users each month. And every marketing-smart hospital in the US has embraced the engaging, educational and entertaining power of online video. The relatively low cost of video production, and the high user […]
A core consideration in social media is that people interact and do business with people that they feel they know, like and trust. And for hospital executives, medical practitioners and marketing professionals there’s no better online forum than LinkedIn to connect with peers, organizations and ideas as a means to showcase your reputation. LinkedIn is the […]
Among the trending buzzwords in healthcare marketing are labels related to the “consumer decision journey,” patient journey,” or even “purchasing funnel.” The orderly process steps in selecting a healthcare provider begins online with research, awareness and other steps that lead to a provider selection and a new patient appointment. But don’t kid yourself; patients don’t […]
The non-verbal side of communications is so easily overlooked that…well, it’s often seen but ignored. It doesn’t communicate or it miscommunicates. In the simple routine of a doctor-patient encounter, the physician’s ability to diagnose and treat a medical condition is a major communications exchange. And body language—the gestures, postures, expressions that communicate physical, mental or emotional […]
Nearly everyone agrees with the well-intended ideal of an informed healthcare consumer. But if your hospital is listed among the major national “hospital ranking” systems, you may need to offer some guidance and interpretation. From a 50-thousand foot altitude, providing patients and/or prospective patients with comparative insight about the good (and the not-so-good) performance of […]
By some estimates, hospitals have been behind the social media adoption curve. Unlike retail and service businesses, health systems and hospitals have had to navigate HIPAA considerations, find solid ground in healthcare’s changing landscape, and struggle with ever-present limitations of time and budget. Fortunately, that’s changing. Organizations recognize the considerable benefits of social media and […]
Medical practices—especially specialty practices that need to be assertive in their marketing efforts—generally have three resource options for marketing talent. Depending on the complexity and goals of the marketing effort, the size of the practice and budget, and other considerations, a medical practice will need to draw upon all three options: Healthcare Advertising Agency – […]
All too often, the love-hate attitude about online physician rating sites comes down to a strong desire by doctors to simply ignore them. Related: 9 Essential Steps to Improve Doctor Ratings Online After all, doctors are too busy to attend to the largely imperfect and unreliable noise and chatter of patient comments. Even the “positive” […]
From a top-level perspective, a well-conceived marketing plan expresses four key elements. If each component of your plan does not clearly and specifically answer these questions, synergy and success are at risk. Mindful that “performance precedes accountability by a narrow margin,” confirm the following for every item on the plan: WHEN will this occur? Create […]
One business tip—something your health care competition may not know—is that email is a highly effective secret weapon for physician marketing. When some reports suggested otherwise, Gigaom Research told us that, among digital marketers, “Email marketing is the digital workhorse, deemed the most effective (relative to other digital tactics) for building awareness, acquisition, retention and […]
Hospital and medical marketing professionals have long respected women—especially the American Mom— as the chief family health care decision-maker. Perhaps you recognize these numbers: Women make approximately 80 percent of the healthcare choices in the family 85 percent: choose their children’s doctors 84 percent: take the kids to appointments 79 percent: ensure family members get […]
Sometimes the problem in a healthcare marketing effort is in what’s NOT included. For nearly every well-intended effort—be it an advertisement, a brochure or a website—a weak or missing Call-to-Action guarantees no measurable results. It can happen (inadvertently, we hope) in the best of plans for hospitals and medical practices. A powerhouse community event, a […]
All healthcare marketing and communications professionals are well acquainted with the basic elements of the Communications Cycle. In essence: the sender expresses a message the recipient receives and interprets the message feedback to the sender reflects understanding (or misunderstanding) While it all sounds elementary, we know from experience that the communications process is always far […]
Are printed YP directories still relevant? Judging by the less-than-usual clutter under the desk, the Yellow Pages (and similar printed directories) have all but vanished from American communications culture. When was the last time you saw a rotary dial phone, telephone landline or even a corner phone booth? Some marketing “old-timers” (anyone over the age […]
Ask a dozen people for a definition of “brand” or “branding,” and the odds are that they will talk about a logo. Maybe it's a trick question because the word “brand” can be a noun or a verb, or in the narrow context of marketing, it can have yet another meaning. Compared to the retail and […]
When youthful enchantment with “rat tats,” tribal geometry and dolphin tattoos fades, it fuels a marketing gateway for hospitals, dermatologists and other removal providers. Somewhere around one in five Americans have tattoos, but as the population grows older (and perhaps wiser), “tattoo regret” begins to set in for many people. Typically, about 10 to 15 […]
Sometimes, the retail world provides a useful Internal Marketing lesson for doctors or medical practices. Consider, for example, the considerable “customer retention” effort that we’ve all seen in magazine subscription marketing. At one time or another, you and I have been the target audience, and we know how it goes. First, an initial subscription to a national magazine is […]
Competition in business is one course of study that is seldom taught in medical school. But it’s often the first thing we hear about when healthcare providers knock on our door looking for marketing help. You can list “competition”—or some offshoot consequence of same—as the leading reason why individual doctors, group medical practices, hospital executives […]
What I like about this clever, little no-cost idea is that anyone can use it to communicate a marketing or branding message…although you’re actually away from the office. Frequently, Healthcare Success business takes me on the road and away from my desk. We consult with hospitals, medical practices and healthcare providers throughout the US, and […]
[Another installment in our continuing education series about Internet and marketing terms that sharpen your business success.] The inside-the-shop vocabulary of medical advertising agencies has expanded with the growth of the Internet as a primary healthcare marketing tool. Although elements of this business language are relatively new, they are nonetheless important to attracting and retaining […]
Well… we’re not advocating anything inappropriate here, but from time to time we bump into some clever hospital and healthcare marketing ideas that are worth sharing. One or more of the following engaging concepts could be an idea springboard or adapted for use by others. Comedy Show Benefits Children’s Hospital: A tip of the hat […]
There’s a bridge of sorts in nearly every doctor-patient encounter. On one side, the physician’s knowledge, training and experience reveals an answer to the patient’s need. But there are many situations where the patient needs to accept the solution—cross over the bridge—and embrace the recommendations for their care. Patients don’t “buy” treatments, medicine or procedures. The one and […]
Is your marketing message always clear or just confused? Happy baby pictures are a staple in hospital public relations. Virtually everyone gets the warm Happy Holidays message of images of newborns tucked snuggly into red and white “stockings” at MemorialCare’s Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Long Beach, CA. The images are season-appropriate and attention-getting PR […]
It seems as if every hospital in the US needs, wants or has a brand. More than a few have taken a stab at branding, but many facilities are short on experience and budget, and effectiveness suffers. Results are less than anticipated. To be fair, branding is a difficult task, and hospital branding is especially challenging […]
I’m not about to short-change the power of Word-of-Mouth (WOM) advertising. It is still useful and effective in physician marketing, but in the digital age, it has become quite a different critter from its original form. Once upon a time (now past), every doctor’s mental book about how to market a medical practice professes that […]
More often than not, attracting new patients to your medical practice means they found you first online. And the Internet has added vocabulary words to the daily parlance of communications and marketing professionals. Get acquainted with these three timely and useful terms that are no longer reserved for tech-speak of your IT person. A mastery […]
Not long ago a colleague of mine met separately with two different doctors about the continuing sciatica pain they were experiencing. The first doctor quickly produced a ready-made patient instruction sheet, commenting (every-so-briefly) about the benefits of weight loss, diet and exercise. (It was a minimalist “do-this-and-call-me” message that had no sticking power, and the message all […]
This idea is funny because it’s so painfully true: “The best place to hide a dead body is page two of Google search results.” Actually, it’s not so funny. Marketing professionals recognize that most consumers who search for hospitals, doctors and health care information begin with the Internet. It has become a universal digital front […]
"In a single generation there's been a fundamental shift in the way people interact with personal technology," according to Joseph Swedish, CEO of Wellpoint, Inc. “Smartphone technology, social media and data mining will drive change and shift the future of healthcare. Healthcare marketing professionals are increasingly refining their marketing plans, adjusting to how smartphones and mobile devices have dramatically […]
