In a totally unscientific sample, about half of the doctor marketing business cards in front of me include a physician’s email address. The other half does not; those cards are silent about an email communications channel between the practice and the real world. And, I fear, that's an unfortunate choice these days. Scientifically grounded studies […]
[SHSMD16 Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success, talks with Jennifer Schultz, Vice President of Marketing and Lindsey Meyers, Vice President of Public Relations for Avera Health, about their 2016 SHSMD Connections Conference presentation: Building the Physician’s Practice in a Digital World. Today’s podcast with Lindsey Meyers and Jennifer Schultz sums up everything […]
The “voice of the customer” is a vital hospital marketing tool. And for many facilities, a Family Advisory Council (FAC) provides the patient experience “voice.” Feedback via the FAC can be an amazing resource that drives patient-centered care. Unfortunately, it takes more than a mandate to create culture change and leadership buy-in. [Guest Post by […]
In the 500-plus years since the Middle Ages, hospital marketing has only recently changed its perspective and community relationship. Back in the day—when nobility wanted to build a castle—they took the high ground above the village. Ancient cathedrals and churches would also pick the elevated or center-city real estate. It was a statement of visibility and authority. […]
[SHSMD16 Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success, talks with Scott Linabarger, Vice President of Strategic Accounts and Josh Fieldman, Vice President of Sales for Medicom Health Interactive, about how their software program can turn unknown consumers into known patients. As healthcare marketers, it’s common to hear doctors and hospital executives to […]
[SHSMD16 Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success, talks with Tanya Andreadis, Associate Chief Marketing Officer and Robin Ward, Director of Customer Engagement & Marketing Analytics for Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, about their upcoming presentation at the 2016 SHSMD Connections Conference on the topic: Marketing Automation, Oh My! Lessons from […]
[SHSMD16 Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success, talks with Alan Shoebridge, Senior Director of Brand Marketing and Tammy Graves, Senior Director of Marketing from Providence Health and Services, about their upcoming presentation at the 2106 SHSMD Connections Conference on the topic: Evolution or Revolution: Your MarCom Department Must Change. Healthcare is changing […]
[SHSMD16 Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success talks with Dr. Jeff Cole, Vice President of Ancillary Services at Athens Regional Health System about Dr. Cole’s upcoming presentation at the 2106 SHSMD Connections Conference on the topic: Successfully Engaging Physicians in Value-Based Initiatives: Strategy and Best Practices from the Frontlines of Physician-Hospital Collaboration. […]
In healthcare marketing, video for social media has got to be one of the fastest moving and important trends. Don't miss these recent upgrade moves by three of the biggest social platforms. If the rapid growth and popularity of social media has been amazing, the social video trend is downright explosive. Hospital and healthcare marketing […]
This is not your typical video role model. You may not like it at all. But hospital advertising can steal strategy and creative ideas from this unorthodox (and somewhat rude) marketing gem. This little film blasts through clutter and makes an overly-familiar message standout in an entirely new way. The visual story of Coleman Sweeney—the […]
[Series Installment] Unfortunately, we see too many of them. Website mistakes can be so bad that it’s like a doctor not washing his hands before surgery. A medical practice or doctor marketing website needs a clean, head-to-toe bill of health to do the heavy lifting and to make a meaningful contribution to new business. We […]
[Series Installment] Competition is intense in doctor marketing. First of all, more than three-quarters of the new patients in your practice began their selection process online. An effective LinkedIn Profile is a vital ingredient in a doctor marketing plan. Here’s how to build a stronger LinkedIn profile. A solitary website isn’t sufficient "digital horsepower" these days. […]
[Guest Post by Dr. Paul Rosen] Evidence continues to build that art and music promote healing. Here’s a real-world story about the power of the healing arts and enhanced patient experience. Don't miss the inspiring original song and video. It's from the Nemours Creative Arts Therapy program at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. A couple […]
In any given week, we objectively review medical advertising and dozens of healthcare websites. And more than a few of them—for doctors, dentists and providers of all sorts—manage to sabotage their medical advertising effectiveness in a single stroke. The poison? Those yucky photos of clinical procedures are a double-barrel emotional turn-off for prospective patients. You’ll never […]
What exactly is "digital healthcare marketing?" Does it mean that your dentist is posting before and after snapshots in an online Smile Gallery on Facebook? In addition, will your orthopedic surgeon share videos of patients that have made a miraculous recovery from a partial knee replacement? Does “online healthcare marketing” describe the newsletter that you received from your primary physician […]
From a five-mile-high perspective, there are two kinds of relationships between a client and a healthcare advertising agency. Let’s label the first type a “vendor” relationship. In this arrangement, the client—a medical practice or hospital, for example—intends to buy specific ad agency services much as they might order and restock surgical masks. Passive. Detached. Truly […]
By Charlie DeNatale, Healthcare Success Media Supervisor Reaching and attracting new patients in the Hispanic audience is a healthcare marketing opportunity that can’t be ignored. But marketing to Hispanic audiences holds challenges for healthcare providers, due to the Affordable Care Act and changing demographics. And regardless of your location, this may be a largely untapped […]
If you’re a doctor—or plan a medical or healthcare marketing career—you can take a seat. There is (or will be) an app for that. If the futurologists are right, technology will eliminate doctors (and the need for physician marketing) in just a couple of decades. Agree or disagree? Let us know what you think about […]
Your name, or the name of your practice, can be an important asset or an unfortunate liability for providers in doctor or healthcare marketing and advertising. Consider the legendary saga of Edgar “Painless” Parker, a turn of the century street dentist. It seems the ethical standards for dentistry were sometimes cringe-worthy at the time. “After […]
The global obsession with Pokémon GO is an instant healthcare marketing opportunity for many providers and facilities. This timely tool is especially adaptable for healthcare businesses with a retail component including dental, optometry, family practice, pediatricians, orthodontists…even urgent care or LASIK practices. You can also include anyone doing event marketing, such as health fairs, trade…
There are times when medical practices should get help with their doctor marketing and advertising from a specialist. There are appropriate occasions, and valid business reasons to outsource professional support. To illustrate, consider this parallel illustration from the healthcare profession. A friend of mine has the greatest respect for his doctor…and for good reason. It seems the GP—an […]
The secret to “getting it right” in medical marketing and advertising is essentially two-fold. Regardless of size—multi-location health system, hospital, doctor group practice, or individual provider—the challenges involve many, constantly moving business considerations. And in the end, "it ain’t easy” to get it right…and produce measurable marketing results. One side of the coin is the application […]
You know Vine. It’s the micro-video-sharing service that hospitals and medical marketing folks can use for visual spice in social networks including Twitter and Facebook. When Vine first emerged many people wondered if there was a useful marketing purpose when confined to creating little looping video clips of less than six seconds. It’s probably the […]
Google, the Search Engine Goliath, has been relentlessly pushing everyone— including medical marketing websites —toward a more perfect mobile-friendly experience. Google's latest mobile search algorithm update is killing, or rewarding, websites according to “mobile friendliness” factors. Without getting too technical or lost in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) jargon, here’s what you need to know, and why, […]
The Intern is a delightful, Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway comedy/drama. Those of us in healthcare marketing and advertising see some amusing contrasts between old-school business and present day online enterprises and Internet ads. If you’re old enough to remember phonebook advertising, you’ll likely recognize that Internet ads are the new Yellow Pages (print) […]
The concept of consumerism in healthcare delivery is a page from the retail world. Although it predates the Affordable Care Act—a major driver in consumerism—it’s a trend that has gained significant traction with health systems, hospitals and medical practices. And, by most indicators, healthcare consumerism is rapidly becoming a top imperative for marketing professionals. The […]
Hospitals, group medical practices and other healthcare professionals have embraced digital and social media for marketing. The standard toolbox begins a robust website, plus a Facebook page, and sometimes, a blog. Deeper plans may also include a YouTube channel, Twitter and/or LinkedIn and others. Relatively new on the scene is Instagram, which is a powerhouse picture […]
[Guest Post by Dr. Paul Rosen] For the past two months, I have been taking Uber cars around Delaware when I go to the train or to the airport. I have taken about 10 rides and every one has been a pleasurable experience. The drivers are friendly, the cars are clean, the car arrives in […]
What happens when your carefully crafted healthcare marketing plan causes your phone to ring? Prospective patients are calling your office. I can hear the phone ringing now. Well all-right! Good job! Whoot. Fist pump! But wait. There’s a big problem. People are calling, but nobody is answering the phone. Oops. The designated “care coordinator” is busy, […]
At first, I really couldn’t believe what I was reading: “The decline of medicine as a profession began,” according to the blog post, “when it became legal for doctors and hospitals to advertise.” Really? Now that’s an effective, attention-getting lead sentence, especially for a seasoned healthcare marketing professional like myself. Evidently, the demise of modern […]
Early in his journalism career, a professional colleague worked as a field reporter for a top-rated radio station. On any given day, his assignments could range from (boring) City Council sessions to catastrophic five-alarm fires. Some of the most interesting and challenging journalism sprang from the opportunity to report on issues and candidates in the […]
Healthcare marketing professionals have embraced video as a compelling communications power tool. Hospitals, medical practices and individual providers have invented dozens of purposes and places to present their marketing story via a video format. As a quick reference point, take a minute to review our previous article titled: 36 Uses for Video: Magnify Your Healthcare […]
There’s something addictive about Facebook. At least some people I know will dip into the social stream several times a day. Not everyone, of course, but with over 150-million monthly active users in the US alone, that’s better than half the adult population. And, as you’re probably aware, Facebook has more than 1.6 billion monthly […]
The doctor's comment was a bit startling, but it was entirely believable. A physician-friend tells us that 75 percent of doctors forget to introduce themselves properly when meeting patients. OK…it’s a hectic day in the office. Behind schedule…again. The usual stuff. But without a proper introduction—quick, simple, sincere—everything that follows in the encounter is slightly off-center […]
Healthcare consumers—the audiences that hospital and medical marketing professionals target—are increasingly difficult to reach effectively with video content. Some of the trends in this techno-mash-up include cable television subscriptions, where the programming bundle includes a zillion channels…including dozens that you pay for, but seldom watch. Homes with Internet and wi-fi service are streaming Netflix and other digital […]
An ophthalmologist approached us for marketing help with his well-established vision care practice. It’s a story we’ve heard from time to time in the past, and perhaps you can relate. It seems that the return on marketing ophthalmology services has, somewhat to his surprise, quietly slipped downhill. He believed that he, personally, was a recognized […]
Depending on what you read, statistics say that today’s ophthalmology market is either up or down. But the business of optometric surgery and related medical eye care is definitely changing. On one hand, the big-picture numbers peg ophthalmology growth at four to five percent, due in part to a large and aging population evidencing cataracts, […]
Competition among plastic surgery practices has always been tough. But the scale has reset to an even higher marker—from “tough” to “really intense”—as individual providers and medical groups are serious about winning new patients. Consider how prospective, self-referred patients are now informed consumers, vigorously researching and comparing physician/provider options for plastic, cosmetic and aesthetic procedures, services and […]
Healthcare leadership and teamwork are being redefined—for greater efficiency and better outcomes—with an improved, collegial and patient-centered care delivery pathway. Doctors, staff members and other providers and professionals are investing in training for the next level in organizational and individual leadership. The challenge, however, is that the traditional hierarchy is slow to change. Some organizations, […]
Guest Post contributed by JT Ripton Telemedicine is a significant technological and business trend that is influencing medical practice marketing, patient engagement and revenue. Industry estimates report over 800,000 telemedicine consultations in 2015, and the president of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), Dr. Reed Tuckson, declaring telehealth a mainstream slice of healthcare. Advances in tele […]
The widely popular Snopes.com website—AKA the Urban Legends Reference Pages—has a problem with a famous quote by prolific American bank robber Willie Sutton. Supposedly, his reason for robbing banks is: “That’s where the money is.” It turns out that even Sutton denied having said it, but nevertheless, the logic is sound. The best fishing is […]
[Series Installment] When you begin to develop marketing ideas for hospitals and healthcare providers, you bump into some apparent contradictions to be sorted out. There’s the business of consumerism, for example, where traditional patients have become (or are rapidly becoming) informed consumers, newly empowered to make their own health care buying decisions. The medical purchasing […]
Not long ago I was speaking with a respected surgeon and thought leader about competition in healthcare. He brought home the idea that competition is indeed nerve-racking. In the practice of medicine and in business, you don’t have real competition unless there is an element of fear. Two notions come to mind. The first is […]
Thank you Facebook! The American Academy of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) should send a warm note of appreciation to FB founder Mark Zuckerberg. The reason? The organization’s board-certified plastic surgeons are seeing a big jump in patient requests for facial procedures--because people want to look their best on social media. We don’t know if […]
[Series installment.] Today, one of the paramount themes for successfully marketing healthcare organizations is delivering value for the patient. Patients—now informed consumer-shoppers—are receptive to a persuasive message that connects health care quality to price. Recently, Dr. Thomas Lee, Chief Medical Officer of Press Ganey, and I discussed how healthcare delivery has become a consumer-savvy, patient-centric […]
[Guest Post by Dr. Paul Rosen] I took my kids to a Philadelphia 76ers game a few weeks ago. The Sixers lost to the Boston Celtics. The Sixers have been doing a lot of losing actually. They finished the season with 10 wins and 72 losses, giving them the worst record of any team in […]
Recent Agency Growth Has Led Healthcare Success, LLC to Find a New Home Designed for Collaboration and Creating Impactful Campaigns. IRVINE, Calif., (May 16, 2016) – Healthcare Success, LLC, one of the nation’s leading advertising agencies for hospitals and medical groups has moved to a new office space located at 2860 Michelle Drive, Suite 230, Irvine, […]
As a student of marketing, I tend to dissect the brand name-logo-tagline combinations that I notice. Professionally and personally, I admire the good ones. But the bad ones in particular grab my attention. Like driving into a pea soup fog bank, there is a sudden disconnect with the highway, landmarks and even reality. When you spot […]
[Series Installment] “First impressions matter. Experts say we size up new people in somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes,” former diplomat Elliott Abrams observed. But doctors don’t have much of an opportunity to make a face-to-face first impression these days. In the Internet age, patients come in the door with a predetermined perception of […]
[Series installment.] Take a fresh and unbiased look at your hospital website. Now compare it, as objectively as possible, with others around the country. About a half-a-zillion would be a generous sample slice, but you will only need a few. If you’re keeping score—and even with a much smaller sampling—the back of your napkin tabulation is […]
