For hospitals, health systems, and multi-location groups, I believe the winners will be organizations that build a smaller number of high-quality, citation-ready pages around their most important conditions and service lines. These pages aren’t written to chase keywords; they’re designed to function as primary sources that AI systems can confidently rely on.
Branding is more than just logos, slogans, and colors. It’s a long-term strategy to build trust, credibility, and healthcare brand loyalty across generations. Understanding how to build these values is critical, and it varies between generations. Healthcare consumers have distinct preferences and expectations depending on their age, requiring multilocation healthcare brands to balance digital innovation […]
Are you struggling to fill critical positions in your healthcare organization? You’re not alone. With competition for top talent at an all-time high, hospitals and health systems must prioritize employer branding to attract and retain skilled professionals. Why Employer Branding Matters Employer branding isn’t just a marketing buzzword—it’s a critical strategy for healthcare organizations. How […]
Digital marketing strategies fail when they’re not aligned with your brand. Picture this: a cardiac center that prioritizes personalized care and leading-edge technology. This brand champions expertise, compassion, and patient empowerment. What would happen if the marketing department of this brand launched a social media campaign featuring younger hospital staff doing a trendy dance? Imagine […]
Have your products, services, or target audience evolved to the point where they no longer align with your brand? Has your health brand become lost in a sea of sameness? Do your marketing assets feel stale and out of touch with your audience? Did your business neglect to establish proper healthcare branding from the beginning? […]
The healthcare marketplace is crowded. As patient expectations continue to evolve, the need for thoughtful environmental designs that prioritize peace, tranquility, and healing cannot be overstated—they play a vital role in patient experiences and the perception of overall quality of care. Studies have shown many positive effects of healthcare environmental design on medical outcomes. In […]
We’ve written about branding over the years, everything from strategy and concepts to tactics and execution. This time I’d like to focus on what happens when your strategy is said and done. You can now create great content, right? Well, not exactly. You need a brand style guide that communicates your strategy in a guidebook. […]
Best-in-class healthcare marketers are already planning for next year. They’re researching key trends that will attract new high-intent audiences, increase engagement, drive revenue, and reinforce patient loyalty in 2023. If you’ve been revamping the same marketing plan for a few years, now is the perfect time to reevaluate everything through the lens of market innovations […]
If you want to dominate organic, paid, and local search results, you've got to study your business from several angles. Building a deep understanding of your competitors' strengths and weaknesses and what makes your shared audience click improves branding, SEO, paid search, social media, and other general marketing strategies. However, understanding which marketing tactics you […]
While branding can be difficult for virtually any type of organization, it’s often especially challenging for multilocation healthcare providers. We know this from experience. You see, most of our clients are multilocation healthcare businesses. We have worked with health systems, hospitals, practices, retail locations, urgent cares, ASCs, addiction treatment centers, and long-term care facilities. When […]
How does a healthcare brand stay relevant in the digital age? How do you expand your reach and increase engagement on social media? And, how do you remain relevant to new generations of customers -- all while staying true to your brand identity? Spoiler: You don’t do it by compromising who you are. The only […]
Read the summary of our latest podcast, featuring Johnny A. Smith Jr. of Encompass Health and Stewart Gandolf of Healthcare Success.
Learn about sports sponsorship opportunities. Healthcare Success shares four sports marketing strategies for healthcare brands to increase brand awareness and grow their practice.
We have never seen an addiction treatment marketing landscape as the one that continues to evolve due to COVID-19. While some substance abuse and behavioral health centers are withdrawing from marketing, others are increasing their budgets to take advantage of the void in the recovery marketplace. While some centers are struggling to keep up […]
Marketing Strategies to Implement Now For Your Vein Practice A Webinar Sponsored by the American Vein and Lymphatic Society COVID-19 has caused massive economic disruption to virtually every kind of business, including vein practices. Which marketing strategies should you begin now, and which should you implement in the coming months as the crisis slowly subsides? […]
COVID Healthcare Marketing Webinar COVID-19 has changed the healthcare industry quicker in the last two weeks than in the last 50 years. With medical practices temporarily shutting down and elective procedures put on hold, what should healthcare networks and healthcare specialists do with their marketing campaigns' strategies? To answer this important question for healthcare marketers, […]
The Core Concept of Branding Is Positive Differentiation A brand is the total experience that a customer has with your product, service or company. Many medical practices, hospitals and other healthcare resources have, until recently, misunderstood —- or simply dismissed—the MILLENNIAL GENERATION. Definitions will vary, but the Pew Research Center provides the most authoritative characterization […]
Can your medical front desk staff handle your marketing in their “spare time?” We advise against it. Time is difficult enough to spare, and digital marketing deserves the time and attention of someone with the right marketing expertise. Regardless, your front desk staff does play a key role in the success or failure of your […]
If you were in pain, would you want to see a surgeon? Or would you rather see a board-certified surgeon specializing in a minimally invasive procedure that gets you back to doing what you love? Words matter, and quality copy helps patients to see their experience in your office will be unlike anything they could […]
The healthcare delivery industry changes daily. Given the many moving parts, creating and maintaining a brand connection today—for solutions the public may need someday—is a serious challenge. Consider how these variables are at work: On one hand, the quiet-and-compliant patients of the past have morphed into empowered consumers. They are better informed bring expectations of high value, […]
[Healthcare Success Leadership Podcast] In this installment of our continuing educational series, Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf talks with Rob Klein, founder and CEO of healthcare marketing research firm Klein & Partners. A prospective name change, branding or rebranding, will dramatically impact every aspect of a hospital system…image, operation and culture. Here’s how research can provide […]
We’ve been looking for a good springboard opportunity to present the creative advertising images that are included with this post. It’s difficult to characterize all the ways how-and-why reasons that good visuals turn your head, tell a story and/or bend your mind. And frankly, that’s an important secret sauce ingredient. There aren’t many ad messages […]
[Part of a continuing series] Consider how these important marketing touchpoints intersect: Video content now accounts for well over half of the traffic online Well over half of health and healthcare searches begin with an Internet search Positive reviews and testimonials strongly influence purchase decisions So this formula—video-plus-Internet-plus-testimonials—is a powerful combination for effective healthcare marketing. […]
There’s an analogy that I offer clients to demonstrate the importance of being first in marketing. I ask: “Charles Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Can you name the second person to do so?” “If John Hancock famously signed the Declaration of Independence first, can you name the second person […]
There's an excellent reason why Baskin Robbins offers more than one flavor of ice cream. And why the people they attract don't shop there for…say, bicycle tires. The Baskin Robbins a brand name that is known for excellent ice cream. In fact, 31 flavors, enough ice cream varieties to satisfy nearly everyone. And that's it—all […]
You are welcome to share our list of TED Talks for healthcare. Or compile your own and circulate your favorites. We think these presentations—each about 20 minutes in length—are TED Talks you need to hear. They provide insightful observations about healthcare, marketing and/or business. And, as the TED concept predicts, these are talks to stir […]
These are the seven fundamental healthcare marketing strategies that you should already be doing to ensure marketing success for your healthcare practice or business. Let’s face it, if you’re not already experiencing success with your healthcare business’ or practice’s marketing efforts — and especially if you’re not yet marketing at all — there are many […]
Compared to other forms of marketing, community marketing doesn’t get a lot of attention or even respect. In fact, truth be told, I’m a digital marketer at heart, and until a few weeks ago I really didn’t appreciate its power either. My “awakening” came when I recently had the opportunity to sit in on a […]
Anyone who has been in need of medical care knows it can be a deeply personal and emotional experience. For friend, family or individual--from walking in the door to the time of discharge, people want to feel safe, respected and understood. Many hospitals and doctors promote themselves as the compassionate, caring choice that you can trust. So, as a provider, […]
If your aim is to build an engaging, relevant brand there is one thing you must avoid: complacency. Brands unwilling or hesitant to embrace change, innovation, or advancements in technology quickly become irrelevant. Do you remember Kodak? It was a very popular photography company that sold cameras and roll film. It was built on a […]
The only constant in today’s healthcare marketplace is rapid change. Competition is increasingly intense. Group practices are the product of mergers, rollups and acquisitions. And prospective patients are confused without a strong brand message. When dynamics scramble the consumer message, consider these branding tips to differentiate your group practice. One white coat looks the same as […]
The inspiration for this article came from my favorite grocery store, Publix. I was raised in the southeast, and developed a strong attachment for the chain. If you haven’t visited a Publix before, it’s hard to image what makes this grocery store different from others. Every time I walk in, I feel a sense of […]
The first lesson about healthcare branding has to do with setting expectations. All too often, the misguided concept of branding for a medical practice, hospital or individual provider is an overnight magic trick. The practical reality is that healthcare branding is a high-level and long-term marketing strategy. (Emphasis: long-term.) The principal investment is time—years, in fact—to […]
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 […]
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 […]
[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 […]
[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 […]
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 […]
[Leadership Podcast Series] In this insightful and inspiring interview, Thomas H. Lee, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Press Ganey, and Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success, discuss An Epidemic of Empathy in Healthcare. In an increasingly consumer-driven health care environment, organizations must compete on delivering value for the patient. The traditional physician-centered world of health care delivery […]
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 […]
[A continuing series.] If you ask 10 doctors about their professional reputation, most will say something about “what other doctors think about me.” True enough. Colleague attitudes—doctors who know you and others who recognize your name—are an important consideration. But there's more to it. From a business development perspective—your ability to attract more new patients […]
Ophthalmology specialists have long been aware of the need for marketing in their practice business plan. But as Yogi Berra might shrewdly warn, “the future is not what it used to be.” Under the general umbrella of “vision care services,” individual practice structures will vary in size, structure and operational emphasis. But ophthalmic practitioners and […]
[Part of a Series] Many medical practices are unaware of their own potential in evangelism marketing. Virtually every day, doctors and hospitals deliver a form of happiness and satisfaction to their patients. These are people who appreciate the health care solution that has resolved their medical concern. Unfortunately, this sense of patient gratitude is largely […]
[First in a series.] American business author, entrepreneur and keynote speaker Guy Kawasaki has a fascinating, marketing-centered biography. In 1984 he was an Apple employee responsible for marketing Macintosh computers…becoming the Chief Evangelist of Apple. (History suggests it worked.) A Chief Evangelist (or Brand Evangelist) is, among other things, an ambassador for your product, service […]
If today’s patient--now an informed consumer--isn’t at the center of your branding universe, you don’t have an effective brand. In the rarified world of physics and mathematics, “singularity” is a point at which a function takes an infinite value. Sci-fi readers find the term applied to “space-time when matter is infinitely dense, as at the […]
With very little encouragement, a professional colleague of ours will enthusiastically explain why her personal physician is an outstanding provider. As it happens, her hero-physician is highly skilled, credentialed and experienced. But one of the top reasons that she will recommend her physician is that the practice actively uses text messages and patient-physician email to […]
Here’s a slightly obscure—but marketing-useful—tidbit of healthcare history that many doctors don’t know. You can amaze your friends with the story of Caduceus vs. Asclepius…but they probably don't belong in your healthcare branding. Stick with me on this. Amid the dynamic changes in healthcare, hospitals and medical practices throughout the US often find themselves in need […]
A truly excellent crystal ball—with the ability to accurately foretell the future of hospital branding—is practically nonexistent. While hindsight is 20/20, looking beyond the horizon and trend spotting in marketing are clouded by the near-constant change in healthcare. But, motivated by intense competition—and the dynamics of change—many of the best minds in hospital leadership are […]
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 […]
Until recently, the concept of “brand” or “brand building” has not been too important for physician practices, medical groups or hospitals. Only a few healthcare entities took branding seriously in their marketing plans…and fewer still were able to carry it off effectively. Almost overnight, or so it seems, all that changed. To listen to some people in […]
