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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
[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 […]
[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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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] “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 […]
The nation’s doctors and hospitals are well acquainted with the unprecedented dynamics of change in healthcare. The competitive landscape is shifting—seemingly every day. Yesterday’s passive patient is today’s informed (retail-trained and sometimes demanding) healthcare consumer. Insurance considerations—on both the provider- and the patient-side—are shifting sands of reimbursement tables, changing deductables, and out-of-pocket considerations. Physicians, who […]
[Series Installment] Once upon a time—as all fanciful tales begin—us good common folk of the kingdom never thought to question the reputation or chivalry of noblemen or knights. Nobles had their regal robes, and knights had their armor. And, in this bygone era in healthcare’s crown estate, legions esteemed their doctors, physicians and surgeons—the much […]
We spot something new in healthcare marketing and advertising almost daily. And a few new things make enough of a splash to hold our attention. Three items worth sharing crossed our radar recently. Facebook Canvas is in the “here and now” category. We would call Care Messenger “emerging, with potential.” And Virtual Reality Marketing, is just […]
We all face the challenge of working smarter, not harder. Healthcare marketing professionals know the struggle to deliver maximum results from limited or shrinking resources. So one of the important questions is: Where to get the biggest bang for your digital marketing? Glad you asked. It seems that the research folks at Ascend2 tested the […]
Let’s face it: There are a lot of doctors, medical practices and hospitals that wish they could go about their professional practice activities without the worry, hassle and distraction of marketing and advertising. But, as it turns out, modern medicine is a profession, but healthcare is a business. And, like it or not, the Affordable […]
Fifty-plus years ago, a doctor would come to the patient about 40 percent of the time. The nearly-lost practice (and nearly forgotten name) was known as “a house call,” and it all but disappeared 30 years ago. That’s changing…again… Customer convenience is the new currency in healthcare delivery and marketing today. More than ever, the […]
Healthcare marketing and advertising entails a certain amount of risk. Always has and always will. So the challenge for modern medical practices—individuals and organizations facing the new consumerism and intense competition—is how to achieve business and professional goals with a limited element of risk. Many providers are uncomfortable with the need to market their services. […]
Every medical provider's office gets at least two kinds of “opportunity” phone calls (described below) that potentially mean new business. Unfortunately, most doctors, medical groups and hospitals are losing new patients and cases when the phone rings…and they don’t know it. Here’s what’s going wrong, and what do instead. We don’t mean to be unkind […]
It seems like a large measure of healthcare marketing is digital-driven for doctors. It’s standard practice for providers, medical groups and hospitals to have a website. OK, check. And creating a Facebook page is simple fare. OK, check again. Then there’s Twitter. We’ll that’s only 140-characters; so that’s easy enough. Someone in the office can […]
[Series installment.] Telling a meaningful story in—one that captures the imagination and interest of a patient—is best done face-to-face. Storytelling in healthcare requires preparation and practice, but the payoff is greater case acceptance, better compliance, and best of all, improved outcomes. One example: It’s standard procedure at a particular specialist’s office to present the patient […]
Happy Birthday to Twitter. The ubiquitous social platform in everyone’s pocket has matured significantly since its launch just 10 years ago. Considering the 140-character constraint, and the non-stop, fire hose gush Tweet-stream, Twitter provides some surprising and beneficial advantages for marketing and communications. And, one of the quickly emerging capabilities of Twitter for healthcare, hospitals […]
Is the Millennial Generation—AKA Millennials—a lazy bunch? Or has the pervasive availability of technology in society shaped an expectation of instant gratification? Or is convenience a byproduct of working families constantly pressed for time and resources? In spite of the abundance of reference material that attempts to define and describe the Millennial Generation, researchers can’t […]
Exactly a year ago, Google used its considerable clout to “demand” that most websites become “mobile-friendly.” The world’s biggest search engine now tends to favor responsive web design as a ranking signal. What that means is: Websites (those designed for a desktop or laptop screen) that can be easily seen on users mobile device (Smartphone […]
[A continuing series.] The previous installment of this article, Care and Feeding of Doctor Online Presence, Reputation and Brand, describes the connected relationship of presence, reputation and brand. Quite obviously, the indispensible foundation for reputation building excellence is a consistently high level of patient satisfaction. When patients are pleased or satisfied with the healthcare service […]
One ever-constant factor in the highly competitive world of plastic surgery marketing is change. Change happens; in the geographic marketplace, in healthcare competition, and in the effectiveness and efficiency of your plastic surgery marketing strategy. Elective care patients are, more than ever, informed and value-cautious consumers. Discretionary purchase decisions for cosmetic procedures—even for many affluent […]
Doctors are no strangers to social media. Conservative estimates have it that at least 30 percent of physicians use one or more social media (SM) platform daily. Other estimates say it’s closer to 80 percent. The SM numbers are strong for hospitals, health systems and many group medical practices. Collectively, these are the progressive providers […]
[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 […]
Social media has become so pervasive in American society that it’s impossible to ignore. Yet some physicians still dismiss it as the home for cute pet antics and baby birthday pictures. Mildly amusing, perhaps, but not professionally useful. Social media (SM) is a nearly indispensible tool in healthcare marketing and communications plans. Yet relatively few […]
As we visit with doctors and healthcare practices around the country, it’s usually easy to sense excellence in organizational leadership…or problems. Fortunately, the good examples shine through with a culture of talented people—the doctor, management and staff—working in a positively charged atmosphere that you can almost feel in the air. But then there are the […]
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 […]
