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 […]
It’s more than simply good fortune that our company enjoys a positive working relationship with our clients. The fact is that people want to do business with people and companies that they like and respect. And that’s a two-way street. This engenders a healthy environment and partnership attitude that drives new business and opportunity. There’s […]
Just last month a guest post by Paul Rosen, MD, observed how some progressive-thinking health systems are reaching out to non-healthcare businesses for lessons in problem solving. “Health systems that want to deliver the best in terms of patient safety, quality and experience,” he wrote, “should consider looking outside their own industry for benchmarking.” Benchmarking: […]
[Leadership Podcast Series] In this conversation with Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success, Dr. James Merlino, president and chief medical officer of the strategic consulting division at Press Ganey provides an insightful perspective on healthcare’s evolving landscape, significant leadership issues and the state of patient experience. Prior to joining Press Ganey, Dr. James Merlino—also a practicing surgeon—was […]
Change isn’t coming; it’s an ever-present consideration. Simply keeping pace is the challenge for physicians, medical practice administrators and hospital leadership. Telehealth—and its various facets—continues to emerge as an important and strong change agent. And two recent, in-depth reports provide guidance for doctors, industry executives and forward-looking marketing professionals. As a component of health transformation, […]
Just about everyone in healthcare marketing would love to have a slice of social media effort or content to “go viral.” But, as you probably know, the chances of your post, video link, Facebook or Twitter post hitting the digital super-big-time are slim. The “viral bonanza” seems desirable. But in social media for health care, […]
It’s human nature, I suppose, to make quick judgments based on appearance. You know, the “first impressions” thing. Does an upscale restaurant serve a better meal than the “Corner Deli” place? Is the guy wearing a Brooks Brothers suit (and $200 necktie) better at being an attorney or financial advisor? Will a sleek and slim […]
[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 […]
Quite often, we see outdoor advertising for hospitals that is giant-sized evidence of a marketing department’s silent scream. Internal politics—more than any clear business purpose—dictated that the billboards prominently display a doctor’s picture. Or we see a stunning portrait of the hospital’s shiny “light speed” CT hardware. (Maybe both.) Yes, doctors are the soul of […]
It would be difficult for the general public to miss the daily torrent of news media coverage about the run-up to the next presidential election. But hospital administrators and healthcare communications professionals are focused on Health and Human Services' increasing emphasis on “quality-based payments,” “patient-centered systems” and “delivery system reforms.” There’s far less mainstream news […]
My son needed some new fishing gear so I took him to our local Cabela’s store. We had our dogs with us in the back seat. I planned to leave them in the car while we ran in for 10 minutes to pick up a couple of items quickly. However, I saw another customer walk […]
Competition in healthcare has never been more intense. Although we speak and write about this topic frequently, we continue to discover—with alarming frequency—that providers, group practices and even some hospitals continue to “duck-and-cover,” underestimate or ignore the competition. All too often we hear head-in-the-sand anti-strategy expressed in various ways: “We don’t have competition…” “Doctors are too […]
The basics of the story are sadly similar. A medical office will contact us about their website. It’s new, colorful and brimming with whiz-bang graphics. Custom-built by the designer guy down the hall, it definitely looks pretty—everyone in the office says so. But by any measure, the medical website just isn’t delivering new business. Diagnosis […]
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 […]
At this time of year, some healthcare professionals are tempted to feel that their online marketing plans are “all set” for 2016. Hopefully that’s true. But don’t let “quiet comfort” become painful “complacency.” If you’re not vigilant to constant change—even during the holiday season—your Internet presence can quickly and quietly shift off target. Did you know, for […]
Your brain “reads” images faster than words alone. And for hospital and healthcare storytelling, it’s a powerful way to communicate compelling and more memorable ideas in branding, marketing and advertising. Show before you tell. As you and I spin through the blaze of thousands of marketing messages that assault our brains each day, the ones […]
Every 12 months we turn the page on the calendar and observe the start of a New Year with grand ceremony. Admittedly, it’s a milestone celebration…a memory marker to help sort out “what was” from “what’s new.” Generally, ushering in a New Year can be a lot of fun, but the actual dividing lines are […]
[HS Leadership Podcast Series] David Dirks, Assistant Vice President of Healthcare Transformation for Intermountain Healthcare, and Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf discuss “shared accountability,” Intermountain’s overarching term for their transformation efforts in patient population health and healthcare delivery. Many hospitals, health systems and providers throughout the United States face the future proactively, bringing a new […]
The diverse faces of telehealth—from virtual doctor consultations to remotely monitored patients—are continuing on a solid growth path. One assessment, by IHS Technology, says that doctors’ virtual consults with patients will double in less than five years, reports Forbes. Marketing strategies for hospitals, doctors and health systems will continue to adjust to keep up with […]
[Conclusion of a two-part series. Refer to Part One: King of the Hill: Healthcare Marketing and the Millennial Mindset.] Healthcare marketing plans by doctors, hospitals and communications executives have been reshaping their strategies and tactics for greater effectiveness with America’s largest demographic group--labeled The Millennials. Reaching this highly diverse and well-educated group is inherently different […]
Healthcare’s intensely competitive environment has hospitals, group medical practices and providers scrambling to win and/or protect market share. Sometimes, as Aristotle Onassis put it, “The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows.” The following Internet marketing tools aren’t really a secret, but they are often neglected. In fact, using them ahead of […]
In my advertising industry career, I’ve tended to resonate to the strength of direct response advertising. It’s not appropriate for every situation, of course. But where and when there’s a good fit, it’s one of the most powerful and effective tools. The reason: Direct response is advertising that gets results. And when it’s done properly […]
Working late one night a few months ago, I somehow stumbled on Periscope, the social video app that enables live streaming broadcasts--from you to the world. There’s a bubble of hype and hoopla connected with the launch of Periscope, so I was a bit skeptical. It turned out to be fascinating. Periscope is a free app […]
Healthcare is not short of controversy these days. Transformational change is disrupting every corner of the industry. One of the questions facing many physicians is how did I get here? Remembering back to medical school, we were passionate, committed, empathic individuals choosing to serve a higher calling. We took out loans to pay for medical […]
You’re busy. I’m busy. So here’s the point: People have become so used to instant gratification that they expect everything now. Right now. You can either embrace society’s instamatic mindset or rapidly be swept to the bottom of the marketing and competitive lineup. Convenience is the new currency. Across the board in products, services and […]
The first of a two-part guest article contributed by Pediatric Rheumatologist and healthcare thought leader Paul Rosen, MD, a regular contributor to our blog. Dr. Rosen identifies some of the key drivers in healthcare transformation, which might be seen as a field of landmines or opportunities. I was planning to write a piece on the […]
Advances in applied medical technology are rapidly outdistancing the ability for doctors, hospitals and healthcare communicators to explain “what’s new” to the typical patient. This is more than health apps, consumer gadgets and wearable devices. The ongoing challenges for medical communicators include: Because patients are better informed and more involved in their health and medical […]
It’s that time of the year when savvy healthcare marketing minds are thinking about budgets. Prudent fiscal management sets budgets annually, but reviews and adjusts monthly. If you’ve been faithful to that routine, you have a head start on planning and shaping your hospital or doctor marketing budget for the year ahead. But it’s not […]
Email marketing is a powerful healthcare marketing tool because it is relatively low cost, it’s quick and immediate, and nearly everyone uses it. That’s the easy part. The trouble is that it is increasingly difficult to do it right. The perfect email—one that is opened, read, acted upon and shared—is elusive. Frankly, devising an effective […]
With all the noise and ballyhoo that surrounds digital media these days, traditional media might seem like an incidental afterthought for healthcare advertisers. Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools are often the top-of-mind glamour options in a marketing mix, and broadcast/cable TV seem like media oldsters. Be careful. While Internet and online advertising is […]
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 […]
If one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words, this video-based article offers up some useful ideas (and a little inspiration) in a bit more than 13 million word-equivalents. It’s also a legitimate business excuse to put your other work aside—call it healthcare marketing research—and become one of the 100 million Internet users who […]
The marketing and advertising idea defining a “Buyer Persona” is well known in the retail world, but it’s a relatively new—and increasingly important—concept for doctors, hospitals and healthcare providers. The nation’s healthcare delivery system is now consumer-centric and driven by informed and empowered “buyers.” Taking a page from the retail world, the consumer is thoughtfully gathering information […]
If you buy into all the stats, everyone with a smartphone, tablet, laptop and/or desktop computer is immersed in “the year of video marketing.” And that’s pretty much everyone. Marketing-smart professionals—from retail to health care providers and hospitals—recognize the potential power of the PLAY button to engage, convince and convert. Some of the often-quoted statistics […]
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 […]
Sadly, we recently witnessed the sudden death of a good idea. As often happens within an office culture and politics in medical practices, a healthcare marketing idea was killed off before creativity had any chance at all. And the really tough part is that it was swept away for all the wrong reasons. In this […]
The day-to-day business of healthcare marketing—particularly for patient recruitment and clinical trials at hospitals and medical offices—hasn’t changed much…yet. But by many accounts, the much-heralded Apple Watch and the lesser-noticed ResearchKit are about to change healthcare research big time. And in the process, significantly streamline the often labor-intensive process of clinical trial marketing. Health and fitness is […]
Whether we know it or not—and whether we like it or not—nearly everyone is influenced by the human phenomenon of “social proof.” The term was coined long before the Internet arrived on your desktop and popularized social media. We can all thank psychology Professor Robert Cialdini for the label—he didn’t invent social proof, it seems […]
Future-thinkers who imagined “healthcare reform” as a move toward socialized medicine in the US may not have anticipated the weight of response from (previously) non-healthcare capitalists. The well-established chain of Whole Foods Markets has long been a grassroots evangelist for natural and healthy foods. And they may be another enterprise entry in the increasingly competitive healthcare […]
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 […]
In the 50-plus years since David Ogilvy published the 20 most persuasive words used in advertising, his insightful vocabulary list remains amazingly appropriate and enduring today. Admittedly what you write for healthcare requires a more conservative approach than the hyperbole and open-field running that's allowed in the retail world. But these words can be engaging, […]
The advance billing for the Apple watch was typically Apple-superlative. Fueled by the enthusiasm of legions of brand evangelists, the initial buzz anticipated something “revolutionary,” “life-changing” and/or “breakthrough” for health and healthcare. Well… It turns out that the “innovative” health-and-fitness Apple Watch is more “fitness” than “health.” Version 1.0 is an admittedly stylish gadget that […]
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 […]
Editor Note: Veteran media supervisor Charlie DeNatale provides this case study about the dramatic role that television advertising has in an effective media plan. We’ve masked the client information, but for hospital and other healthcare advertisers this study illustrates the return from a balanced media mix of television with search and Pay-per-Click advertising. I’m reminded […]
[Marketing Minute Video Series] Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf interviews Senior Account Manager Janet Bowden. Marketing Minute from Healthcare Success features tips for marketing your medical practice or hospital. It’s a classic problem in a busy medical practice. Advertising gets the phone to ring. A new patient prospect is calling. And nobody told the front […]
Shortened Name Highlight’s Agency’s Record of Growing Healthcare Businesses Irvine, CA – March, 2015 – As the world of healthcare is ever-changing, Healthcare Success is changing with it and announcing its new name: Healthcare Success, a slightly shortened name that is emblematic of the company’s achievements in growing medical businesses. “Shortening our name just made sense. Our […]
Sadly, this tale is true. Hopefully, there’s a lesson to be learned and doctors and healthcare marketing professionals can be on guard. Here’s the story (and how to avoid being fleeced by a sleazy “marketing person.”) We’ve disguised the particulars, but this real-world case vividly illustrates the definition of “fleeced,” which is: “to obtain a […]
Healthcare’s harsh business reality is that no one can afford to underestimate or ignore the competition today. Download this free report: How to Win Patients Despite Intense Competition. The lingering legacy, however, is that many doctors rarely think of their professional colleagues as competition. There is a tendency for many physicians and surgeons to see themselves […]
[Marketing Minute Video Series] Healthcare Success Marketing Communications Manager Stephen Gregg, MBA, talks with CEO and Creative Director Stewart Gandolf. Introducing a new doctor in the practice by way of a notice to the media? Medical practices, groups and hospitals love to spotlight their doctors. But they often miss the boat with a “news release” […]
