AI search is changing how patients find, evaluate, and trust healthcare information before they ever visit a website. In advance of this year’s HCIC, Kathy Divis and Mike Schneider of Greystone.net join me to discuss what that shift means for healthcare brands, content strategy, digital experience, and the enduring need for a clear marketing plan.
Healthcare leaders are navigating unprecedented complexity. In this episode, Stewart Gandolf speaks with Dennis Jolley, Assistant Vice President for Strategy and Planning at UW Health and President of SHSMD, about the forces reshaping healthcare strategy—from workforce shortages and financial pressures to AI, patient trust, and the growing importance of cross-functional leadership.
What’s the best way to choose a healthcare marketing agency? While I (Stewart) have plenty of ideas about the process of picking the best healthcare marketing agency for your hospital, medical practice, or healthcare network, I thought it would be valuable to ask my friend and venerable colleague, Ed Bennett, to share his opinions during our […]
Today, healthcare brands have more photography and videography options than ever. For many situations, hiring professionals, such as a professional photographer, a production company, or a videographer, will be best. In other instances, you and your team can utilize a high-quality smartphone camera, affordable software programs, and inexpensive starter equipment to quickly, cheaply, and easily […]
Healthcare consumerism has drastically changed the way healthcare professionals need to market and deliver their services. Today’s consumers expect a healthcare experience as innovative and digitally advanced as any other industry. Hospitals, health systems, and medical practices must evolve to meet these changing needs to remain competitive or risk falling behind. As more healthcare professionals provide accessible online […]
In part one of the CEO’s Guide to Hospital Marketing Strategies, learn seven wins to expect from your investment, including a positive ROI.
Discover five ways to build a strong hospital brand for the modern healthcare consumer and reach your target audience.
Despite having entered the U.S. more than eight months ago, COVID-19 remains a health topic enshrouded in confusion, conflicting information, hyperbole, and even conspiracy theories. Everyone, informed or not, seems to have an opinion about the Coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, healthcare systems, hospitals, and medical services providers are uniquely qualified to fill the educational void and assert […]
COVID-19 has been a life-changing event for us all. It's the kind of event that has lasting effects on people that we can't even truly see just yet. We've thrust an entire population into a cycle of grief that is ubiquitous but unique to every person. How will the healthcare consumer, patient, and caregivers' needs, […]
A “new normal” is emerging in healthcare for both providers and patients. Healthcare industry leaders and medical marketing professionals constantly struggle to keep pace with changes. We all have the challenge of adjusting to pandemic demands and shifting consumer attitudes. Some questions are emerging: What do healthcare patients want and expect in a post-pandemic world? […]
If you haven’t considered digital audio for healthcare marketing, it’s time to put it on your list. The big players include Pandora, Spotify, and iHeart. They deliver both music and talk, streaming and on demand across a wide range of interactive channels. As mobile devices have proliferated, so, too has digital audio. It reaches at […]
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 […]
With a brand-new decade on the horizon, it’s time many healthcare practices, hospitals, health plans, and other organizations make serious shifts in the way they approach marketing. Are you positioning your healthcare institution for growth in the new year? My healthcare marketing predictions for 2020 can guide you towards a more comprehensive strategy for the […]
Occasionally, I hear from a doctor or healthcare executive, “We don’t need a lot of marketing. Everyone in the community already knows us.” To that, I have to say: “Are you sure?” Remember, you spend a lot of time with your own brand, and it’s easy to forget that very few people have even a […]
This year, we're likely to see some dramatic changes in the world of healthcare. With private equity acquisitions on the rise, retailization in high demand, and some fierce competition, it's time to start treating your healthcare organization like the business it is. Make 2019 the year you find what works for your medical marketing. These […]
The patient is going away and the consumer is here to stay. We’ve seen and discussed this trend for years, and today, we have the chance to see how this shift to consumerism affects various demographics—and women in particular. This week on our podcast, I’m talking with Rob Klein, founder and CEO of Klein & […]
If your healthcare organization is not already involved in mergers and acquisitions in some form, it probably will be within the next few years. Today's podcast guests want to help organizations like yours navigate through mergers and acquisitions while keeping your marketing and communications teams aligned. CEO Stewart Gandolf spoke with Tammy Graves, Healthcare Principal […]
Each year, the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) puts on a very successful event in association with the American Hospital Association—and it’s not just for hospitals. Take James Robberson’s topic from SHSMD 2018: “Optimizing Your Primary Care Footprint.” Robberson is the Director of Business Development at Littleton Adventist Hospital, and while his […]
SHSMD 2018 produced a stellar lineup this year. One of the presentations I was most excited about came from the communications team at VCU Health, a health system that’s doing amazing things with its social media—particularly with Facebook Live. In case you missed the presentation, here’s some good news: I spoke with Anne Dreyfuss, Public […]
Many private practices have embraced the rise of healthcare consumerism trends, providing ways to create an experience that puts the patient's needs first. In hospitals, though, changes have been slow-going. This is due in part to longstanding structuring, pricing, and patient care protocols that are tough (and costly) to get around. But these changes are […]
[INSTALLMENT - A Continuing Series] Every physician and medical administrator that we know is intimately—often, intensely—aware of HIPAA’s privacy and security rules. There isn’t a policy, procedure or process that isn’t carefully scrutinized as HIPAA compliant. This isn't legal advice, but healthcare professionals know that protected health information (PHI) and electronic protected health information (ePHI) […]
Here’s a powerful secret sauce that social media pros use to make a mega-splash. Social influencers magnify and extend the typical reach. A hospital, health system or a premier doctor group, isn’t going to dominate the market by doing what everyone else does. Successful providers and organizations have an in-house leader, marketing person or team […]
[Series Installment] It seems to some observers that many hospitals and healthcare providers are not prepared for the next wave of consumerism. Contemporary studies among hospitals and health systems in the industry believe that patient behaviors and expectations are critical. But less than one-quarter of healthcare organizations have the means to gather and analyze meaningful patient […]
Here’s a brief roundup of clever marketing ideas. They’re the kind of secret sauce techniques that are highly effective…and seasoned pros seldom reveal. Each little idea is unrelated to the others, except that they add a bit of color, flair and professional splash to your marketing, PR, branding or social voice. Just go ahead—call them […]
“The best bridge between a presenter and an audience,” someone once wrote, “is a story.” Everyone is engaged by a good story. In fact, it’s how the human brain is wired. When someone is talking to us, we automatically look for the beginning, the middle and the end of the storyline structure. And if the […]
It is tempting to describe the digital revolution in healthcare marketing using either-or terms. Articles that want to compare and contrast TRADITIONAL marketing with DIGITAL marketing tend to make two columns, with one side VERSUS the other side. The purpose, place and applications of one are not in opposition to the other. Most often, they […]
Learning is a daily exercise for must of us. Among the successful medical groups, practices and hospitals that we know, most are committed to self-improvement and thinking bigger. Their leadership—doctors, administrators, marketing executives and others—are committed to Continuing Education—in marketing and management, as well as in the clinical skills. The convenience of the ever-present Internet […]
More than at any time in the past, the Internet is the primary pathway to hospitals and healthcare providers for today’s informed consumer. There isn’t a hospital or healthcare marketing professional who hasn’t heard the stat that “over 70 percent of Internet users looked online for health information.” Pew Research confirms that the percent of […]
In the months ahead, emerging market trends will reveal many important hospital marketing trends—more than we have space to unwrap in detail here. The following issues, however, are among the most important marketing-related ideas to track as they unfold. You are probably aware of these issues. Although they may be familiar, most are likely to […]
Not long ago, we published an article titled: Doctors Don’t Advertise” and 10 Other Lame Marketing Myths. Some of the ill-advised “reasons” on our list sounded a wake-up call for a few readers. It turns out that they recognized that medicine is a profession, but healthcare is a business. Ultimately, for every hospital and healthcare […]
The curious thing about medical groups and hospitals that want to be the “best in class” is that, often, they are already the leaders in the marketplace. Think about that for a minute. The top of the line wants to beat itself and set a new, higher standard. They know that they are good at […]
Seemingly overnight the Internet created dozens of directory, listing, review and rating sites. In a digital flash, negative online reviews—or outright bad reviews—can soil the fabric of years of good work and positive impressions. The high altitude overview reveals that the vast majority of online reviews are positive. By and large, doctors provide their services […]
A fisherman’s first question is always: “Are they biting?” And regardless of the response, the second question is always: “What bait are you using?” It’s easy to see the marketing analogy. First, do your new business fishing where the fish are. And second, know the prospective patients’ healthcare advertising preference. Do they want digital or […]
Perhaps the only rock-solid prediction for 2018 is that hospital, medical group and healthcare marketing is the ever-present challenge to keep pace with change. Competition is tough, resources are precious, and performance expectations—delivering a solid return on investment—are always demanding. To achieve a new level of success in the New Year, industry leaders and marketing […]
[Healthcare Success Industry Leadership Podcast] Our distinguished guests today are Rob Klein, founder and CEO of Klein & Partners, and Toni Klein, co-founder and Digital Practice Lead at the respected healthcare marketing research firm. They are talking with Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success about the State of Digital Healthcare Marketing study by Klein & Partners […]
The name of the (nearly) new player is FACEBOOK LOCAL, which is blending the lines between social media and online local search. The introduction of Facebook Local Search could become a battle for digital turf —between search engine giant Google and social media giant Facebook—and it may morph into an important new trend. In time, […]
A major hallmark of delivering patient-centered care is convenience. Today’s hospital and medical practice patient has become a sophisticated consumer. This is someone ready and willing to select a hospital or provider based on the quality and ease of service that truly puts the patient first. Millennials—the largest of the demographic groups—want and expect health […]
[Series Installment] Nearly all health systems, hospitals, medical groups and professional practices have two fundamental considerations in common. And the professional groups that are becoming breakaway successful have leveraged the new consumerism marketing. The first is dynamic—one that virtually everyone struggles with—is the tough competitive landscape. The quiet days of old-school healthcare are gone. The fast-pace […]
Most doctors are well respected, even beloved, by the vast majority of patients. In the broad spectrum of patient-provider relationships, physicians have a positive head start. As the widely held and generally correct stereotype goes, skilled and experienced professionals in the healing arts are intelligent, well educated who do good for patients and the community […]
More than a few physicians have gone into practice with the expectation, wish or hope, that marketing or advertising was mostly unnecessary. They believed that they would inspire a word-of-mouth-only (WOM) practice, and patient and professional referrals would do it all. Related: 9 Essential Steps to Improve Doctor Ratings Online That concept was popular, but […]
The concept of "If you build it, they will come,” doesn’t always work in business. There are no “set-and-forget” benefits from just posting a website. And simply being the good (the best, maybe even great) healthcare provider in town is no assurance that consumers will know it and lineup at the office door. Worse, we’ve seen a […]
[Part One in a Series] Right up front, it’s fair to say that there are some exceptions to this overview lesson about digital marketing. In fact, a full-service, integrated healthcare agency brings marketing and advertising savvy and experience to direct a comprehensive, digital-driven plan that attracts and retains new patients. That said, digital is (almost) […]
For several consecutive years, all of us have heard the same prediction: “This is the year of the video!” We don’t know the exact moment of launch, but compelling video is now a powerful marketing tool for hospitals, medical groups and professional practitioners. And the performance stats and results are stronger each year. Let’s credit […]
[Second of two parts.] Healthcare continues to reinvent itself with near-constant changes in delivery systems as well as in the ongoing competitive battles in marketing and advertising. Here are more of the forward-looking trends, strategies and tactics that hospitals and medical practices need to consider for 2018 planning and beyond. Many of the trends and […]
Resolved: 2018 will be a time for thoughtful positive planning to achieve greater business success. The best or the worst of every marketing year is the fourth and final quarter. For some hospitals and medical groups, unfortunately, this is a red flag danger zone. It’s hard to say what caused the year-end period to become a […]
Nearly 100 percent of the hospitals and medical practices that we meet in the course of a year want their business to expand. These are the marketing savvy doctors and communications professionals who recognize that medicine is a profession, but healthcare is a business. They usually represent the premier providers in a region—already holding a […]
[First of two parts. For 2018 planning and beyond.] It’s downright tough, but to consistently attract new patients, hospital executives, doctors and marketing professionals contend with a changing landscape. Tracking with the latest trends and visions in healthcare marketing is a future-think exercise in planning. When you have the time for a high-altitude view, a […]
First, a short disclaimer: The purpose of this post is not to toot our own horn. This is about your benefits when you work with a Google Premier Partner. (OK…it’s good to know that Healthcare Success is a Premier-level Google Partner.) You can work with any firm you chose. But the big-picture message is that […]
[Community Manager Series Installment] The care and feeding of all social media issues fall squarely in the lap of the community manager. All the good, the bad and the “everything else” from online physician reviews and feedback demands constant attention. The trouble is, nobody enjoys handling a hot potato, negative physician review or feedback. Related: […]
Every savvy marketing executive knows the John Wanamaker (1838-1922) quote: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” Somewhere in his distinguished career, John must have found the answer. More than 150 years later, it turns out he was exceptionally successful in retail merchandising, and to […]
