People often confuse marketing and public relations (PR), but they are not synonymous. They do, however, work best together. In fact, we often include healthcare PR services in our marketing plans along with other key strategies, including branding, digital marketing, traditional advertising, internal marketing, and professional referral building. So, What Exactly Is PR? Public relations […]
As more businesses favor social media channels for timely business communications, you may think press releases have become outdated or old-fashioned. You might even ask yourself, "Do we even need press releases anymore?" The answer is an unequivocal "Yes." Consumers and journalists still view press releases as one of the most trustworthy sources of brand-related […]
Learn how to craft an effective communication strategy for COVID-19 vaccines for patients in healthcare practices and medical organizations.
I (Stewart) love what I do in large part because of the smart people I continually get to meet and befriend. Jay Geer is another case in point. Perhaps ten years ago, his (then) assistant James Chisum reached out to me and said, “You have to meet Jay Geer. He is THE hospital PR guy, […]
Our team at Healthcare Success is currently advising clients about how they should adjust their marketing efforts in response to the COVID-19 national emergency, and I thought I would share some of our thinking with readers like you as well. These are fast-changing and confusing times. Remember, SXSW was canceled on March 6. By March 9, […]
One of the things I love most about my job is the opportunity to meet with some really great people doing amazing work in healthcare. Recently, I spoke with Johnny Smith, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at Ascension Health, the nation’s largest non-profit health system. I reached out to him after hearing about his […]
Communications professionals know the name Ivy Lee, considered the father of modern public relations. Few people appreciate that he also invented—and wrote—the first press release. That was a hundred years ago (1906). It traveled by regular mail and the common name “press release” probably came later. Many things about this time-honored publicity channel are still […]
What do you do when the news media suddenly knocks on your door regarding a hot news item? What if one or more members of the press wants a media interview? Without much notice they're seeking your expert medical opinion or professional point of view. It’s useful for the media to know that you're available. And […]
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 […]
It's likely that your health system, hospital or practice will soon be the victim of a cyber crime. Your medical public relations disaster is not “if,” but “when.” The actual victims include patients and the loss of personal data. Compromised health record information is a medical public relations emergency waiting to happen. Your brand and marketing […]
Geisinger Health System (GHS) made the news a year ago with a ground breaking commitment to patient experience. GHS was the first hospital group to offer money-back refunds on their care...and with no questions asked. The retail world provides patient experience lessons. The program is for “patients whose experiences and expectations were not met with kindness and compassion.” […]
Hospitals, as well as some medical practices, can use public service announcements (PSAs) to communicate “messages in the public interest.” The good new and the bad news about creating a public service announcement is that it’s free. Well…that is to say, it’s nearly free. There’s no charge for any broadcast time or print ad space, which can […]
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, […]
[Second of two parts] If you have not already done so, please read our previous post, Hospital PR Case Examples: One Bizarre, One Just Crazy about the hospital cyber-attack-for-ransom. This second case example is a different sort of hospital public relations (and media relations) squabble, between the local newspaper and the local hospital. Nobody wants […]
[First of two parts] Two “PR-painful” news stories caught our attention recently. They are the kind of thing that makes the job of hospital public relations and community relations a challenge and headache…but, they illustrate why there are times that hospitals need professional help. For the hospitals involved— South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, GA, and […]
Paul Rosen, MD A year ago, I had a chance meeting with OperaDelaware’s General Manager, Brendan Cooke. OperaDelaware is the 11th oldest opera company in the country, with offices just three miles from our front door at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE. Before long, Brendan and I were talking about the […]
There’s no mistaking this picture. Ryan is one happy kid. Ryan—the son of Niki Kaylor, our Director of Client Services—just received his first college acceptance letter. The envelope alone leaves no doubt about the University of South Carolina (USC) notification to Ryan, his family and friends. Niki—who happened to be at home with Ryan when […]
The concept of “free publicity” appeals to medical practices and providers because it appears to be...well, free. It turns out that that "free" is something of a misnomer. In healthcare—for that matter, in any industry—communications professionals recognize that the process that results in positive publicity is time intensive and rarely easy. Ultimately, the story that appears […]
Cyber attacks on patient healthcare records and medical information are hot-news headlines—and an increasingly realistic prospect for health systems, hospitals and medical practices. Is your PR or Communications Plan ready for this digital broadside? Large-scale criminal data breaches, such as the reports regarding the UCLA Health System (affecting over 4 million people), are high profile […]
“All you have to do,” someone once told every young doctor, “is be a good provider and everything will take care of itself.” Let’s put that notion at the top of this list of promotional myths. The mistaken belief—that simply being a good doctor will bring new patients through your door—will probably make you and your […]
Let’s hope you never back into a buzz saw of “unintended consequences.” That’s when seemingly ordinary events inexplicably spin over to the dark side. It doesn’t happen often, but here’s a roundup of three recent and unrelated news reports that went from sweet to sour. What’s your reaction to these items, and what would you do if […]
Experienced doctors tell us that, sooner or later in their career, every physician will face the prospect of legal action. Between 75 and 99 percent of practicing doctors, depending on their specialty, will be threatened by a lawsuit according to a NEJM study. Although “patient-sues-doctor” rarely makes the news, the reverse situation—doctor-sues-patient—seems to make the headlines […]
There are times when hospital and health system publicity or public relations can leverage current news or events to a positive advantage. Healthcare reform and the many faces (and continuing implementation steps) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) for example, is an ever-timely springboard to being part of the news. There can […]
Healthcare marketing is more involved than simply hiring someone to write an ad or create a brochure for you. (After all, your practice is not a simple box of detergent or a used car lot.) To be successful, you will need a well-considered marketing plan and budget, complete with ethical, appropriate and proven strategies. While […]
We’ve been working on redesigning and refreshing our marketing information newsletter. And since the subject of newsletter content and construction was top of mind for us, we wanted to share a few how-to tips about the process. Not long ago we conducted a Reader Survey that was open to our 15,000+ subscribers. The responses helped […]
