All healthcare marketing and communications professionals are well acquainted with the basic elements of the Communications Cycle. In essence: the sender expresses a message the recipient receives and interprets the message feedback to the sender reflects understanding (or misunderstanding) While it all sounds elementary, we know from experience that the communications process is always far […]
During the past five to 10 years, competition among healthcare providers has gone from fairly benign or annoyingly disruptive to a painful upheaval. From hospitals and health systems to solo practitioners, the competitive landscape has changed—correction, continues to change—rapidly. And one of the most significant factors that many doctors find especially scary is the staggering […]
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 […]
[Series Installment] “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.” --Jean-Luc Godard Pure creativity is seldom born from a blank piece of paper. There’s nothing new under the sun, they say, but be open to sources of inspiration. Consider, for example, that Henry Ford did not invent the automobile, Thomas Edison did […]
A successful office manager who we admire and respect once told us that there are three main components to her job. The first is to assure the delivery of a top-notch patient experience. The clinical care and treatment, of course, was mainly in the hands of the doctor. But just about everything else—staffing, administration, and […]
Marketing in any industry is a tricky endeavor. When it comes to your own practice or an independent clinic where gaining and maintaining a customer’s trust is paramount, the task is especially challenging. And when we’re talking about the marketing of content, that challenging task becomes even more difficult, due not only to the ongoing need […]
The challenges of hospital marketing can appear unwieldy and complex because…well, sometimes they are unwieldy and complex. You have multiple audiences to address, professional and patient needs to consider, worthy objectives competing for scarce resources…and a million other goals, expectations and nuances. But to simplify, take a page from the retail world. A method that […]
Are printed YP directories still relevant? Judging by the less-than-usual clutter under the desk, the Yellow Pages (and similar printed directories) have all but vanished from American communications culture. When was the last time you saw a rotary dial phone, telephone landline or even a corner phone booth? Some marketing “old-timers” (anyone over the age […]
Nobody said it would be easy to upset tradition and office culture in order to dramatically re-invent the often-frustrating system of patient appointments. Pediatric Rheumatologist Dr. Paul Rosen spells out how faster, better, easier patient access produces business, personal and clinical advantages. I was talking to a friend last week about a recent experience she had […]
On an intellectual level, many doctors acknowledge the revolutionary rise of competition in healthcare. But some individuals and medical groups underestimate the shocking reality of what active and aggressive competition means in business today. Some provider organizations find themselves rapidly losing business and needing to market as never before. A large specialty practice, for example, […]
[Marketing Minute Video Series] Healthcare Success Account Supervisor Tracy Scarborough and CEO Stewart Gandolf talk about RESULTS in marketing. Another Marketing Minute from Healthcare Success with tips, techniques and ideas for successful medical practice or hospital marketing and advertising. Hospitals, medical practices and other providers always want results from their marketing investment. But surprisingly, not […]
It seems that consumers have collectively decided about social media and health care. They’re in favor of it as an information tool and use in droves. More importantly, over 40 percent of people say that social media would affect their choice of a particular physician or hospital. If a significant group of people (i.e. prospective […]
Ask a dozen people for a definition of “brand” or “branding,” and the odds are that they will talk about a logo. Maybe it's a trick question because the word “brand” can be a noun or a verb, or in the narrow context of marketing, it can have yet another meaning. Compared to the retail and […]
Last November, Facebook announced that that they were cracking down on businesses with overly promotional page posts, and that offenders would suffer a decrease in organic reach. Organic reach is the number of unique individuals who saw your content. Paid reach is the number of unique people who saw an ad or Sponsored Story that […]
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 […]
One of the things we commonly hear from colleagues and clients in healthcare marketing is: “Tell me more about social media.” They may be using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other platforms, but the challenge to be effective is the same. Even professional marketing and communications folks want to know more, and some will admit that […]
Pediatric Rheumatologist and thought leader Dr. Paul Rosen—a regular contributor to our blog—talks doctor-to-doctor about why pediatricians and other providers should care about, and connect with, the “mommy bloggers.” Who are the mommy bloggers? Every pediatrician across the country—as well as family physicians and other specialists—should be asking themselves this question…and consider the benefits of […]
The popular buzz-phrase in contemporary healthcare—price transparency—is a relatively new dynamic in the competitive equation for providers and marketing professionals. And it cuts in two directions. On one hand, price transparency—and knowing the cost of medical procedures in advance—is a major plus for public awareness. On the other hand, price is not the only consideration for truly […]
On the surface, Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising—sometimes known as cost-per-click—seems friendly enough. Advertisers only pay for the advertising space when someone clicks on the ad. One analogy, however, says that PPC can be like high-stakes gambling. The casino will never turn you away, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s really easy to lose […]
Of course, everyone in healthcare has a command of “communications skills.” Doctors, nurses, medical staff, administrators and office employees…everyone “communicates” with patients and co-workers. The trouble is…sometimes ya ain’t so good at it. Good or bad, interpersonal communications can be verbal or non-verbal, express subtle or obvious ideas, and/or be filled with medical jargon. Although […]
When youthful enchantment with “rat tats,” tribal geometry and dolphin tattoos fades, it fuels a marketing gateway for hospitals, dermatologists and other removal providers. Somewhere around one in five Americans have tattoos, but as the population grows older (and perhaps wiser), “tattoo regret” begins to set in for many people. Typically, about 10 to 15 […]
Think of it as a “spring cleaning.” Or “time for a tune-up.” Or even a “wellness checkup.” You're probably overdue. If you haven’t given your healthcare website much thought lately, there’s an excellent chance that the digital front door to your practice or hospital is not operating at peak performance...and not ready for prime time. […]
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 […]
Sometimes, the retail world provides a useful Internal Marketing lesson for doctors or medical practices. Consider, for example, the considerable “customer retention” effort that we’ve all seen in magazine subscription marketing. At one time or another, you and I have been the target audience, and we know how it goes. First, an initial subscription to a national magazine is […]
Search Engine Optimization Manager Steven Jacobs talks with Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf about avoiding classic SEO mistakes. This video is another in our Marketing Minute series with insightful ideas and tips for marketing your medical practice or hospital. Everyone with a healthcare website knows that Search Engine Optimization is vitally important to being found […]
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 […]
You don’t have to look far to find a chorus of concerns about the HCAHPS survey tools. But you need look no further than the enormously popular Facebook for real-people feedback. In a quest for a uniform means of comparison for the informed patient/consumer, hospital administrators and managers continue to be challenged by the ways and […]
Is this a healthcare or hospital promotional idea here that you can use? Techno-Baby Example One: Somewhere between human-interest “blessed event” and worldwide “product promotion,” Samsung scored worldwide publicity for its Gear VR (virtual reality) headset, with headlines like: World’s first live-streamed, virtual reality birth and Father attends birth of his son from 4,000 km […]
A dermatologist and I were talking the other day about online search and Google search results in particular. His pragmatic view is that Google has become the new phone book. It’s where consumers—prospective patients—turn first to search for and to find a “dermatologist in [community]." What’s more, he feels that if a medical practice isn’t […]
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, […]
Perhaps the most revealing thing about email marketing is evidenced by the smartphone that you have in your hand right now. Smartphones now account for 80 percent of the mobile phone market, and IDC Research says that 80 percent of those folks--likely both you and I--checked email before their first cup of morning coffee—or anything else […]
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 […]
The idiom, “Don’t put the cart before the horse,” might have originated a couple thousand years ago. And roughly 500 years ago, the expression was a common figure of speech during the Renaissance. But as recently as last week, the age-old problem of putting things in the wrong order is, quite unfortunately, still alive and well...and […]
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 […]
There’s a famous line in the movie Jaws that you might recall. When Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) first comes face-to-face with the killer shark they’re hunting, he realizes: “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” It’s much like that in the real world when we hear about all the problems that doctors and hospitals […]
Hospital advertising is in the spotlight, and we wonder how your facility would stand-up to the challenging ideas we found in the news recently. The first is about price transparency and publishing cost information in ads for patients. The second notion proposes that hospital websites should be labeled as advertising—with the implication that if it’s […]
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 […]
The Godzilla of search engines—Google—has published a warning that, beginning in April, websites that are not “mobile-friendly” will rank lower in search results. We can test that and evaluate your website for you, but here’s why being mobile-friendly is especially important to hospital and healthcare websites. Most people who look online for health information, […]
[Another installment in our continuing education series about Internet and marketing terms that sharpen your business success.] The inside-the-shop vocabulary of medical advertising agencies has expanded with the growth of the Internet as a primary healthcare marketing tool. Although elements of this business language are relatively new, they are nonetheless important to attracting and retaining […]
[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 […]
In this Guest Post, thought leader and Pediatric Rheumatologist Dr. Paul Rosen envisions the disruptive transformations—mostly for the better—when healthcare inevitably embraces the transparency and data-sharing that have transformed other industries. In their new book Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate, Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and Zillow chief economist Stan Humphries describe the […]
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 […]
Regular publishing—producing content for a website, blog, social media and other digital platforms—creates an online presence. But your effectiveness quotient jumps into overdrive when readers share your material with others. Not everything hits the gold standard of “going viral,” but experienced hospital and healthcare marketers appreciate the value of shared digital content. High quality and […]
Well… we’re not advocating anything inappropriate here, but from time to time we bump into some clever hospital and healthcare marketing ideas that are worth sharing. One or more of the following engaging concepts could be an idea springboard or adapted for use by others. Comedy Show Benefits Children’s Hospital: A tip of the hat […]
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 […]
Online marketing is a primary tool for doctors, medical practices and hospitals to reach new patients. And the pervasive availability of the Internet has propelled healthcare consumers—patients, prospective patients, friends and family—to a new level of awareness and empowerment. The thing is…Internet marketing has become increasingly competitive and technically challenging. A simple website, with a […]
The Internet has become healthcare’s front door. And your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and medical content had better be first class because Google is shuffling the results deck. Google took notice of the big connection between online searches and health, and you’ll soon find medical content in Knowledge Graph enhanced search results. (If the label’s […]
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. With the upheavals of healthcare reform, the once-upon-a-time” story of quiet camaraderie among provider practices has become an unprecedented competitive revolution. The lingering legacy, however, is that many […]
[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” […]
Here’s a brief but important staff training lesson: Don’t let office efficiency overpower patient experience. Without considerable care, the negative consequences can have an enduring—and unwanted—downside. We encounter this often as we work with doctor’s offices around the country. On the surface the office appears to be well managed and highly efficient. The office manager […]
