It may seem counterintuitive, but America’s population of older adults—frequent users of healthcare services—are increasingly frequent users of the Internet. The intersection of senior citizens and the Internet is a growing demographic sweet spot for hospital and healthcare marketing for baby boomers. Although younger age groups are more closely associated with technology, gadgets and Internet […]
For nearly 10 years or so, hospitals have been struggling with how to effectively and profitably reinvent themselves. The direction is to become increasingly consumer-direct. Among the transformational market forces are the informed and empowered public, increasing competitive pressures, and the desire for hospitals to serve women and other demographic groups. Sprinkle into this recipe the overarching goals […]
[SHSMD14 Podcast Series] Healthcare Success’ Kylie Ladd chats with Elizabeth Joint, the new marketing manager at Ochsner Health System (Louisiana). They spoke during the 2014 SHSMD Connections event in San Diego. Ochsner Health System, southeast Louisiana's largest non-profit, academic, multi-specialty, healthcare delivery system, is also one of the nation’s “most wired” organizations. A unique “O […]
Online marketing and healthcare content—most notably social media—is increasingly visual. Longer ago than most of us can remember, what we now call the Internet was strictly an alphanumeric beast. It was great, as long as you could communicate strictly in letters and numbers. That didn’t last long. Communicating with visual elements—pictures, charts, animated GIFs and […]
Throughout the year I have the opportunity to speak with groups of doctors about marketing. I thoroughly enjoy the intellectual exchange with smart people, particularly when the topic is advancing the business side of their practice. Putting aside the poster presentations and beyond sharing clinical info that dominates professional meetings, doctors—usually successful practitioners—are eager to […]
Today, nearly anyone with online access can see a doctor or healthcare professional immediately. No appointment, no travel, no waiting, no hassle. A computer, smartphone or tablet increasingly connects patients and providers via live, two-way video consultation—24/7/365. What’s more, the typical insurance co-pay is relatively low, and for some people, employers cover the cost. This […]
We know for a fact that—in healthcare marketing—it can seem difficult to explain the value, importance and impact of Twitter. Have you ever been called to a set-down meeting with the boss (or even professional colleagues) and asked to defend social media in general, and Twitter in particular, as an effective marketing expense? Twitter can seem […]
Healthcare marketing professionals know what the retail-world textbook says about customers. Substitute “patient” for “customer” or “consumer” to realize how healthcare’s new swing from provider-centric to patient-centric is much more significant than a smile and warm welcome. Your relationship with healthcare’s new empowered consumer is vital element in revenue and profitability. Acquiring a new customer […]
[SHSMD14 Speaker Podcast Series] Tracy Borkowski, Director of Business Unit Marketing for Memorial Hermann Health System talks with Healthcare Success’ Kylie Ladd regarding the 2014 SHSMD Connections presentation: Attracting the Digital Healthcare Consumer: Innovations in Real-Time Online Appointment Scheduling. "There's a big appetite by consumers for online scheduling," Tracy Borkowski said, and Memorial Hermann Health System […]
[SHSMD14 Speaker Podcast Series] Mayo Clinic’s Katheryn Hawkins, Senior Analyst, and Erin Cole, Business Development Manager, talk with Healthcare Success’ Kylie Ladd regarding their presentation at the 2014 SHSMD Connections meeting. Their topic: New Methods to Identify the Right Relationship and Monitor Performance. The classic question in healthcare marketing is how to measure success. The […]
Let’s say an informed patient determined that the cost for “arteriography and angiocardiography using contrast material” was half as expensive at “Hospital A” as compared to “Hospital B.” At half price, would they want to buy two procedures? On the other hand, does the consumer trust that "cheapest available" is the ideal purchase decision in health care? More realistically, would […]
Occasionally, I get a little push-back from doctors who challenge my advice saying: “I don’t need an ‘elevator speech.’ Everyone knows who I am, I’m not pitching investors, and I’m not ‘networking.’ Besides, it sounds phony and I’d never use it.” That's not from everyone, of course. Many professionals know about the "quick message" technique, […]
[SHSMD14 Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Schaffer, Chief Marketing Officer for BayCare Health System in the Tampa, FL area talks with Lonnie Hirsch, Co-Founder of Healthcare Success about Stewart’s presentation at the 2014 SHSMD Connections meeting this month titled: Designing a Consumer-Driven Brand Experience that Brings the Brand Promise to Life. In hospital and healthcare marketing, what […]
List this study as Required Reading for healthcare marketing professionals. The 2014 Survey of America’s Physicians: Practice Patterns and Perspectives is not only one of the largest physician surveys, it lives up to its self-description as “an unrivaled resource of information on today’s doctors for hospital and medical group executives, physician recruiting professionals, members of […]
Perhaps the idea of promoting “flu shots” isn’t particularly “glamorous” in healthcare marketing. Some doctor’s offices, healthcare providers (and marketing professionals) consider vaccinations and immunizations as ordinary and routine as remembering to turning off the lights at night. Nobody gives it much thought. Preventative care and patient wellbeing are at the top of the list, […]
[SHSMD14 Speaker Podcast Series] Lonnie Hirsch, Co-Founder of Healthcare Success talks with Marcy Marshall, Director of Employee Communications, Geisinger Health, about her upcoming presentation at the 2014 SHSMD Connections meeting titled: We Gave Our Employees a Voice: The Transformation of Employee Communications. What do you do about internal communications when health system employees—thousands of them—feel their voice […]
The Internet assures me that “we look at our smartphones 150 times each day.” It must be true…I saw it on my smartphone. Look it up…I’ll wait. But seriously…three things collided on our healthcare marketing radar recently. Collectively and individually they are sharp reminders that if your plans and strategy are not “thinking mobile,” your […]
Until recently, the concept of “brand” or “brand building” has not been too important for physician practices, medical groups or hospitals. Only a few healthcare entities took branding seriously in their marketing plans…and fewer still were able to carry it off effectively. Almost overnight, or so it seems, all that changed. To listen to some people in […]
[SHSMD14 Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success talks with Sharp HealthCare Multicultural Community Relations Specialist Jessica Lopez, and John Cihomsky, Vice President, PR & Communications. Jessica and John will be speaking at the 2014 SHSMD Connections Conference on the topic: Building Credibility With the Hispanic Community. The concept of “Show Me. Don’t Tell […]
[SHSMD14 Speaker Podcast Series] Lonnie Hirsch, Co-Founder of Healthcare Success talks with Tom Jensen, Director of Marketing for Mercy Health System about Mr. Jensen’s upcoming presentation at the 2014 SHSMD Connections Conference on the topic: Enabling Tools and Technologies: The Rise of Google Plus. Google Plus is standing toe-to-to with Facebook, but—as Tom Jensen and Lonnie […]
For the sake of a convenient label, let’s call it the Nordstrom Syndrome. Doctors of various professional disciplines come to me, with some regularity, exhibiting symptoms of this (marketing) condition, and they want my business advice. It’s the first of two valuable marketing lessons that doctors can learn from retail stalwart Nordstrom. Lesson One… Physicians […]
Physicians, as a rule, tend to be risk adverse. The science base of healthcare, combined with training, continuing education, and experience in practice, can make medical risk manageable. Doctors—who are also owners, entrepreneurs, and the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)—tend to be especially risk adverse on the business side of healthcare. Success in marketing and advertising, […]
[SHSMD14 Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success talks with Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Paul G. Matsen. Mr. Matsen will be speaking at the 2014 SHSMD Connections Conference on the topic: Building a Global Healthcare Brand Through Multichannel Marketing. In today’s podcast, Stewart Gandolf and Paul Matsen discuss how the world-renowned […]
A little good-natured kidding comes up around the office about how much traveling I do. Of course, that’s only when I’m actually in the office and not on the road visiting clients throughout the nation. (Well…every state except for one.) With the non-stop changes that are happening in healthcare, I love being shoulder-to-shoulder with clients, […]
One “certainty” about healthcare reform, and the continuing effects of the Affordable Care Act, is that there is no certainty…except that change is universal and it will continue. The big picture can appear—justifiably—frightening for the individual. You fear that your hard-earned career in hospital marketing is in peril, a potential casualty of a hospital roll-up, […]
Baby pictures have a nearly universal “human touch” appeal. On the social media scale of cuteness, engagement and share-ability, babies, kids and grandkids are right up there in popularity with images of “grumpy cat,” playful puppy dogs, and ice bucket videos. But evidently “cute” has its limits when baby pictures are publically posted—as they commonly […]
"Stealing from one is plagiarism,” according to American playwright Wilson Mizner, but “stealing from many is research." That said—and apropos of nothing at all—here’s a quick “research” roundup of fresh ideas and examples of how hospitals are continuing to leverage the power of video in marketing. Seriously, savvy marketing and communications executives are always learning…and […]
It never fails. Whenever I’m talking with a physician or medical marketing professional the frustrating topic of healthcare “competition” inevitably raises its ugly head. It’s inevitable because competition among providers, group practices and hospitals is increasing in intensity and healthcare reform has brought it to everyone’s doorstep. What’s more, it’s frustrating for several reasons. One […]
Sadly, clinical trial studies are often stalled before they begin. One of the fundamental challenges faced by hospitals, medical practices and healthcare research organizations that are engaged in clinical trials is the recruitment and retention of volunteer participants. In the study of the safety and efficacy of new medical drugs and devices, the solutions to […]
Doctors and patients have adopted new roles for themselves in the healthcare delivery system in the wake of healthcare reform. The “new normal” for patients includes a stronger and more proactive participation in personal health matters. More than ever, the role of the patient is that of an informed consumer. And as patient-centered care has become the […]
The playful adage is painfully true: The best place to hide a dead body is on page two of Google’s search results. Here’s why doctors need to be concerned about local search and their ability to attract new patients. The front door of your medical practice moved online some time ago. The “traditional” paths for […]
What Separates Powerful Doctor Marketing Materials From Everything Else? As present-day healthcare delivery has reinvented itself, nearly every doctor and medical practice has—in one form or another—a stash of marketing materials. There’s too much competition among providers and institutions to be without “something” that (hopefully) gets results. Clarity of Purpose… Physician groups, imaging centers, and […]
It’s a pop culture mash-up between a "double-dog dare" and a selfie with a cause. Throughout the US, healthcare marketing professionals (and their supervisors) are marveling at this summer’s continuing success of the ALS Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC). Hospital foundations, medical research associations and the like are amazed and envious of the social media […]
“Almost every culture has its own metaphor about what happens to people who are judged by their peers to be overreaching,” according to an article in the Harvard Business Review. “In Australia, it’s tall poppies—the tallest one gets its head whacked off. In Japan, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” There’s a delicate […]
It seems like some people consult their smartphone almost constantly. For young adults, stats says that would be 60 times a day. Although research tells us that consumers spend more than 23 percent of their daily media consumption time with mobile, marketers allocate less than 1 percent of their overall budgets to mobile. This is one […]
True story. This sort of road hazard doesn’t happen too often anymore, but it illustrates when outsourcing doctor marketing services would have been the much wiser course. A few years ago a physician friend arrived at his normally efficient office to find a first class mess. With a goal of attracting new patients, two part-timers […]
A Healthcare Success Special Report: A rugged survival guide for medical specialists who want to remain independent. Nobody likes to be the messenger of bad news, but here it is… Independent medical practices in the United States that want to remain independent have only two choices. They must—repeat, must—become an indispensable medical resource in […]
If Healthcare Success has an “Action Central” news desk, it’s my office. Client success stories pop-up regularly from around the country, and each narrative that comes our way makes a valuable contribution to our 20-plus year experience in marketing to patients. We like that. The “good-news stories” are wonderful insight. We keep on top of […]
There’s a troublesome disconnect between how the nation’s medical system defines the quality of healthcare providers and how patients and prospective patients judge a “good doctor.” “Doctors who listen are important, but ‘some of the nicest doctors are the least competent,’ cautioned Dr. Elliott Fisher of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice” […]
You can probably guess from this Facebook picture, our daughter Natalie couldn’t be more excited about “jumping up” to the Junior High ministry at our church. Her enthusiasm is genuine, but I admire the highly effective ways the church uses social media to interact with students and their parents. Right up front I want you […]
The American public has been conditioned to think that they get medical appointments “quickly,” but, more often than not, it’s not true. In many areas the average wait time for new patients is a matter of weeks and sometimes months. It’s an uncomfortable healthcare trend. For some people, a long wait for a doctor appointment […]
Only five years ago, what doctors recognized as the business of “being in practice,” is quite different from how things are today. For nearly everyone in the spectrum of care, healthcare delivery is, and will continue to change. Marketing decisions will be shaped in a new way. Patients are informed and empowered; wearable technology is […]
Cute puppies, zany cats and sensational sunsets are universally appealing on social media because they touch viewers’ emotions. Posting something that’s factual (on Twitter, for example) may be interesting, but include a photo (on Facebook), or a video clip (on YouTube), and you’re more likely to make a more memorable—and shareable—impact with the audience. […]
I’d like to tell you a story about two insightful, and mirror opposite, conversations that I had with doctors. These two informal chats revealed how basic attitudes can quickly define success or failure in healthcare marketing. In the first of my true stories, a mutual friend asked me to provide some "pro bono" advice to […]
Some observers predict that Verizon’s new platform for virtual doctor visits will be a game-changer. Like it or not, with the global communications giant jumping into interactive telehealth, the big splash will advance the evolution of healthcare delivery...and impact your future marketing plans. Recently, the company unveiled Verizon Virtual Visits, aimed at adoption by […]
As inspirational fuel for your medical marketing idea book, here’s a brief roundup of interesting items that popped up on our radar recently. Each has a “take-away” concept that a professional practice, hospital or medical group might adapt for local use. And please tell us about the creative ideas or success stories from your marketing, […]
Barbershops for health screenings? An unlikely venue for hypertension testing? Surprisingly, medical practices and hospitals around the country have discovered an effective marketing gateway for reaching African-American men, a demographic group that is particularly at risk for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. It’s no secret that, in medical marketing, women are a prime demographic […]
For most medical doctors, the typical workweek is somewhere north of 50 hours. And that doesn’t include the time thinking about the marketing part of the business. Professionally trained, experienced and licensed in the healing arts, a practitioner spends a day mostly applying clinical skills. It hardly seems like there is any time to spare, […]
The words “social media” and “engagement” seem to be joined at the hip. In healthcare marketing—including outreach from a medical practice, or a hospital—social media (SM) is broadly understood to simply mean your choice of tools. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google Plus are most popular and important. That part is easy. But curiously, the […]
A few years ago, the giant Pittsburgh-based health care system, UPMC, reinvented their public face, unveiling the logo, tag and color, UPMC: Life Changing Medicine. It’s the branding centerpiece to unify “its clinical, insurance and international and commercial services activities with one consistent message.” The healthcare branding challenge was considerable…and so was the budget. The […]
