It was nearly unanimous. Hospital marketing executives and administrators ranked marketing for various service lines as “extremely important” (65.5%) or “very important (24.1%), among respondents to the recent Healthcare Success (HSS) survey. Although service lines have generally commanded an important position in the marketing mix, Heart & Vascular Services ranked as the clear leader. It’s […]
Any quiet “thinking time” in late December is likely to find a physician reflecting on the year-end...and the year ahead. For many providers, the only constant—past or future—has been, and will likely be, change…and New Year resolutions can often be distilled to a wish for “a better year.” Reward yourself this holiday season with a […]
[Series Installment: How to Avoid the 7 Deadly Sins of Healthcare Marketing -- Deadly Sins #3 and #4: From the Healthcare Success Educational library] There’s a dream-killer, of sorts, on the loose in some corners of healthcare marketing. Success and opportunity more often meet their demise from indecision and inaction than from doing the wrong […]
Each December brings the enjoyment of all the holiday classic movies. And there’s a fun little marketing and advertising lesson in A Christmas Story, one of our seasonal favorites. No doubt you’ve seen the quirky and endearing 1983 comedy about an Indiana schoolboy—Ralphie (Peter Billingsley)—who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. The […]
Google Helpouts: Live Video Competition or Marketing Opportunity? If “Helpouts” was just another Silicone Valley infant—with high hopes and little funding—it might not survive long enough to write about. But multi-national biz giant Google (of search engine fame and fortune) launched this new online, live video-help platform recently. And when your first name is Google, […]
No, I’m not bald. Not yet. But there are moments throughout the year when I’m ready to grab a handful of those threadlike strands and yank with gusto. Instead, please allow me this brief and civilized rant…a year-end vent for the little frustrations that I encounter in healthcare marketing and advertising. In fact, let’s consider […]
By this time in the planning process, you’ve nailed all the big picture items for 2014. All your major building blocks—marketing plan, campaigns, goals and budget—are stacked, and the countdown to the New Year is ticking. What’s next we’ll call “adding icing to the cake.” Here’s a roundup of ideas that don’t qualify as major […]
As America’s healthcare delivery systems have reinvented themselves, many social media platforms have become important marketing instruments for patient engagement, service line awareness, new business development and similar communications objectives. Each social media channel—such as Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter and many others—has its own distinct purpose and personality. This educational series provides marketing professionals, hospital […]
Curiously, the vast majority of all US hospitals do not participate in social media. We can’t help but wonder (and worry) if this at all reflects how some healthcare marketing pros are planning for the New Year. Having anything less than a first class Internet and social media strategy would be a large and painful […]
The overwhelming deluge of information spewing from the Internet—on any and every imaginable topic—implies that “more is better.” For proof, look no further than the most innocuous Google search. Type “doctor” and the world’s biggest search engine coughs up 248-million results in less than half a second. There’s value hidden somewhere in that digital torrent. […]
[Series Installment: How to Avoid the 7 Deadly Sins of Healthcare Marketing -- Deadly Sin # 2: Spaghetti Marketing. From the Healthcare Success Educational library] The “spaghetti” approach to marketing is much more tragic than funny. All too often we discover the trial-and-error method of throwing marketing strategies against the wall to see what sticks. […]
Online audio content—such as podcasts, webinars, interviews and the like—have grown in popularity and availability in the past year or two…with (currently) over a million podcast downloads per month. It’s a useful and effective marketing tool for hospitals and medical practices. And, with a little bit of preparation and practice, audio content is relatively low-cost […]
For effective healthcare marketing, it’s not a question of having an Internet presence…just about every doctor, group medical practice, hospital and healthcare organization has at least one website. But visibility for online search doesn’t stop there. Consumers—prospective patients, patients, family members—are actively searching online for health information, doctors and other health professionals. And, standing out […]
Recently we found a hot potato in our email. A new subscriber to our newsletter was clearly unhappy with us, and they let us know—in no uncertain terms—of their disapproval of healthcare marketing and advertising.
[First in a Series: How to Avoid the 7 Deadly Sins of Healthcare Marketing] Deadly Sin # 1: Confusing Marketing with Advertising. From the Healthcare Success Educational library] Marketing a healthcare organization can be challenging—even painful—if you don’t approach it with the right knowledge, tools and guidance. The truth is, there are more than seven […]
Of the thousands of hospital or healthcare videos, few will ever “go viral.” But nearly all online videos that hit the big time circuit—being shared and shared again—will be fueled by emotion. It’s emotions that make marketing campaigns get noticed, attract viewers and go viral, according to research reported by the Harvard Business Review (HBR). Viral […]
by Jessica Socheski Though many patients remain unaware of its existence, the field of concierge medicine continues to quietly expand throughout the US among primary care physicians. It’s not a business model for everyone (or every market area), but roughly 4,400 American doctors have switched to a form of cash-only medicine called direct primary care, […]
A curious challenge within the art of hospital and healthcare marketing is that large segments of your target audience simply don’t care. They don’t have an immediate need for your services or facility. Individuals with a current or pressing medical need are one thing. But there’s always a significant slice of the people who are […]
Here’s a timely reminder about an often-neglected marketing strategy for the year-end holiday season. And for budget-sensitive families, it can be a helpful financial advantage. Between now and the end of the calendar year, health services can be the most appropriate and affordable for individuals and families with tax-advantaged Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). What’s more, […]
First, in our Healthcare Success post today, we’d like you to have—and to share—a new infographic titled: How to Avoid the 7 Deadly Sins of Healthcare Marketing. If the title has a familiar ring, it’s because our educational White Paper of the same name has been downloaded close to 44-thousand times…and still going strong. (Both […]
If you don’t have a blog, read no further. (Although you might want to re-think that decision.) If your blog is a digital soapbox and a one-way monolog, you are probably realizing less than half the value of the time and effort that you invest. Here’s why. Virtually all successful blogs—particularly as hospital and healthcare […]
The usual challenges of physician recruitment, physician relations and physician marketing are all contending with an unhappy dynamic: Many doctors simply don’t want to be a doctor any longer. After investing ump-teen years in earning their much-prized white coat, it looks like many docs want to hang it up. They are either ready to get […]
Facebook, like many social media tools, is most effective when the visitor is engaged by the content. The idea seems tame enough on the surface, but it disguises the reality that visitors often don’t notice (and likely don’t care much) that you’re trying to talk to them. Marketing-savvy healthcare providers and hospitals recognize Facebook pages […]
by Janet Bowden, Healthcare Success Senior Account Executive How well do consumers “know” their local hospitals? According to a national survey, you could label the awareness score as “generally good.” But over the last 10 years—in spite of the influence of the Internet and aggressive marketing efforts—the data continues to hover on a plateau.
LinkedIn professional group participation is often underutilized, so as a boost for readers and colleagues, here’s our list of top LinkedIn groups for fellow professionals to join. In our book, LinkedIn is the top business-serious social media for physicians and hospital execs. And the LinkedIn Groups feature just might be the best online professional forum […]
Just when you thought all of the competitive forces around you were done exploding, you just might have missed what’s been happening down the street and around the corner. The retail world continues to bite into traditional provider turf with clinics and kiosks in non-traditional locations. Here are some competitive forces in healthcare marketing that […]
We might be singing to the choir here, but you’ll definitely like the chorus anyway. Most hospitals and physician providers recognize the importance of Internet marketing. (Better than eight out of 10 patients use both online and offline sources for health research before making an appointment.) But what you may not appreciate is that a […]
By Gil Zeimer, HSS Account Manager/Senior Copywriter Ordinarily, we don’t do much chest thumping, but we can’t help a little “pointing-with-pride” in this success story. Many readers will relate to the familiar back-story, so other medical practices will likely find useful insight and marketing lessons. Our story begins about a year ago… In Greenville, South […]
Social media hashtags have become ubiquitous and a language-art of their own. You know them when you #seethem, but the cryptic, compressed (and sometimes insider) meanings are not always clearly understood…and their value is lost. “The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically […]
[Podcast Series] In our continuing hospital leadership series, Healthcare Success Co-Founder Lonnie Hirsch talks with Lisa Ryan, Executive Director of National Advertising for Kaiser Permanente. The Kaiser Permanente organization has some distinct advantages. In their words, “The way we deliver health care is different. We are the caregiver, the hospital, the laboratory, and the pharmacy. […]
Editor’s Note: Communications, such as appointment reminders, are often guided by HIPAA privacy rules, organizational policies and other regulations. Ideas presented in our Guest Post may vary in application according to the professional situation and circumstances. More information about Health Information Privacy under HIPAA is available at the US Department of Health & Human Services […]
All too often, we’re just too busy…and we confuse activity with productivity. I’m guilty of this. I know doctors and hospital executives who admit to the problem. Likely, you can also relate. Non-stop multi-tasking blurs our perception of what’s important and what’s actually getting done. And that’s the moment when we need Indiana Jones. I […]
The concept of shared medical appointments (one doc seeing several patients) isn’t well known or widely available…yet. That seems to be changing. The pressures of “more patients” and “fewer doctors” (among other things) are straining the nation’s healthcare delivery system, but it’s fueling innovative approaches that save time, reduce cost, and improve access, outcomes and […]
[Podcast Series] In our continuing hospital leadership series, Lonnie Hirsch talks with Laurie Labishak, VP Marketing, PR and Community Relations, Ohio Valley Health Services and Education, Wheeling WV. Recorded at the SHSMD Connections meeting in Chicago, Laurie describes the community hospitals’ recovery strategy, successful turnaround and public relations strategy. The public relations situation could hardly have […]
Healthcare is on a countdown to the New Year, and the only thing certain about 2014 is that it will be different from its predecessor. Plan accordingly. More than ever, your marketing plan—for a medical practice, hospital, service line or health systems—should be written in pencil. You’ll need a nimble plan to keep ahead of […]
If you’ve been neglecting Google Plus (or G+) as a “Johnny-come-lately,” you should rethink your social media priorities. Surprise, Google+ is now Number Two and gaining ground. In the digital world, Facebook (launched February, 2004), and Twitter (launched March, 2006) were well-established “old timers” when Google+ came along a couple years ago, in the summer […]
Here are four useful—and survey based—reports that your healthcare marketing radar might have missed. Each offers an insightful read on ways to fine-tune your plan and operation for smarter and more successful results.
If you ask a thousand US hospitals about their top priorities, nearly everyone would Patient Experience/Satisfaction at the head of the list. But surprisingly, upwards of half of those organizations do not have a formal mandate or mission to achieve that objective. Those two data points come from a recently released and insightful survey by […]
When it comes to healthcare reform, a big chunk of the community that you serve—and audiences you want to reach with hospital and medical marketing—simply may not know what you’re talking about (or care). Our caution here is to deliver meaningful marketing and advertising messages to the right level of consumer awareness. Ongoing polls suggest […]
Inbound Marketing is flying so high and so loud these days that it seems to dominate the marketing landscape like a super storm. Some folks might be dazzled by all the ballyhoo and think that Inbound (also called Content Marketing) is the one and only—virtually compulsory—basis for a contemporary marketing plan. And worse, it’s troubling […]
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 […]
Without giving it much thought, many--if not most--doctors will simply assume that they need a brochure to promote their medical practice. Often, this is true. But surprisingly often, it's a premature assumption where the "treatment gets ahead of the diagnosis." A healthcare brochure is not always the first or most important component in a comprehensive […]
Individually and collectively, communications professionals—in healthcare and every other enterprise for that matter—produce tons of materials everyday. Here’s how to stretch your budget and get extra marketing impact from nearly all of it. We (ourselves included) routinely create bales of “communications stuff” in all the classic formats…brochures, web pages, speeches, patient education info, PowerPoint lectures, […]
Unsolicited electronic messages (the spam variety) are about as welcome as an earth-bound asteroid. Nobody likes receiving them, and professionally, you definitely don’t want to inadvertently send legitimate email to be caught-up in one of the many “spam filters.” Being familiar with filters and other rules of road can keep your valid email marketing messages […]
For years, doctors and hospitals throughout the US have talked to us about a familiar and reoccurring theme in healthcare. That is, there is a common perception that people leave home and head off to the big city for medical services that are available in their own local community. Prospective patients are either unaware that […]
We’re not about to jump aboard the “traditional-is-dead” bandwagon. But it's no surprise which direction the parade is headed. Print, broadcast and other media belong in your marketing and advertising plan when they match your target audience and objectives. True, about 170 newspapers have disappeared in the past five years. TV viewership among young adults […]
[Part of a continuing series.] In the world of Search Engine Optimization, the cute- and cuddly-sounding critters—Panda and Penguin—are decidedly frightening beasts. They are code names for Google algorithm updates with a digital “license to kill” the black-hat bad guys and to praise and reward high quality content. White-hat Internet marketers need not fear, but […]
[SHSMD13 Podcast Series] In our continuing hospital leadership interviews hosted by Lonnie Hirsch, Advocate Health Care’s Kelly Jo Golson previews her SHSMD Connections 2013 presentation titled Breakthrough Brand Strategy. This case study presents the transition from a fragmented and unrecognized collection of hospital brands to a master brand for Advocate. The task of creating a […]
Permission-based email is one of the most engaging, useful and effective tools available in your marketing toolbox. For starters, the cost is low and, being opt-in, recipients are prequalified and lists can often be segmented for precision targeting. The folks who keep track of such things say there are 3.6 billion email accounts as of […]
Is your business model like playing solitaire? There's a brief back-story to my question. Sometimes, late at night after a long day, I still feel wound up, even though my family has long been asleep. So I grab my iPhone (in the dark) and play a little solitaire just to slow down. The fact that […]
