[Series Article] Studies reveal hard science data behind why the sometimes fanciful, sometimes fictional art of storytelling is highly effective as a communications tool. In healthcare marketing, storytelling is growing in popularity from doctor-patient conversations to branding messages. Of all the stories in the world, there’s one—The Story of Storytelling—where “Once upon a time…” doesn’t […]
Roughly 100 percent of all physician offices are busy places. But you only have to look at the monthly statement to know that activity isn’t the same as productivity…or profitability. Regardless of the size or type of the healthcare entity—from practitioner to medical group—a revealing characteristic of success is a reflection of leadership in the […]
The popularity of social media in its various forms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blog, etc.—is a fairly recent phenomenon. And for a large segment of society, it is social media that stitches together the blanket of connectivity that we can’t seem to do without. At last count, about 73 percent of online adults used social media sites […]
If you missed the final score in St. Luke’s 2014 Baby Bowl…the boys won. And from a hospital promotional perspective, the other winner in this clever promotion was the New Beginnings Family Birth Centers at St. Luke's University Health Network. Here are two recent case examples (and ideas you can use) for leveraging media exposure […]
All too often marketing professionals unintentionally alienate one of the largest (and most financially significant) target audiences, the over-50 crowd. Maybe they didn’t mean to, but the 30-something marketing person just doesn’t have a clue about the true mindset of the 50-, 60- or 70-something person they want to reach. We see this frequently when […]
You heard the news...nearly couldn't miss it. Retail drug store giant CVS will phase out the sale of tobacco products before yearend. That's the headline, but it's the rest of the story that you may have missed, and it isn’t all good news for doctors, medical practices and healthcare marketers. It’s likely to hit you […]
[Series Installment: How to Win More Patients for Your Most Profitable Service Lines; Step Four – Creating an Effective Plan. A free White Paper from the Healthcare Success Educational Library.] A constant undercurrent in the turbulent transformation of the nation’s healthcare delivery system is competition. A better term is “hyper competition.” In many market areas, […]
Most healthcare advertising agencies will not admit it, but some clients are simply better than other clients. The people and personalities are part of the chemistry, but more than a retail transaction, two business entities share mutual success goals. It’s similar to a doctor-patient relationship. Privately, many doctors have patients who they favor over others. […]
The Internet has injected contemporary culture with a sense of immediacy. We’ve been spoiled—or at least trained to expect—instant online answers. Search for “dentist” and Google coughs up over 37-million results in less than half a second. The online search for healthcare—be it a hospital, dental office, medical group, or specialty care—must, for most individuals, […]
We’ve had the great good fortune and pleasure to team-up with many successful doctors, medical group practices, hospitals and others. To a person, their medical/clinical capabilities are first class, but their business acumen—in particular their marketing savvy—is a model for others. The fact is, successful doctors do things differently. They recognize that medicine is a […]
[Series Installment: The Worst Mistakes Medical Groups and Healthcare Organizations Make When Trying to Attract Patients from the Internet, Mistake Four: Believing Your Audience Will Find You on its Own; from the Healthcare Success Educational Library.] Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for a website is like the fuel for your car. A beautifully engineered and full-appointed […]
What happens when a 15-year-old patient speaks up about her doctors? Morgan Gleason declared, “I am the patient, and I need to be heard,” and she voiced her complaints publicly. Even for a hospitalized teen, it wasn’t difficult to make a digital splash about how doctors should care for patients...and not just treat them. Constructive […]
The majority of patients and about half of all doctors search the Internet for healthcare and medical information. But—marketing professionals take note—the reference tool of choice of digitally demanding patients is the relative newcomer, “Dr. Wikipedia.” “Wikipedia is the single leading source of medical information for patients and healthcare professionals,” according to a report about […]
Let's put an end to “grip-and-grin.” We’ll publish your outstanding publicity photo as an illustration of what makes a great PR image. We want to spotlight good examples that capture attention and tell a story, without resorting to…well, you know, the other kind. There should be a PR Professional Regulation that bans “execution-at-dawn” publicity photos. […]
Most medical groups and doctor-owner practices respect the fact that the business environment—particularly the competitive landscape—has changed dramatically. It’s tough and getting tougher as the nation’s healthcare system reinvents itself almost daily. But being aware of the competition falls far short of understanding how truly vulnerable most practices are…whether they know it or not. As […]
[Series Installment: The Worst Mistakes Healthcare Organizations Make When Trying to Attract Patients from the Internet, Mistake Nine: Failure to Use Social Media Properly; from the Healthcare Success Educational Library.] Once upon a time a simplistic website constituted a Web presence. It was little more than a digital Yellow Page listing and, if your competition […]
Emergency Room appointments—for non-threatening care—are a flipping great idea. Ask a few patients in the Emergency Department (ED). Nobody likes to wait. And hospital wait times are—for both patients and administrators—a literal and figurative pain in the butt. And if you’ve “been-there-and-done-that,” the national average time patients spend in the emergency room before being seen […]
Guest Post by Renée Keats This month, an estimated 47 million-plus previously uninsured, non-elderly Americans may elect health insurance coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). How will health systems, providers and marketers stay ahead of the curve and address the US health care evolution? At its core, here are five ways that […]
Maybe it was just a coincidence, but two insightful marketing object lessons popped up this week. The subject matter in common was customer service via social media, but in these two stories the outcomes were different. Both illustrations—one good and one not—are pages from big business, and they hold excellent take-away lessons for hospital and […]
Some 89 million people in the US are going to watch 1.2 billion online videos today. (Yes, just today.) Healthcare and hospital marketing professionals understand the popularity and importance of online video content. The first challenge is to create interesting and engaging video material that conveys a message, inspires action and is truly share-worthy. The […]
[Series Installment: The Worst Mistakes Healthcare Organizations Make When Trying to Attract Patients from the Internet, Mistake Three: Ignoring Your Website; from the Healthcare Success Educational Library.] All too often, it is “benign neglect” that causes websites to wither into near non-existence. Instead of attracting and retaining new patients, many well-intended sites—for doctors, hospitals, group […]
The “Rule of Three” is a fun and easy-to-use “universal truth.” It can give your writing more impact, make your marketing more effective, and your advertising more persuasive. And for healthcare marketers and advertisers there’s a study out that validates the notion that three is the optimal number of claims in consumer messages.
Strictly speaking, ePatient 2015 - 15 Surprising Trends Changing Health Care is not a typical how-to marketing book. It is, however, an insightful look at “how health technologies are shaping the future of how consumers, caregivers and others will think about and receive care.” Co-authors Rohit Bhargava and Fard Johnmar clearly intended their new publication […]
[Series Installment: How to Avoid the 7 Deadly Sins of Healthcare Marketing -- Deadly Sins #5: Inadequate Training, from the Healthcare Success Educational library.] Everyone in the office needs to understand how and why new patient inquiry calls are significantly different from the routine. Without preparation and training, seven out of 10 prospective new patient […]
The research folks at Pew Internet provide an insightful report about the multi-layered patterns of social networking by online adults. Marketing and communications professionals can determine the most engaging social media opportunities. Referring to Facebook as “dominant” is almost an understatement. Among online adults using social media (SM) sites, the Pew Research Center reports that […]
A message presented through animation captures attention, explains with clarity and often entertains. For certain situations, healthcare and hospital marketing can employ this unique creative approach to effective engagement and communications online. Guest Post by Dr. Manroop Takhar Let’s face it, communicating in the science-based world of medical marketing can sometimes be dry, clinical and […]
[A Healthcare Success Educational Series] Social media facilitate patient engagement, service line awareness, new business development and other communications objectives. This educational series provides marketing professionals, hospital executives and medical practice providers with an overview for effective social media planning. LinkedIn is particularly distinctive among the biggest social media (SM) formats. You might say that […]
Email marketing—a popular form of marketing directly to the customer/subscriber—has the appeal (and appearance) of being free. Well, it’s not free…but the cost is low, and when done correctly, the Return-on-Investment (ROI) can be remarkable. In addition to a good email software or service bureau, your investment includes the time required to maintain the process, […]
More than ever, medical practices throughout the US are motivated to look (again) at ancillary services to bolster shrinking income and to further differentiate their marketing message. As we enter the “rollout year” for healthcare reform, few practices are operating the same way they did last year…and the coming months only promise further change. Many […]
[A Healthcare Success Educational Series] Social media platforms have become marketing instruments for patient engagement, service line awareness, new business development and other communications objectives. Each channel has a distinct purpose and personality. This educational series provides marketing professionals, hospital executives and medical practice providers with an overview for social media planning. What (even how) […]
If you thought that online patient review sites were important, you’d be right. But new survey data reveals their muscle has tons of potential to grow. Unlike a few years ago, the research power of the Internet has transformed many patients into informed and empowered consumers. Looking for online information is often the first step […]
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, […]
