Let’s call this an informal Patient Experience survey—or a real-world test of “first impressions.” The thing is, this is something that actually happened to me recently. Please let me know what you would have done in my place. Having waited a couple weeks to get an appointment I was scheduled to see a doctor that […]
Wait. Before you do anything else today, check on your listings on Google. Recent changes in the local search routine could have dramatically slammed your standing. And your listing may have just been kicked downstairs. Here’s a little insight about local filters and how to help your listing. Our regular readers know that local listings […]
Each week I look forward to Chris Brogan’s business advice email. You probably know his name; Chris is a respected author, consultant and speaker…and he knows marketing. His notes are insightful, conversational and they deliver solid, practical guidance. Without mentioning hospitals, medical practices or doctors, his recent note about a Tale of Two Local Cafes […]
Why is it that when it comes to marketing, everyone seems to have an opinion? Colleagues, friends, staff, the plant lady, the guy cleaning up...everyone gets a vote. Worse, the people writing the checks often listen to whoever the last person was who offered them advice. A brief backstory about best practice marketing… For example, an […]
Back in the digital dark ages—a decade or so ago—simply having a website was enough to be found online. Early on, only a few healthcare practices and hospitals had a website at all. Two or three HTML pages put your online presence miles ahead of most everyone else. But not so today. To be found […]
When everyone is working diligently to attract new patients and new business, it’s extremely frustrating to uncover a "crappy old website" that’s turning people away. (And wasting money, too.) Sophisticated Internet marketing tools reveal a big “hole in the bucket;” the lost opportunity is real and downright painful. That’s exactly what happened recently when we […]
Talk about a scary scenario—hospitals remain high profile and high-value targets for ransomware cyber attacks. It's been an ongoing threat for decades — worldwide and throughout the United States. We’re not a cyber security company, but clients, providers and hospitals voice concerns about their online presence. Understandably, websites—built for healthcare marketing and communications—are at risk […]
There’s a point of critical need in a business growth curve when you can’t go it alone. Without the resources of a healthcare marketing agency your hospital or medical enterprise is destined to slow, plateau or shrink in the heat of competition. This is a significant step for any organization, and it’s vital to identify […]
Our friend and colleague Rob Klein—a consumer authority for hospitals and doctors—told us this story from a research focus group. Many people in the group agreed that the glass window at the front desk made patients feel unwelcome. A glass window seems to be standard issue for every doctor’s office on the planet. But it […]
It’s a challenge to follow the trends attached to the future of the Internet and video marketing. Depending on your choice of stats, better than 80 percent of all web traffic is expected to be video by the end of the decade. That’s just a couple years down the road. One particularly fast moving—and nearly […]
This post spotlights a few easy but useful little marketing and communications ideas. Each of these gems is completely unrelated to each of the others, so feel free to grab one or more, try it out, and put it to work today. Then let us know what you think. IDEA #1: Don’t write long and […]
A friend of ours is a one-person blend of Yelp-and-Angie’s-List of references, referrals and recommendations. This is a well-connected word-of-mouth resource for recommendations for life’s everyday needs. Just ask: They’ll suggest the best value in retail goods, where to find discounts on groceries, who to trust for reliable home handyman services. This a person who […]
[Second of two parts in a continuing healthcare marketing series] Today’s consumer is constantly, and instantly, exposed to “nearly everything.” Thus marketing must connect with consumers in precious micro-moments at precisely the moment of need. Micro-Moment Marketing travels at the speed of thought. At least 150 times each day, people interrogate their smartphones—with the standard […]
[A continuing education series in healthcare marketing – First of a two-part article] Micro-Moment Marketing travels at the speed of thought. Today’s consumer—which is virtually all of us—is constantly, and instantly, exposed to “nearly everything.” Thus, marketing is changing to connect with consumers in micro-moments, and at precisely the moment of need. Marketing buzzwords tend […]
Not long ago, I received an iPhone snapshot of a doctor/client. No doubt someone in his office grabbed a quick picture—convenient but low quality. In the kindest of terms, the photo was crappy quality. This was definitely not the executive portrait of a distinguished, experienced and respected provider. Professionals working in marketing, advertising and public […]
Some day in the nearly immediate future, it wouldn’t be surprising to find a bold warning label on the latest-and-greatest smartphone that cautions: Negative effects include a need for instant gratification and loss of patience. It may not be on the consumer packaging, but these are real cautionary words straight from Pew Research Center’s Internet […]
There are some highly effective, but elementary marketing tools in your healthcare promotional toolbox. They’re fundamentals, but they shouldn’t be overlooked. These tips, tactics and ideas deserve this spotlight reminder of the hardworking fundamentals. Some are low cost, while others…well, not so much. But done right, all are highly effective contributors to success. Think of […]
Doctor’s offices don’t always recognize when their routines and procedures work against their efforts to win new patients or retain current patients. The patient experience begins with an instant demerit. People who need an appointment are already dealing with a measure of stress. And medical providers should not make it difficult for patients to access the […]
Websites show their age quickly in our digital world. A healthcare website that is three or more years old is probably doing more harm than good and it needs a fresh start. Here’s how an old site works against you and what to do about it. This came up again the other day where a […]
[Part of a continuing series] A colleague told the real-world story about seeing a group of senior citizens talking about their grandchildren. To our observer, the curious part was that each of the 70-plus-year-old grandparents had their smartphone in hand, complete with proud-moment pictures and videos. This snapshot is a micro-moment reminder of how personal […]
[Part of a continuing education series.] Simply mention learning Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and more than a few professionals will roll their eyes upwards. Virtually all marketing-smart individuals truly appreciate the vital importance of SEO. But they also know that it’s a specialized skill set and vocabulary that they would rather leave to the tech-smart […]
About the only big thing that these little marketing maneuvers have in common is that they all boost results. Take them. Use them. These tips come from a collection of “short-but-effective” marketing tricks that professionals will use often (but rarely reveal). The power of personalization marketing tricks… One of the least appreciated marketing concepts that […]
There are times when healthcare providers—even health systems and hospitals—dive into content publishing with only a general idea about where they’re going or how to get there. Right from the start, creating and publishing authoritative material is challenging. But the initial creative step just gets the ball rolling. We all know that regular postings and […]
At the risk of sounding like a loveable-but-annoying coach, it’s midyear and time to check your healthcare marketing plan. What's the score? Are you attracting more patients? Six calendar pages are missing, so climb above the daily grind and take the 35-thousand foot perspective. Have you achieved half of your planned objectives…or are you stalled? Check-in […]
[Part Two of a two-part article about long waiting times in accessing care and healthcare service delivery the doctor’s office. Read how to identify the problem and what to do about it. The first post is available here: Rethink Reception and Reduce Patient Waiting in Healthcare.] The nearly universal patient frustration (over 90 percent) tracks […]
[Healthcare Success Leadership Podcast] In this installment of our continuing educational series, Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf talks with Rob Klein, founder and CEO of healthcare marketing research firm Klein & Partners. A prospective name change, branding or rebranding, will dramatically impact every aspect of a hospital system…image, operation and culture. Here’s how research can provide […]
Recently, I had a unique experience at a local IHOP restaurant. I’d like to share this real-world, simple-but-effective marketing idea that everyone can use. Here’s how asking for referrals can be an immediate boost for business. I was enjoying Father’s Day breakfast with the family. About halfway through our meal, an employee —wearing the name […]
[Part One of a two-part article about one of the top patient satisfaction complaints: long waiting times in accessing care and healthcare service delivery the doctor’s office. Here’s how to identify the problem and what to do about it.] There’s a well-considered reason that the healthcare industry is doing its best to banish the term […]
Perhaps the single, best practice advice about hiring a healthcare advertising agency is to start the process right now. Sooner is better than later. Super-smart management rule number one is to invoke the power of foresight—jump to the front of the growth curve. What’s more, it doesn’t take a visionary to know that the selection […]
Frequently, we teach the value of micro planning—using precision, personalized online marketing means and methods that zero in on the single-person at a point of need. Increasingly, technology enables this fine level of timely, local and immediate messages. But you also need to consider the macro view—the holistic perspective that doesn’t lose sight of the micro touches. […]
The ideal practice enjoys a steady flow of new patients. It’s a vital step in achieving steady practice growth. But, unfortunately, that’s where we often find a painful gap in the practice or hospital marketing plan. The time, effort and external budget—the source of new business and new patients—somehow disconnects from the internal marketing effort. […]
[Emerging consumerism series article] Healthcare’s traditional delivery systems and marketing means and methods are changing rapidly. Hospitals, providers and forward-thinking professionals are tracking the online shift to consumerism. Hyperbole is a headline attention-getter. In this instance, a nanosecond doesn’t mean an actual one-billionth of a second…but it’s close. Hopefully, in the minute or so that […]
Unless you diligently track this topic closely, what you thought you knew about doctor and hospital reputation management has probably changed. In fact, this is one tech-savvy, computer-centric landscape that is constantly evolving. If you might have skipped a beat—and that’s easy to do—here’s a brief update about change, the importance of online reputation and […]
[Emerging consumerism series article] Forward-thinking hospitals and progressive providers recognize that nearly every aspect of healthcare marketing and traditional delivery systems have changed. Some of this transformation process is for the better. While other elements—maybe not so much. Fundamentally, however, consumers expect to see a tired-and-traditional industry delivering a new level of consumerism. The predictable […]
OK – here it is: Successfully marketing to Millennials—appealing to and attracting this major audience group—requires a totally new approach. For the most part, the customary ways-and-means of reaching this target audience completely misses the mark. As a result, they are the most difficult segment to market to effectively. Leave the challenges of an old-school perspective and […]
There’s probably a good reason that the Fed discontinued high-denomination currency nearly 50 years ago. It may be because some well-intended healthcare practices are actually throwing money out the window. What’s worse, their budget is modest in the first place, and they can ill-afford a marketing budget squander of $1,000 in exchange for…nothing really. Here’s […]
Your website is healthcare’s new front door, and nearly everyone has a website. Good, bad or mediocre, hospitals, health systems and doctors’ offices have some degree of Internet presence. But better than half the time, the all-important website metrics—the numbers that monitor performance—are neglected or ignored. The plus side of an effective website is that […]
Here’s a simple, easy and nearly automatic way to generate online reviews via the wildly popular Facebook. This useful tip is completely free to use, plus it’s nicely suited to many—although not all—healthcare offices and facilities. “Facebook,” declares the recent CNNtech headline, “is closing in on 2 billion users.” And just to be perfectly clear, […]
By now you've heard about another big ransomware highjack in the news recently. A nasty computer virus targeted hundreds of thousands of devices in 150 countries. Although healthcare and hospitals were not specifically in the crosshairs, nearly 50 medical facilities in the United Kingdom were infected. As you can imagine, online marketing and communications channels are […]
The quick backstory here started on LinkedIn and turned out to be an amazing little coincidence. Although I was busy preparing for (yet another) business trip, I happened to notice the name of a business acquaintance that popped up via LinkedIn. Our West Coast offices are close to each other, but we both travel a […]
A fundamental requirement that comes with owning a blog is to constantly—insatiably—create fresh content. And frankly, it’s a steady challenge for a writer to keep the process moving—and to keep readers engaged and reading. Your audience deserves and expects it, so here are a few helpful blog writer tips you can use: Know what your […]
A small but familiar drama plays out in a doctor’s office. It seems that people—mainly prospective patients—are phoning the office. But, somehow, there’s a feeling that there aren’t enough new patients coming through the door. What’s wrong here? The promotional messages are doing their job…prospective patients are interested. And the front desk is armed with […]
“Yeh..I know that you probably know all this, but… sometimes it’s good to refresh your connection with valuable reminders. This is about one of those small-but-vital ideas that help when you use them routinely.” SG For doctors, clinical skills are presumed. By definition, doctors are smart people. OK, maybe some are a bit smarter or […]
For some time, the big thing about mobile devices has been the urgent warnings that responsive web design is an absolute must. Google was one of the main voices behind that message, and we agree. If your website did not recognize and respond to the user’s device—hint, especially a mobile device—it will not show well […]
It’s not clear who coined the label “explainer videos.” But in healthcare marketing, there’s a three-minute visual fastball just about everywhere these days. The term might have become “A/V CliffsNotes,” or “Visual Elevator Pitch,” or “Video Demo.” Regardless of the name, this is a quick communications tool that presents a short-and-sweet informational or educational snapshot. […]
The buying public has moved...from indoors to online. And healthcare is not far behind. Retail business has shifted from familiar big-name brands to online-based providers. Some of the biggest names in retail merchandising aren’t nearly as big anymore. Sears, JCPenney, Macy’s and many other department store chains have downsized and properties have closed. We’ve lost […]
There’s a serious gender gap in healthcare marketing. So, in advance of National Men’s Health Week (CDC, June 12-18, 2017), here are some marketing idea-starters—to reach, motivate and encourage men to make health a priority. But be forewarned, men are a tough audience—they are underserved and highly reluctant to see the inside of a doctor’s […]
In the retail world, it’s easy to find free or low-cost samples of goods, services, and the ever-popular taste-test of (a new flavor) bacon-infused crispy chip. Beyond the wall of healthcare marketing, reciprocity and the psychology of samples, test bits and trial models have a long and successful history. Retailers know that giving away a […]
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of ranking among the top organic or natural search results. I would like to think that virtually everyone in the known digital universe is aware of the vital importance of SEO. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. So even if you're not a programming whiz, or don't fully understand Google's […]
Now and then someone raises their hand and asks for a generous infusion of marketing automation. They’ve heard the popular buzzword, but the definition isn’t exactly clear. Their well-intended (but mistaken) objective is to realize all the rewards of marketing—generating new business—powered by a semi-magical, set-and-forget software. This description is a bit of an exaggeration. […]
