A lot can go wrong in marketing. You might spend too much money advertising in the wrong places to people who have no interest in your organization. Ad copy and imagery may not align with your branding. You could be left completely in the dark as to what's working and what's not. This can happen […]
“Big Tech”—companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple—is taking over healthcare. At least, that’s what the news headlines would have us believe. These companies and more have made huge announcements just within the past 6 months about their plans for transforming the healthcare industry. Some announcements about Big Tech in healthcare, like Amazon’s pursuit of a […]
Once upon a time, a good website could set you apart from your competitors. But today, digital marketing is about a whole lot more than simply having a website. People have to be able to find you online. That requires both an organic marketing plan (like search engine optimization and social media posts) and a […]
Sometimes, a marketing campaign doesn’t work out. It happens, and it stinks. But just because one marketing effort doesn’t work, that doesn’t mean marketing doesn’t work in healthcare. When you begin trying new marketing campaigns, you might be dismayed to find the results aren’t quite what you hoped for or expected. However, that doesn’t mean […]
Marketing your hospital or practice means learning some complex terms and sorting through a lot of jargon. You may have heard that, in healthcare, SEO can help you increase your search engine rankings. But what does that really mean for your bottom line? Will you see new patients? And is it worth the effort? Related: SEO […]
Patient experience is a phrase we’ve all heard countless times—especially over the last few years. But when used in a hospital or practice, the phrase can occasionally elicit eye rolls. Healthcare professionals all wish they could spend more time with patients, and they try their best. But even the little things can make a difference […]
While many other industries are catching on to the needs of the modern Hispanic consumer, healthcare has been slow to catch up. Of all ethnic groups in the United States, Hispanics are the least likely to have a doctor they see regularly or even to have health insurance. About 22% of Hispanic Americans do not […]
A well-run physician liaison referral marketing program can be a game-changer for hospitals, health systems, and multilocation practices. It can draw in consistent revenue and support long-term referral relationships. But what’s at the heart of these programs? A skilled, well-trained, and motivated physician liaison. I’ve met some fantastic physician liaisons over the course of my […]
Would a doctor prescribe medicine without knowing it works? Of course not. So why continue your marketing campaigns without any data to back up their value? If you're doing any marketing at all, it’s vital that you have a system for measuring marketing effectiveness. Data-driven marketing helps to fine-tune your efforts for the best ROI—so […]
In healthcare, we see this all the time. A patient walks into a medical practice looking perfectly fine. But after some blood work, it turns out the healthy-looking patient has a hidden illness. As marketers, we see the same thing happen with websites. A physician or even an amateur web designer may think a website […]
Today, most healthcare organizations have some sort of social media presence. While a couple of doctors and health gurus have cornered the market on major medical celebrity, hospitals and practices simply aim to appeal to a hometown market with their social media posts. Social media and healthcare can be a powerful thing. You can reach out […]
Hospitals and practices across the U.S. face unique challenges in healthcare today. People's attitudes toward healthcare have changed, making it more difficult to reach new patients at the right stage of the decision-making process. However, the biggest issue is that healthcare organizations struggle to adapt to the changing needs of patients Challenges in healthcare today are […]
Millennials have the power to enact change. According to the US Census Bureau, this group (of people born between 1981 and 1996, myself included) now outnumbers baby boomers by about 8 million. And if we have the power to kill off everything from restaurant chains to paper napkins to the diamond industry, then believe me: millennial […]
It costs your hospital or practice about 5 times more to obtain a new patient than to keep an existing patient within your database. That’s why patient retention matters–the overall loss of a patient’s lifetime value is not something you want to give up. So if you’re losing patients, you might be...well...losing patience. The good […]
Medicare influences most of the healthcare decisions of patients 65 and up. Unfortunately, original Medicare can have gaps in coverage that steer people away from making the right decisions for their health. That’s why millions of people choose a private Medicare Advantage plan as their 65th birthday approaches or during the Annual Election Period (also […]
Originally published May 2018 Last updated January 2026 Over the years, I’ve worked with hospitals, health systems, multi-location medical groups, telehealth organizations and healthcare technology companies across the country. One question comes up consistently—often early in the relationship and sometimes after a few false starts: Should we build our marketing team in-house, or should we […]
Mobile is taking over the world. There’s no way around it. When you have a personal assistant in your pocket every day, why would you perform searches primarily on a desktop computer? As user behavior changes, the future of mobile advertising is changing as well. Hospitals and practices must keep up if they want to […]
When Dr. Tim Gray started Mountain View Medical Center in 1990, he was committed to providing first-rate medical care. Patients trusted Dr. Gray and his team to prioritize their health—but patient waiting times were rarely a topic of discussion. Then, Dr. Gray received a compliment that was a bit of a double-edged sword: “Appointments here […]
A solid digital marketing strategy involves several components, but paid digital advertising is the most direct route to your bottom line. I'll put it this way: you can pray for clicks with healthcare search engine optimization (SEO), using the proper keywords and hoping it gets you to the top of Google's results pages--or you can pay for […]
People can say almost whatever they want about your practice online. It may seem like a difficult task, but working to earn more positive online doctor reviews (and counteract the negative) is worth it--if you hope to grow your practice and keep people coming back time and time again. Having positive reviews to showcase online […]
Google may be the number one search engine in the world, but it also owns the second-largest search engine on the web: YouTube. Despite its ever-growing presence and 30 million daily users, few hospitals and practices include YouTube as part of their healthcare advertising strategies. There are two ways to take advantage of YouTube to reach […]
From time to time, I get the opportunity to interview leaders in healthcare from various viewpoints. Recently, I had fun speaking with my old friend Michael Boblitz about his role in shaping the strategic healthcare marketing plan of his organization in two big ways: A philosophy of focusing on a few things at a time, […]
It's official: the number of Google searches coming from mobile devices has exceeded the number of searches coming from desktop. Nearly 60% of search traffic comes from mobile devices, which means more and more prospective patients are viewing your hospital or practice website from a smartphone—not from a home computer. Now, after a year and […]
After 9 years of working at Disneyland, I can honestly say it’s a magical place. The experience you get as a Disneyland Park Guest is truly unique, and it stays with you for life. It's the reason I bought an annual pass on my last day of work—they earned my loyalty from the first day […]
Today, any successful hospital or practice should maintain a website so patients can find your location and learn a little bit about your services. You might think that a great looking site is just a bonus...but from a website marketing perspective, this is far from the truth. You cannot expect to simply put up a […]
Some doctors are social media superstars. We’ve all seen them: they may host television shows or serve as frequent commentators on healthcare matters, making them a go-to source as a social media influencer. Some even use YouTube or Instagram to showcase procedures that fascinate the general public (but we can’t all be Dr. Pimple Popper). […]
Multicultural marketing is too often overlooked. You hope that your marketing message is reaching people of all cultures and ethnicities, but this assumption can lead you to miss out on a huge potential patient base. As the experience of cultures in this country changes and evolves, so too should your marketing message. The state of […]
People usually leave online reviews for one of two reasons: they were either extremely pleased or felt they had a terrible experience. Some people are difficult to please, and negative doctor ratings are, unfortunately, just a part of running a hospital or practice--at least to an extent. With the right reputation management strategies in place, […]
Budgeting for advertising at a hospital or practice is a lot like appraising real estate. When real estate investors value a home, they look at it in 3 ways: the sales comparison approach (finding the market value of comparable properties), the cost approach (what it would cost to replace the building with a similar one), […]
Too many people wait until disaster strikes to make any serious moves in life. You may wait until your car breaks down before you ever think to replace or service it. Your patients wait until symptoms are severe before seeking medical attention. And you might not take the time to market your practice or hospital […]
[INSTALLMENT - A Continuing Series] Every physician and medical administrator that we know is intimately—often, intensely—aware of HIPAA’s privacy and security rules. There isn’t a policy, procedure or process that isn’t carefully scrutinized as HIPAA compliant. This isn't legal advice, but healthcare professionals know that protected health information (PHI) and electronic protected health information (ePHI) […]
What if you ran an ad for your private practice or hospital online only to find it was running alongside a hate site? Could patients be associating your brand with offensive, divisive content? Unfortunately, there’s no organized “neighborhood watch” in the digital landscape. We all know the internet can be a place where people feel […]
Here’s a powerful secret sauce that social media pros use to make a mega-splash. Social influencers magnify and extend the typical reach. A hospital, health system or a premier doctor group, isn’t going to dominate the market by doing what everyone else does. Successful providers and organizations have an in-house leader, marketing person or team […]
[Series Installment] It seems to some observers that many hospitals and healthcare providers are not prepared for the next wave of consumerism. Contemporary studies among hospitals and health systems in the industry believe that patient behaviors and expectations are critical. But less than one-quarter of healthcare organizations have the means to gather and analyze meaningful patient […]
Here’s a brief roundup of clever marketing ideas. They’re the kind of secret sauce techniques that are highly effective…and seasoned pros seldom reveal. Each little idea is unrelated to the others, except that they add a bit of color, flair and professional splash to your marketing, PR, branding or social voice. Just go ahead—call them […]
“The best bridge between a presenter and an audience,” someone once wrote, “is a story.” Everyone is engaged by a good story. In fact, it’s how the human brain is wired. When someone is talking to us, we automatically look for the beginning, the middle and the end of the storyline structure. And if the […]
Successful medical practices recognize that their online reputation is a source of new business—almost like a referring doctor’s office. Here’s how the best of practices influence this resource and manage their reputation, to produce the greatest number of new patient calls and appointments. Every doctor has two professional reputations to constantly manage: The “CV version” […]
Marketing-savvy doctors, medical practices and hospitals actively embrace video tools in their social media mix. It’s one of the fastest growing marketing tools, and Facebook video is one of the most useful showcases. The Social Media world first experienced video messages on Facebook (FB) ten years ago. The platform—allowing user uploads of recorded videos—has been […]
It is tempting to describe the digital revolution in healthcare marketing using either-or terms. Articles that want to compare and contrast TRADITIONAL marketing with DIGITAL marketing tend to make two columns, with one side VERSUS the other side. The purpose, place and applications of one are not in opposition to the other. Most often, they […]
Learning is a daily exercise for must of us. Among the successful medical groups, practices and hospitals that we know, most are committed to self-improvement and thinking bigger. Their leadership—doctors, administrators, marketing executives and others—are committed to Continuing Education—in marketing and management, as well as in the clinical skills. The convenience of the ever-present Internet […]
More than at any time in the past, the Internet is the primary pathway to hospitals and healthcare providers for today’s informed consumer. There isn’t a hospital or healthcare marketing professional who hasn’t heard the stat that “over 70 percent of Internet users looked online for health information.” Pew Research confirms that the percent of […]
In the months ahead, emerging market trends will reveal many important hospital marketing trends—more than we have space to unwrap in detail here. The following issues, however, are among the most important marketing-related ideas to track as they unfold. You are probably aware of these issues. Although they may be familiar, most are likely to […]
Not long ago, we published an article titled: Doctors Don’t Advertise” and 10 Other Lame Marketing Myths. Some of the ill-advised “reasons” on our list sounded a wake-up call for a few readers. It turns out that they recognized that medicine is a profession, but healthcare is a business. Ultimately, for every hospital and healthcare […]
Medical professionals, providers and industry leaders are constantly challenged by the changes in hospital and healthcare delivery and marketing. Resources are constrained while performance expectations increase. The best of annual continuing education and professional development conferences provide opportunities to evaluate and implement practical strategies and tactics. These concepts attract and retain new patients, strengthen and […]
The curious thing about medical groups and hospitals that want to be the “best in class” is that, often, they are already the leaders in the marketplace. Think about that for a minute. The top of the line wants to beat itself and set a new, higher standard. They know that they are good at […]
Seemingly overnight the Internet created dozens of directory, listing, review and rating sites. In a digital flash, negative online reviews—or outright bad reviews—can soil the fabric of years of good work and positive impressions. The high altitude overview reveals that the vast majority of online reviews are positive. By and large, doctors provide their services […]
A fisherman’s first question is always: “Are they biting?” And regardless of the response, the second question is always: “What bait are you using?” It’s easy to see the marketing analogy. First, do your new business fishing where the fish are. And second, know the prospective patients’ healthcare advertising preference. Do they want digital or […]
Perhaps the only rock-solid prediction for 2018 is that hospital, medical group and healthcare marketing is the ever-present challenge to keep pace with change. Competition is tough, resources are precious, and performance expectations—delivering a solid return on investment—are always demanding. To achieve a new level of success in the New Year, industry leaders and marketing […]
[Healthcare Success Industry Leadership Podcast] Our distinguished guests today are Rob Klein, founder and CEO of Klein & Partners, and Toni Klein, co-founder and Digital Practice Lead at the respected healthcare marketing research firm. They are talking with Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success about the State of Digital Healthcare Marketing study by Klein & Partners […]
The name of the (nearly) new player is FACEBOOK LOCAL, which is blending the lines between social media and online local search. The introduction of Facebook Local Search could become a battle for digital turf —between search engine giant Google and social media giant Facebook—and it may morph into an important new trend. In time, […]
