What’s the most effective way to evolve, progress and grow? Take frequent trips back to the basics. Just as professional athletes, artists and actors practice tried-and-true techniques of their crafts to continue honing their skills, healthcare marketers can, and should, do the same. Several years back, I wrote an article I continue to share to […]
Occasionally, I hear from a doctor or healthcare executive, “We don’t need a lot of marketing. Everyone in the community already knows us.” To that, I have to say: “Are you sure?” Remember, you spend a lot of time with your own brand, and it’s easy to forget that very few people have even a […]
There’s an analogy that I offer clients to demonstrate the importance of being first in marketing. I ask: “Charles Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Can you name the second person to do so?” “If John Hancock famously signed the Declaration of Independence first, can you name the second person […]
The first lesson about healthcare branding has to do with setting expectations. All too often, the misguided concept of branding for a medical practice, hospital or individual provider is an overnight magic trick. The practical reality is that healthcare branding is a high-level and long-term marketing strategy. (Emphasis: long-term.) The principal investment is time—years, in fact—to […]
Change can be hard to embrace. The nation’s healthcare delivery system—which has traditionally been slow to adjust—is experiencing unprecedented reform. And with it, one significant consequence is the need for healthcare branding, rebranding or a completely new approach. The Affordable Care Act and other social dynamics have changed the fundamentals of doing business. Maybe you are […]
“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 […]
The fashionable (ie snooty) retail clothing industry has more than a few elite and upscale brands. Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is one of those labels. But in the media recently, their uber-appeal to “the cool kids” crowd sounded abrasive, and offensive to many. But nearly buried in all the negative press coverage are some valuable […]
Medical practice and hospital marketing professionals have an extremely challenging job on the forward facing frontline of healthcare communications. Suffice to say that it’s a complex task to effectively “speak healthcare” to the public. But it’s helpful to know that effective medical messaging—from patient conversations to mass media—will nearly always relate to a short list […]
In professional circles, almost any corner of the film production industry is casually referred to as working in “the biz.” And those same professionals will quickly add that it’s a lot more hard work than the popular PR image of “glitz and glamour.” But the considerable effort behind a healthcare television commercial is not only […]
There’s been a dramatic increase in the need for healthcare branding. In fact, we’d have to call it a huge rise in doctor branding, physician branding and hospital branding—all propelled by various factors in the marketplace. Broadly speaking, we’d put the change-agents under the umbrella label of “healthcare reform.” And three of these forces—empowered patients, […]
San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, are only 20 minutes apart via the Bay Bridge. But for these two practices, their dental advertising, dental positioning and branding couldn’t be further apart. And, from a healthcare marketing perspective, both examples are properly tuned into their community spirit and embrace it in their office décor and branding message. […]
How to Avoid Looking Like "Plain Vanilla" Let's say a new family moves in a couple of blocks from your office, and the mother holds a gathering for her new neighbors. At the gathering she asks, "I'd like to find a first-rate doctor for my family. Is there anyone special here in town?" How many […]
