Discover five ways to build a strong hospital brand for the modern healthcare consumer and reach your target audience.
Discover five ways to build a strong hospital brand for the modern healthcare consumer and reach your target audience.
[Series Installment] When you begin to develop marketing ideas for hospitals and healthcare providers, you bump into some apparent contradictions to be sorted out. There’s the business of consumerism, for example, where traditional patients have become (or are rapidly becoming) informed consumers, newly empowered to make their own health care buying decisions. The medical purchasing […]
As a student of marketing, I tend to dissect the brand name-logo-tagline combinations that I notice. Professionally and personally, I admire the good ones. But the bad ones in particular grab my attention. Like driving into a pea soup fog bank, there is a sudden disconnect with the highway, landmarks and even reality. When you spot […]
[Series installment.] Take a fresh and unbiased look at your hospital website. Now compare it, as objectively as possible, with others around the country. About a half-a-zillion would be a generous sample slice, but you will only need a few. If you’re keeping score—and even with a much smaller sampling—the back of your napkin tabulation is […]
If today’s patient--now an informed consumer--isn’t at the center of your branding universe, you don’t have an effective brand. In the rarified world of physics and mathematics, “singularity” is a point at which a function takes an infinite value. Sci-fi readers find the term applied to “space-time when matter is infinitely dense, as at the […]
A truly excellent crystal ball—with the ability to accurately foretell the future of hospital branding—is practically nonexistent. While hindsight is 20/20, looking beyond the horizon and trend spotting in marketing are clouded by the near-constant change in healthcare. But, motivated by intense competition—and the dynamics of change—many of the best minds in hospital leadership are […]
Ask a dozen people for a definition of “brand” or “branding,” and the odds are that they will talk about a logo. Maybe it's a trick question because the word “brand” can be a noun or a verb, or in the narrow context of marketing, it can have yet another meaning. Compared to the retail and […]
It seems as if every hospital in the US needs, wants or has a brand. More than a few have taken a stab at branding, but many facilities are short on experience and budget, and effectiveness suffers. Results are less than anticipated. To be fair, branding is a difficult task, and hospital branding is especially challenging […]
Editor Note: [Conclusion of a two-part article] Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success, authored this article for print and online publication by Strategic Health Care Marketing. It is presented here with permission. Part One-- New Marketing: Improving Service Line Profitability -- is available here. [Part Two] In the constantly changing world of healthcare marketing, success—and […]
For nearly 10 years or so, hospitals have been struggling with how to effectively and profitably reinvent themselves. The direction is to become increasingly consumer-direct. Among the transformational market forces are the informed and empowered public, increasing competitive pressures, and the desire for hospitals to serve women and other demographic groups. Sprinkle into this recipe the overarching goals […]
Until recently, the concept of “brand” or “brand building” has not been too important for physician practices, medical groups or hospitals. Only a few healthcare entities took branding seriously in their marketing plans…and fewer still were able to carry it off effectively. Almost overnight, or so it seems, all that changed. To listen to some people in […]
[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 […]
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 […]
[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 […]
[Hospital Advertising Success Story: Part Two] Texas Health Resources has been successfully using humor in their hospital advertising. The first part of this article [available here] looked at why humor in advertising is both difficult and dangerous. In this concluding part, we find that it can also be rewarding…but only when it’s done right. Many […]
[Hospital Advertising Success Story: Part One] Using humor in advertising—especially healthcare ads—is both difficult and dangerous. It’s difficult to find the precise balance between being funny (which makes it memorable), and communicating a product or service message (which makes it effective). What’s more, many health issues are no laughing matter. Potentially, it can backfire.
Three reasons why digital signage should be part of your healthcare marketing and PR planning Printed posters and static signs have evolved to a digital format that's attention getting and versatile. And digital signage is an affordable and cost effective marketing tool that should not be overlooked. It's a significant lost opportunity for many medical […]
Our (occasional) Friday Video post today is truly awesome. And it’s clearly our new favorite in the hospital/healthcare category from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. If you haven’t seen the Hey, Jude! Make it Better online campaign, take three minutes to watch patients, staff, researchers and a string of celebrities present an unforgettable […]
Camille Baxter, Director, Health Enterprise Marketing, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, recently spoke wth Lonnie Hirsch about her 2012 SHSMD Connections speech, "Squeaky Wheels and Other Approaches to Strategic Service Line Marketing." During this preview podcast, Camille shares her thoughts about how service line marketing should be an extension of the hospital […]
As the semi-fabled story goes, Toby Cosgrove, MD—CEO and President of the Cleveland Clinic—experienced a significant moment of awareness a few years ago. At a speaking engagement at Harvard’s business school, someone in the audience described a candid and personal experience about “empathy” over “outcomes.” The person in the audience told Dr. Cosgrove (a cardiac […]
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 […]
Keeping the roof over your head when it looks like the sky is falling. Healthcare organizations that stick to their marketing plan during a recession maintain and grow while the competition is hiding. And studies show they also enjoy a bigger up-side when the economy improves. We've published several articles about healthcare marketing in a […]
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, […]
Everyone in healthcare and hospital marketing likes business performance metrics. (Well, nearly everyone.) The benchmark or progress numbers that quantify exactly how we’re doing. It’s how marketing people (and the boss) keep score. Metrics tell us if a project is meeting its goals, or if an advertising campaign is producing results, and sometimes how we […]
Hospital Marketing is Changing >In the 21st Century, hospital marketers have been exploring a new sales approach for today’s consumer/patient. There has been an explosion of product choices and digital channels, coupled with the emergence of an increasingly discerning, well-informed patient, forcing all hospitals to navigate a much more complicated marketing, advertising and sales environment. […]
The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics notes that as many as 50 percent of all businesses do not have a marketing plan. And from the same source: Over 90 percent of all businesses without a marketing plan fail within their second year. A correlation? Of course there is! The old adage: Businesses that fail to […]
SHSMD 2011 Direct: Rose Glenn and Elizabeth Schnell of Henry Ford Health System Rose Glenn and Elizabeth Schnell of Henry Ford Health System in Detroit spoke with Healthcare Success Director of Client Services Jamie Roney…live from the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development meeting in Phoenix. Mergers, acquisitions, developing an accountable care organization, or […]
How can hospitals and doctors "get the word out" in a tasteful, cost-effective manner? In this audio interview, Chris Boyer of INOVA HEALTH SYSTEM shares insider secrets about how his wellness program Fitfor50 broke through clutter to create both awareness and revenue for his organization. Listen to our hospital marketing podcast here. Related Articles: 10 […]
For centuries, doctors made house calls to patients’ homes. Except in some rural communities, these visits have become about as practical as using mustard plasters to promote respiratory health. In today’s world, telemedicine increasingly enables doctor-patient communications in two different places for a high-tech house call. Telemedicine is also a great “hook” for hospital marketing […]
Healthcare delivery isn’t exactly like Gene Roddenberry envisioned it on the Star Trek television series nearly a half-century ago. Or is it? Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy was armed with futuristic devices like medical tricorders, hyposprays for needle-free injections, and vital signs monitors in Sick Bay. So are any of the science fiction devices similar to what […]
What’s your hospital marketing, advertising and public relations strategy going to be with Goliath in your back yard? Here’s the picture… St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio, is less than eight miles (and under 15 minutes) from Fairview Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic facility. If Cleveland Clinic isn’t a Goliath in the hospital world, it’s […]
Patients have more say in their choice of hospital. Through the eyes of the general public—patients and prospective patients—hospitals tend to look alike. A doctor is a doctor, and a hospital is a hospital. And when the typical “consumer,” is pressed to make a choice between “Hospital A” and “Hospital B,” they relate to what they […]
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a few others are the recognizable names in the social media phenomenon. Frankly we’ve lost count of the online social media tools that have emerged, and disappeared, recently. There are dozens of wanna-be, also-ran social sites, all chasing the few popularity pacesetters. But the big names get bigger. The “public awareness” […]
We think Jennifer Robison, Senior Editor for the Gallup Management Journal, hit a timely hot button with both marketing professionals and business administrators when she wrote about healthcare organizations missing the “patient experience” target. Her focus was primarily hospitals, but her words are just as vital to other healthcare organizations, marketing, advertising and PR executives […]
This little exercise in healthcare marketing and branding is harder than it seems. Try this: In one word, and only one word, what is your competitive edge? What is your practice, hospital or healthcare organization all about, and what makes you different and better than the competition? Your unique value proposition is about what you […]
Every day we see a sign for “Oral Surgery” or read a healthcare advertising headline that is mainly the physician’s or hospital’s name. Unfortunately for the marketing budget, it’s not advertising…it’s a failure to communicate. Whatever the intent, the medical marketing message missed its mark. The fundamental truth here is that no one goes shopping […]
When was the last time you walked into your office through the front door? Take a stroll. Does it look like Marcia Brady is about to walk through at any moment? Most doctors/physicians want to be perceived as progressive and leading edge. They express this in the way they practice medicine and in their doctor/physician […]
In hospital and medical marketing, your brand is part of everything you do. It’s not only your brochures and business cards...it's everything. From the individual or group provider to the multi-location health system, your brand is the recognition connecting point for patients and the public. It communicates your professional reputation. And done right, your branding […]
We’ve seen a few questioning comments about promoting ER Wait Times, but they haven’t slowed down the hospital marketing & advertising bandwagon. It seems like everyone’s doing it, planning for it, or wishing they could. Roll it out and local media coverage and hospital publicity and PR flows forth in torrents. There are obvious benefits […]
If your hospital isn’t on this list, it should be. At this writing, the HSNL accounts for well over 750 hospitals with YouTube Channels, Facebook pages, Twitter Accounts, and/or Blogs. Here are the top-line numbers:Anyone (meaning everyone) working in hospital marketing or hospital public relations should check out the Hospital Social Network List (HSNL). It’s […]
