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 […]
The personal touches that define individual ‘patient satisfaction’ often include comfort and convenience. And in that respect, the new personal access, multi-media terminals at St. Joseph’s General Hospital on Vancouver Island are on par with many fine hotels. Plus it’s a great opportunity for hospital public relations. Picture this. You’re a patient or family member […]
Did you know that Target Corporation has its own MD Medical Director? And well they should since about $6 billion of Target’s annual revenue comes from healthcare related products and services. The retail giant has made “health and wellness a key pillar of our company,” according to Dr. Josh Riff, medical director for Target Corporation. […]
What does a typical visit to your medical practice have to say about your practice reputation? Here are five ways to exceed expectations and create a memorable service experience - a cornerstone of superior healthcare branding.
The trend for hospital marketing and advertising professionals is increasingly: “think mobile.” It's a message that's reinforced with the introduction next week of an online “app store” by the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA). The first-ever mobile application store by and for healthcare professionals—doctors health care executives, nurses and other medical providers—launches in November […]
We liked the clever use of video in a post-SHSMD event follow-up. It's an idea that can be adapted to many healthcare, hospital and medical marketing and advertising situations. A link to the video follows, but here's a bit of background for context. The company, eVariant, demonstrated their CRM and marketing analytics product at last […]
Since we don’t have a Dancing With the Stars heading, let’s give this creative music video a home in the healthcare public relations & PR category. It’s about hand washing in hospitals, clinics, and similar healthcare locations, with an entertaining and educational message for your internal audiences; physicians, nurses, technicians, etc. The title and description […]
(Editor's Note: This article was adapted from an article in Dental Economics, though the principles apply to all healthcare practitioners.) 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 […]
Although anti-gravity treadmill machines were introduced to the market a few years ago, they are not yet commonplace—and they’re an opportunity for differentiation in physical therapy marketing (for facilities that have one). At the Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital (Indianapolis), according to an IndyStar news item, the treadmill, by AlterG, is helping some patients recover more quickly. […]
If this is a trend, we like it. Bringing Skype—or other video chat—into the hospital delivery room is a hospital public relations opportunity that’s likely to win friends and goodwill in the community. The “internet birth” news that caught our attention last week told the story of a baby being born at the Signature Healthcare […]
The business of physician relations can be a bit bumpy sometimes, but the marketing and communications folks at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis use a systematic approach that’s shaping expectations and smoothing the road between hospital and physicians. Of course, you’ve got to observe all the rules of the road…and “regulatory guidance” means […]
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 […]
Here’s a worthwhile idea that we can all get behind. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released its National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. It’s aimed at making health information and services easier to understand and use. The plan calls for improving the jargon-filled language, dense writing, and complex explanations that […]
Community hospitals are scrambling, according to a recent article in USA Today, to survive and remain independent. But “scrambling” doesn't seem like an adequate description if you also read the article in Becker’s Hospital Review a few days earlier: Challenges Facing Community Hospitals. Both publications present authoritative industry voices. “Over the past decade, the number […]
It’s my impression that everyone in the nation has at least one mobile phone. But mobile phones are handling more text messages than phone calls. And the folks at The Pew Internet & American Life Project who keep track of such things say that’s correct…for both adults and adolescents. On average, adults make and receive […]
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times highlighted the use of pre-med students and other college students who want to pursue careers in medicine or nursing as “medical scribes” to accompany physicians during patient appointments. These scribes carry laptop computers to enter treatment plans into electronic medical records software programs as well as follow […]
Six digital ways to keep patients connected to the allergy/asthma practice. Many allergist marketing programs publish daily pollen count and mold count numbers. It’s a useful way to keep sensitive patients checking-in with the practice. Now the numbers are getting out there quicker via social media. Some allergist marketing plans publish the data using […]
As we were talking with a prospective client about their marketing situation, it became evident that they did not recognize the difference between "marketing" and "advertising." Unfortunately, using these terms interchangeably is a common mistake, especially where the healthcare provider or a key staff member is just beginning to tackle the apparent complexities of medical […]
The effectiveness of online marketing and pay-per-click advertising begin with a plan A page from the real-life-lessons department: How a chance encounter with a marketing-savvy town car driver demonstrates the effectiveness of having a plan and using pay-per-click Internet advertising for success. Turns out the encounter wasn't entirely by chance. I met a town car […]
Once upon a time ... as some stories begin...the care and feeding of a profitable ambulatory surgery center seemed blessed with a seamless, predictable and uninterrupted patient flow. At least that was the idea. Unfortunately, reality intrudes and things change. Today, there’s nothing easy or automatic. ASCs—both large and small—are challenged to constantly align capacity […]
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 […]
Attract new patients to your medical office without sacrificing your reputation Economic pressures can often squeeze the profits - and enjoyment - right out of your business. As a consequence, doctors, administrators, managers and staff often find themselves spending an inordinate amount of their time and energy trying to cut costs and optimize reimbursements. The […]
There is a cure if you follow a strict treatment plan for feeling better. A doctor called not long ago and told us he desperately needed our help. That's not unusual, but he said he couldn't even wait to go to one of our monthly strategic marketing planning meetings; he wanted us to work with […]
Here's How We Develop Hospital Marketing Plans, Medical Marketing Plans and Dental Marketing Plans For Our Clients
No budget? Unrealistic budget? How to begin when the page is blank. Two different practitioners called us recently. Let's just describe them as smart and experienced doctors in different professions, in different parts of the country and on different ends of the promotional spectrum. They both were experiencing an "ah-hah moment" of personal insight and […]
Can you guess what spaghetti marketing is? (A lot of healthcare businesses do it.) Simply spend a lot of marketing dollars randomly, throw a bunch of "spaghetti" against the wall, and see if anything sticks. As you might suspect, we are not big fans of spaghetti marketing. You could throw a lot of spaghetti -- […]
