The AMA’s American Medical News carried an excellent article recently titled: Hospitals' new specialist: Social media manager. It told the tale of how various hospitals—such as Swedish Medical Center (Seattle) and Mayo Clinic—are hiring staff members dedicated exclusively to social and interactive media. What's more, other hospitals, health systems, and medical practices either have someone […]
Tips for provider and staff who talk with reluctant patients scared by economic tough times. Effective physician-patient communication skills are increasingly critical in the clinical setting. Here's why the "new normal" in healthcare now demands a team approach that applies these basic ingredients. It's a page from every successful sales executive's playbook. Some physician stories […]
Does this sound familiar? A prominent doctor with tons of experience picks up a magazine and sees an ad for a competitive practice. The other practice has significantly less experience, but they do have a half page, full color ad. And to the public they look like the biggest game in town.
The numbers are an eye-opener: Two-thirds of primary care physicians say they regularly send patient referral information to specialists, but only one-third of specialists report receiving it. Clearly there’s a communications disconnect, according to a national study published this month in Archives of Internal Medicine. The study did not directly address the marketing implications of […]
How to practice your "empathetic listening" for better patient communications Professionals need to be effective communicators, particularly when offering elective care options. Exceptional patient communications begin with careful listening skills that can be cultivated with daily practice.
by Steve Smith, Healthcare Success Senior Consultant Those of us in healthcare often suffer from diminished peripheral vision. We tend to believe that we work in a vacuum, and that despite whatever else is happening in other professions or businesses, healthcare is governed by a separate, special set of rules. In many ways, of […]
[EDITOR'S NOTE: In honor of Groundhog Day, we are re-posting this item from last year just for fun. The advice applies to all referral-reliant provider practices. Enjoy...and hope for an early Spring this year.] It doesn’t seem like 18 19 years since the release of the movie Groundhog Day. There’s an important lesson here for any […]
Twitter is one of the four best known social media tools—YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. And if you look at Ed Bennett’s accounting of 890 US hospitals using social networking tools, almost 75 percent have Twitter accounts. (That’s a close second to hospitals with Facebook pages at nearly 80 percent.) But name recognition isn’t as […]
If you’re a member of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) you got the same email that we did about their new Principles and Practices for Marketing Communications in Hospitals and Health Systems. It’s another example of the SHSMD and American Hospital Association’s thought leadership, and we recommend downloading their advisory. It’s […]
We’re hopeful about the promise of positive things to come, but we’re also realistic. Orthopedic Surgery gives us clues about healthcare marketing, and it’s a perspective that, we predict, will apply to many others as well. There’s no doubt that things are changing in marketing, advertising and public relations for hospitals, medical groups, pharmaceutical companies, […]
Like so many of the healthcare provider channels in medicine today, occupational medicine is changing. And there are marketing lessons in occupational medicine marketing for many other professions, medical practices, hospitals, clinics and healthcare organizations. The key to success in occupational medicine is good sales acumen. The clinic, urgent care center or medical facility that […]
by Kathy Roy Gaughran, Senior Marketing Strategist My travel schedule takes me to the offices of healthcare providers throughout the nation. Each initial visit is a great “first impression” opportunity for me to take the role of a new patient who is seeing the practice with fresh eyes. The “experience” (seeing and feeling what impacts […]
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 […]
You’re probably familiar with Sermo, the physicians-only online community with about 116,000 doctor members. We see Sermo—and their Pulse Survey—as an attractive physician relations listening post for hospitals, specialty groups or other healthcare organizations that rely on referrals from physicians.
The New Normal for Medical and Hospital Marketing in Tough Economic Times Don't dismiss offer-driven media options automatically. The nation's economic headwinds have produced new, value-sensitive consumer buying patterns and an opportunity to re-consider the way things work in society's "New Normal." The terms "advertising offer" and "healthcare marketing" sometimes seem like misfits. To many, […]
Here’s a civic-minded idea that a hospital, urgent care center and many other healthcare organizations can organize and produce for the benefit of the community…and capture a bit of publicity and public relations in the process. It also illustrates the fact that your budget doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting if you recruit […]
We predict that you’ll be reading a lot of New Year predictions this week. One such crystal ball report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) uses pretty dramatic language. Within six top health industry issues, PwC expects an “extreme strategy makeover." And each of the six issues contain healthcare marketing, advertising and public relations implications for medical providers, […]
7 Resolutions To Get Your Healthcare Business Moving Courage is a personal thing...and we salute the doctor who called us last year with his highly personal introspection. Then, as now, it was the season to reflect on the year past, and for individual and professional evaluation. This brief story—and we thank you for permission to […]
Five challenge questions to being proactive and making the most of this marketing window Physicians don't get much "good news" about reimbursement, so you may have already noticed this important report from our nation's capital. It didn't run on the eleven o'clock news. Before adjourning just before Christmas, the 109th Congress passed and sent to […]
Editor's Note: This is the third article in our three-part series about how to get your hospital or healthcare practice website found by potential patients. The Internet is a powerful tool for marketing. But simply having a web site does not mean that patients will find you. The first two articles in this series presented the […]
Here’s a useful technique that publicity savvy professionals, hospitals and healthcare organizations are using to grab a bit of the national news halo. Here’s how it works… When you can link developments in your specialty or professional field to timely news headlines—especially national news—call the news media and offer a local angle or spin that’s […]
Did you blink? New online healthcare marketing and advertising tools burst onto the scene faster than you can reboot your iPad. Take the business rocket Groupon for example. It’s well worth considering in elective healthcare sectors. Here’s why… Barely two years ago there was no Groupon. But less than a fortnight ago, the online deal-of-the-day […]
by Steve Smith, Healthcare Success Senior Consultant My 18-year-old son is a freshman in college. For the past four years he has held a part-time job at a local hardware store. Some days he is a cashier, but most days he helps customers on the sales floor. And in the past he has been mystery […]
Hospital marketing is increasingly using hospitality to differentiate their brand. News reports say hospitals are looking more like luxury hotels. And we’ve posted articles about facilities throughout the nation that have linked their hospital marketing, advertising and public relations messages to exceptional “patient experience.” These nonclinical patient benefits include spa-like women’s centers, family-friendly patient rooms, […]
A physician’s reading list is more likely to include JAMA than Wired magazine. Although the tech-centric journal seems an unlikely source, this month’s edition (Dec 2010) provides a vividly illustrated case example for marketing communications. Doctors, hospitals and clinical labs in particular will find a brief but dramatic lesson in how good graphic design can […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that almost half of the American population lives with at least one chronic condition such as diabetes, asthma, COPD or heart disease. The numbers spike in older age categories, with more than ninety percent of Americans age 65 or older living with some form of chronic […]
This item is about a dentist, but it's a local television PR example that could be used by any profession, hospital or healthcare entity. It’s known as the City of Brotherly Love, and the CBS television station in Philadelphia runs a regular segment in the news with the same name. It’s an ongoing feature that […]
Print advertising remains a cost-effective option when you test, track and adjust. External Communications plans for healthcare marketing can still include magazines and newspapers to produce successful results. But print ads are may not be right for everyone, and only if you do it right from the start. The formula for winning with print involves […]
The following article by Healthcare Success Co-Founder (and pet owner) Stewart Gandolf was featured as a guest post on the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) blog, brandBUZZ. AAHA is a companion animal veterinary organization serving approximately 6,000 practice teams in the US and Canada. If the holiday season is slow around your shop – […]
Marketing to physicians is always a communications challenge. There are gatekeepers, drawbridges, barriers and the never-ending constraints of a busy physician’s packed schedule. Everyone wants a slice of time for physician relations, medical device sales, hospital marketing and PR, and pharmaceutical detailing, to name just a few. There’s no magic answer. But a recent survey […]
When Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale officially opened its new women’s center a couple weeks ago, it promised a one-stop healthcare experience in a relaxing, spa-like environment. Their concept is to provide a completely unique patient experience. Their website explains, “When you walk through our doors, you will feel as though you have walked […]
Kissing, wearing cosmetics and jewelry, tattoos and piercings, and even your cell phone could bring on serious allergic reactions. And allergists are learning how to look for and treat reactions to “Life’s Pleasures.” Allergists, allergist marketing professionals and the news media attending the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Meeting earlier this […]
Healthcare seems to be one of the early early-adopter industries for Apple’s popular tablet, trailing the financial services and technology sectors of business. The iPad is still less than a year old and there is no doubt that it’s been a hit in the marketplace. Apple-watchers predict the company will ship 7 to 10 million […]
by Steve Smith, Healthcare Success Senior Consultant True story: The patient has a terminal illness. She arrived at the metropolitan hospital on time for an appointment with her radiation oncologist and was sitting in the waiting room when the doctor emerged with another patient, walking him to the door to say goodbye.
Mark Zuckerberg wants you to “get on the bus.” His bus, of course, is Facebook. And Mr. Zuckerberg aimed his comments squarely at companies that have, so far, resisted using social media. His words of encouragement may be a tiny bit self-serving, but with 500 million members, and 250 million daily users, Facebook is a […]
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 […]
17 Things Savvy Healthcare Providers Can Do To Keep Their Organizations Healthy Despite A Very Sick Economy There's no doubt that the nation's economic news is serious and troubling. Your own experience tells you that people—pretty much all of us—are justifiably concerned, from Wall Street to Main Street. While everyone's situation is different, you've likely […]
Keeping the roof over your head when it looks like the sky is falling. A solid plan for healthcare marketing is a fundamental business tool for coping and succeeding in the face of healthcare reform and other changes. Competition has increased ...the roll-up trend created more groups...and economic pressures push down on reimbursement and elective […]
Recent market research suggests that many pharmaceutical marketing executives are still on the sidelines and working on their digital game plan. While marketing planners in other industries have quickly jumped into online channels, pharma has been comparatively slow to embrace the digital revolution. The findings from Digital Marketing in Pharma say that about half of […]
Each week, according to one recent survey, physicians get about 20 visits from pharmaceutical company representatives, but not everyone gets face time with the doc. Compare that with another study that says that nurses are not only “digitally advanced,” but they are likely to recommend online resources to patients. Although physicians are a primary pharmaceutical […]
Mistakenly, we thought the eleventh month was November. But an idea born over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia in 2003 has designated this as MOVEMBER in the interest of men’s health. It’s now an international healthcare PR effort for cancer awareness, and something hospitals and healthcare public relations efforts might want to support. If […]
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 […]
We’re impressed with the new AAE website (aae.org). The American Association of Endodontists has revitalized its online presence with more content and improved endodontic marketing messages for the public and the professional ranks. Refreshing (or completely re-doing) a website is good advice for most healthcare practices, hospitals and organizations. Too often their website is a […]
If you haven’t seen the FDA’s proposed graphic new health warnings for cigarette packages and advertisements, here's your first look. You'll likely see a lot more of them. But BE ADVISED that these graphics are well beyond the current, words-only advisory, and there’s nothing subtle about them. The FDA proposed a total of 36 warning […]
When a compelling offer catches your attention – such as the astoundingly low cost of only a dollar – it’s hard to resist. And when it’s only available for a limited time – in this case for one day only – serious buyers have to act immediately or lose the opportunity. The 1 Dollar-1 Day […]
This qualifies as one of the best short videos for doctors who may be wondering if social media fits their medical practice marketing and advertising plan. It’s a short (3 minute) doctor-to-doctor conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Benabio, a San Diego dermatologist. He talks about why physicians – dermatologists or other medical specialties – would want […]
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. […]
Please permit this short-but-passionate message of concern about medical practices that SAY they are cutting-edge, yet their websites are crummy. Their claim is simply not credible. It’s a pitfall that medical practice marketing needs to avoid. It’s amazing how often we discover medical practices that have no website at all – or they have a […]
This little saga – based on a true story – is about an ophthalmologist, but we routinely hear the same tale of opportunity lost in nearly every healthcare profession. (Insert if you like: group practice, hospital physician, cardiologist, urologist, rheumatologist, dermatologist, or any–ologist.) The lesson for doctor/physician marketing is that being good – even great […]
The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) recently launched a marketing campaign about esthetic restoration. Using an effective combination of video and audio material, the ACP placement plan is a good case example for healthcare marketing and advertising decision-makers about how to leverage media exposure for added (and affordable) reach and audience impact. Here’s a quick […]
