Relationship building has always been an essential part of the doctor-patient dynamic. Today, however, patients hope the doctor-patient relationship will become increasingly digital. Of course, it's just as important to meet in person as it always was. But for patients (and potential patients) with busy lives, it's a good idea to have multiple touchpoints. And […]
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 […]
You and your staff know exactly why patients should choose your practice or hospital. You’ve probably got a great team and impressive expertise. And you truly care about the needs of your patients. But is this enough to keep patients coming back? Lately, other healthcare organizations have been improving their products and services in ways […]
Direct mail is not dead. At a time when email inboxes are overflowing, how else can you reach prospective patients in your area without overwhelming them? In fact, a piece of healthcare-related mail can be a nice break from the screen, a physical reminder that a local specialist, practice, or hospital is here to offer […]
In a recent study, 90% of older adult internet users said they’ve used social media to find or share health information. Undoubtedly, social media is a major part of many people's lives. And if you're in the business of healthcare, social media may help increase brand loyalty and boost your reputation. You just may need […]
The first thing I do when I see healthcare news that interests me or scares me (or both) is go online and try to find more information. It's a common modern reaction to search for a meaningful explanation of a new treatment or resurgent disease. And hopefully I can find more than a few comments […]
Recently, we've heard a lot more practice and hospital marketing leaders talking about Instagram marketing. Healthcare may have been slow to adopt social media marketing and advertising techniques in the past. But today's healthcare professionals are open to exploring new platforms...as long as it's the right fit for their audiences. Not sure what Instagram has […]
The internet was in a bit of an uproar this week after Amazon admitted that employees listen to select customer conversations with Alexa, Amazon’s voice-enabled assistant. Yet, the tech giant seems unfazed by the news, noting that employees only listen to a handful of recordings with the ultimate goal of improving communications. In fact, Amazon’s […]
In the past few years, healthcare organizations have finally embraced social media as an important part of their marketing strategies. But while many doctors, hospitals, and organizations use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to advertise and to keep in touch, Snapchat is a new frontier for most of us. Is Snapchat the right fit […]
We often tell our healthcare marketing clients that “set it and forget it” is an awful policy when it comes to paid digital advertising. It’s so important to continue to track your ads, reallocate your budget, and test to find out what works and what doesn’t. When you advertise with Google, you have access to reporting […]
One of my favorite conferences to attend each year is HCIC, the Healthcare Internet Conference, where I get to catch up with people and organizations that are doing incredible things in the digital healthcare space. Recently, I spoke with Ed Rafalski, the Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Baycare Health System, about his HCIC talk, […]
My team and I talk about the pervasive influence of a digital presence and online reviews for hospitals and healthcare practitioners every day. It’s always great when new research backs up our claims. Press Ganey has been leading the industry in patient experience expertise for years, and their latest report adds significantly to the discussion. […]
Social media has certainly created a buzz among business owners in the last decade, and healthcare practitioners are no exception. However, factors such as how many likes or follows you get on your Facebook page do not necessarily translate into direct revenue or new patients. Employees can waste a lot of time focusing their attention […]
Telehealth has been around for well over a century, but the last few years have brought a major shift in the meaning of the term. Now thanks to new technologies, HIPAA-compliant programs and apps, and forward-thinking companies like Spruce, providers have more options for utilizing telehealth than ever before. In fact, your organization can benefit […]
Trust is essential to any relationship. And it’s a key factor in maintaining relationships between doctors (and healthcare organizations) and patients. In person, building trust with patients depends on creating the best possible experience in the office and showing compassion. So how can hospitals, practices, and organizations maintain that level of trust in the digital […]
Recently, I had the opportunity to see Richard Franzi, author of Killing Cats Leads to Rats, speak about his book. Essentially, the topic is the unintended consequences of our decisions. And in terms of healthcare, there are unintended consequences all over the place. You can learn strategies to avoid unintended consequences in healthcare organizations from […]
If you’ve listened to our podcast before, you probably know that I love talking to other thought leaders and experts about patient experience. For today’s podcast, I thought I’d take a fun departure from what we usually do and speak to an expert about patient experience in pharmaceuticals. I spoke with Doug Noland, head of […]
You know you need a website to succeed in healthcare today. While some organizations rely heavily on word-of-mouth and doctor referrals, this won't last forever. Today's savvy patients are researching everything from dentists to radiologists to medical device manufacturers before they ever consider a product or service. Your website helps these patients find the right […]
This year, we're likely to see some dramatic changes in the world of healthcare. With private equity acquisitions on the rise, retailization in high demand, and some fierce competition, it's time to start treating your healthcare organization like the business it is. Make 2019 the year you find what works for your medical marketing. These […]
The only constant is change, and that's never been truer in the world of Healthcare Marketing. This year brought major acquisitions, new consumer priorities, and competitive trends that will only heighten in the New Year. Hospitals, medical practices, and healthcare organizations will have to stay one step ahead to keep up with both competitors and […]
For today’s podcast, I sat down with a marketing colleague, Aaron Gaeir, CEO and owner of Grandesign. He’s doing some impressive things in the world of experiential marketing—a subspecialty of marketing that really only a few agencies can do (and do well). We talk about Gaeir's definition of experiential marketing, look at some of Grandesign’s […]
Ed Bennett has long been a thought leader in healthcare social media and marketing. The founder of MarTech.Health, a new kind of vendor directory built for healthcare marketing professionals, he’s always been on the cutting-edge of healthcare technologies, so I was excited to talk to him about the recent session he facilitated at the 2018 […]
The patient is going away and the consumer is here to stay. We’ve seen and discussed this trend for years, and today, we have the chance to see how this shift to consumerism affects various demographics—and women in particular. This week on our podcast, I’m talking with Rob Klein, founder and CEO of Klein & […]
The right mix of medical search engine optimization and digital advertising can bring more prospective patients to your site. But if your medical website is missing these key elements, your efforts may be wasted. Win more patients with our top 5 medical website design must-haves. Photos of People Feeling Their Best We find that a […]
Penn Medicine Princeton Health considers community wellness an important part of its mission. And one of the most successful ways it has engaged with its audience is streaming video. In fact, over the past two years, after a shift in their video strategy, the health system has seen a 37% increase in video views. Healthcare […]
If your healthcare organization is not already involved in mergers and acquisitions in some form, it probably will be within the next few years. Today's podcast guests want to help organizations like yours navigate through mergers and acquisitions while keeping your marketing and communications teams aligned. CEO Stewart Gandolf spoke with Tammy Graves, Healthcare Principal […]
Eventually, every digital marketing specialist hears this phrase from a current or would-be client: “We can do this ourselves.” Usually, we hear this in regards to organic digital marketing. While paid digital advertising is a short-term strategy to get patients now, organic marketing is a long-term investment. Paid advertising (placing ads on Google, Facebook, etc.) […]
Every company should have a social media policy—and most healthcare organizations already do. Too often, however, that policy is a document handed to new employees that gets lost in the shuffle. It may only be a few forgotten lines in an employee handbook. Today’s podcast guest knew there had to be a better way. Diane […]
“Location, location, location.” It used to be one of the most important factors when starting up a new practice location (or any other healthcare business). But the way people find healthcare is changing rapidly. Today, it’s easy for your competitors to win patients near you—whether or not they’re closer to those patients’ homes. Patients are […]
One of the things I love most about my job is the opportunity to meet with some really great people doing amazing work in healthcare. Recently, I spoke with Johnny Smith, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at Ascension Health, the nation’s largest non-profit health system. I reached out to him after hearing about his […]
Hispanics are known as mobile “Super Consumers”: the most active smartphone users of any demographic in the U.S. In fact, according to Nielsen, Hispanics spend about 14 hours a week using smartphone apps and searching online on their phones. As the fastest-growing demographic in the country, it’s so important to find ways to reach this […]
Each year, the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) puts on a very successful event in association with the American Hospital Association—and it’s not just for hospitals. Take James Robberson’s topic from SHSMD 2018: “Optimizing Your Primary Care Footprint.” Robberson is the Director of Business Development at Littleton Adventist Hospital, and while his […]
As a healthcare marketer, I strongly believe in the importance of listening to and understanding the patient voice. And today’s podcast helps guide hospitals and healthcare organizations of all sizes on how to do just that. I had the opportunity to speak with Dennis Jolley, Chief Strategy and Communications Officer & Vice President for Institutional […]
In marketing, the Pareto principle—or the 80/20 principle—applies to a lot of what we do. For example, more often than not, 20% of the healthcare organizations in any given demographic are responsible for 80% of the ad space. The rest are missing out on a digital advertising opportunity—and that’s one of the most powerful tools […]
Running any healthcare organization comes with a number of challenges and obstacles. But CityMD, a large chain of urgent care centers in New York, has found a way to expand to 100+ locations without sacrificing care and compassion. In fact, as Richard Park, MD, CEO and Founder of CityMD tells me in today’s podcast, care […]
SHSMD 2018 produced a stellar lineup this year. One of the presentations I was most excited about came from the communications team at VCU Health, a health system that’s doing amazing things with its social media—particularly with Facebook Live. In case you missed the presentation, here’s some good news: I spoke with Anne Dreyfuss, Public […]
Chances are, the majority of your staff has at least one social media page they check fairly often. Members of your staff have written posts and uploaded photos plenty of times before—they know the social media essentials, and they’re happy to post on the company Facebook page. It’s great to have someone on staff willing […]
If a patient on medication for depression started to feel better, should she go off her meds? Should someone experiencing relief from strep throat throw out the remaining antibiotics? Of course not. From time to time, we hear from clients that their current patient volume is just fine. They're ready to stop the marketing and […]
You’ve heard the acronyms floating around: SEO, PPC, CPC, SEM. You might even have a good handle on what some of these things entail. But how do you peace it all together into one cohesive strategy? What tried-and-true facts do the top digital marketing agencies use to help their clients succeed? Related: 3 Simple Ways to […]
You and your team carefully screen all job candidates to make sure they’re a good fit. After a few weeks of medical staff training, your front office staff knows all about your specialty or your primary service lines, and they’re a big advocate for your practice or hospital. But if you think this is the […]
Today, most patients in need of a healthcare provider will begin their search online. Even if your organization is primarily physician referred, people are searching for your website before following through with an appointment. A poor web presence could be a deal breaker. Recently, we’ve written a lot about what kind of websites deliver patients. […]
Doctor websites can often be insightful and educational. But is that really all you need for your hospital or practice website to be complete? 6 things all doctor websites need Of course, all doctor websites are going to be different. Some are suited for before-and-after photos, while some are primarily focused on showing their compassionate […]
Let’s face it: doctors aren’t web designers. You certainly have a say on what goes into your website—but designers spend years learning about user experience, and cultivating an eye for design. Although you have access to medical stock photos and an advanced camera phone (we're assuming), it can be tough to choose the photography for […]
Private equity deal activity has dropped by about 19% in the last 4 years—but healthcare-specific deals continue to grow at a steady rate year after year. That's because healthcare organizations are a strong investment, with high margins and a product that will always be in demand, whether in biotechnology, medical devices, or private practice. However, […]
Planning a smart marketing strategy means basing your decisions on data. And today, the data shows that 70% of people use social media. It may not be where prospective patients are actively searching for a doctor, but a solid social media strategy can still build trust with your demographic. And, as you'll see in this […]
Wanted: Customer Service SUPERSTAR. It's the first phrase that should come to mind when you're crafting a Medical Scheduler job description. The person who answers the phone for new patients can make or break your organization. This is someone with the power to convert every new patient who calls—or to drive many of them away. […]
You’ve got a decent website. Now, you just need people to find it. Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about changing the content, performance, and user experience of your website in order for it to appear higher in the search engines (such as Google and Bing). This is more important for hospitals and medical practices […]
Many private practices have embraced the rise of healthcare consumerism trends, providing ways to create an experience that puts the patient's needs first. In hospitals, though, changes have been slow-going. This is due in part to longstanding structuring, pricing, and patient care protocols that are tough (and costly) to get around. But these changes are […]
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 […]
