Hospital Marketing Journal

Ten Adams in the East.

by Holly Smith

As part of my MBA program at the University of Evansville (@UEBusiness), our cohort recently took our required international excursion. After much deliberation, the class chose China due to the increased globalization and emphasis on China’s role in world economics and unique cultural experiences. The focus of our trip was to get a true business and cultural perspective. We met with several companies operating in China such as Kodak, Lenovo, and the US-China Business Council. In addition, we experienced several cultural sites such as the Forbidden City, The Great Wall, the Jade Buddha and Yuyuan Classical Garden. My first impression was how westernized the country really is. As a passionate marketer, it was readily apparent to me how culture and demographics influence their marketing and advertising style. It was clear that ‘red’ is a very significant color. Red symbolizes good fortune and joy.  It is shown dominantly in advertising and building signage. Also, the emphasis on action was prevalent with an air of movement in both photography and graphics. Most surprising was the widespread use of American actors/actresses and the desire for westernized culture.  At times I felt like I was on a street in Chicago with McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Coach, Sephora and Apple all within blocks of each other on Nanjing Road in Shanghai. They definitely have a spirit of innovation and sophistication. I had the privilege of being in China on International Woman’s Day - a mix of Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.  On this morning, the women were all decked out and shopping was high on their priority list. There was a line outside the Coach store. But, don’t think you’ll score hefty discounts in China. The imposed 70% luxury tax derailed many of my purchases. I did visit a ‘knock-off’ market; however, my bartering skills were not up to par, so when needed, I leaned on my savvy classmates, which surprisingly were male. Censorship and control was apparent. I was desperately missing Facebook. Every time I took an amazing picture I wanted to post, I was crushed to remember  -  I’m social media paralyzed! I even got called out on Twitter as being ‘Twitterless in China.’ In the 80’s it was - I want my MTV. Now it’s -  I want my social media. I know they have their own versions of YouTube and other social media platforms, but they are all monitored by the government. My only real challenge was the orthopedic boot (#daboot) I ended up wearing on my foot on the trip – a result of an injury at my 6 year old’s birthday party at a bouncy house.  Boy was I glad that injury didn’t happen in China. As you can only imagine, their hospitals have access issues due to the population size. Also, I was informed that cash payment for services is often required. I did hear about private healthcare options, but just glad I didn’t have to experience this for myself! The biggest take away for me, which I now look back on in reflection, is that marketing is marketing, but the things I missed the most where clean air, clean water and freedom.

A Pinteresting Case for Healthcare Marketing

by Lauren Wunderlich

Pinterest is the hot new social media phenomenon.  But will it succeed in the long run? Many believe Pinterest’s unique place in the social media atmosphere will help it succeed, while some critics believe privacy issues might hint at a bumpy road ahead. For hospital marketers, the overlap of the key healthcare decision maker + the demographic of the average Pinterest user — higher income women ages 18-34 — is more than enticing. (TechCrunch). This is one obvious case for Pinterest’s value in healthcare marketing strategies — but is it worth precious marketing dollars and time?  Read on to find out. The Basics So what makes Pinterest so…um, interesting?  After all, it’s just pictures, right? Hive Strategies says this:  “People use Pinterest to organize their favorite things and browse other people’s favorite things.”  Users create boards to pin items of interest and share them with others.  Pinterest goes far beyond pretty pictures and gives the user something else entirely — inspiration. (And a way to nurture their inner Martha Stewart.) Value to Healthcare Marketers Pinterest is a great way to organize content so it can quickly + easily be accessed. This ability to curate content is a great argument for Pinterest’s value to hospital marketers. By aggregating content in one space, whether from your own hospital website or other sources, a hospital can easily educate + engage patients. Think of it this way: instead of sending a patient home with brochures on stretching exercises or a new diabetic meal plan, staff can just direct them to the “Rehabilitation Exercises” or “Diabetic Recipes” board on your hospital’s Pinterest page. http://pinterest.com/summitmedicalnj/rehabilitation-exercises/ http://pinterest.com/trishbarker/diabetic-recipes/ Another sell for healthcare marketers is Pinterest’s ability to generate web traffic.  Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn + YouTube combined, according to Shareaholic. Impressive numbers — made all the more impressive knowing most of these visitors are our coveted female, 18-34 demographic. Still need convincing?  Check out these stats from ragan.com: Pinterest retains and engages users two to three times more efficiently as Twitter did at the same age. Pinterest accounts for 3.6 percent of referral traffic, while Twitter is just barely ahead, accounting for 3.61 percent of referral traffic. In July 2011, Pinterest accounted for only 0.17 percent of referral traffic.  More than one-fifth of Facebook-connected users are on Pinterest daily. This represents more than 2,000,000 members In May 2011, an average Pinterest visitor spent 13.7 minutes per month on the site. In January 2012, each Pinterest visitor spent an average of 97.8 minutes per month on the site. Who’s on Pinterest? As the statistics show, Pinterest is definitely catching the attention of marketers. However, it has yet to be a real hit in the healthcare industry.  Brands like Etsy, HGTV, Whole Foods + Nordstrom have a presence on Pinterest, but only a handful of hospitals have decided to climb onboard.  Here are a few of the early joiners: Dayton Children’s Medical Center Dayton Children’s Medical Center uses content from their website to increase traffic.  Check out how they’re using inspirational patient stories to direct users back to their own website: Baylor Health Baylor Health has boards on interactive health quizzes, healthy holidays, family health, health awareness, fitness + more. With over 200 followers already, it looks like they’re doing something right. Some additional healthcare organizations using Pinterest are Inova Health, Summit Medical Group, + MD Anderson Cancer Center. Check out their Pinterest sites for some fresh ideas + inspiration. Potential Setbacks Although Pinterest seems like a fresh approach to social media, as with anything new, there are always improvements to be made.  As mentioned earlier, privacy (or more the lack of it) has come into question for some.  Also, there has yet to be a healthcare or wellness listing within Pinterest; so in order to be noticed, you must direct people to boards/ page directly. Using social media to generate traffic to your hospital’s Pinterest page is a great way to go, but Pinterest isn’t likely to generate unsolicited traffic. Finally, it might be hard to justify the extra time + resources spent cultivating your presence on Pinterest. Not only is there no analytics component to measure brand performance within the site, but there’s also the intimidating thought of developing a whole new social media presence. Wrap-Up Pinterest is a fun, visually stimulating + inspiring approach to communicating with  hospital consumers, but whether or not it will be viable in the long-term is still too close to call.  At the very least, hospitals should keep their eyes open for any new opportunities that are bound to present themselves with Pinterest. Is Pinterest worth your hospital’s time and valuable marketing resources?  Let us know by leaving a comment below.

ACO WEBINAR - Pulling Off the Band-Aid: Easing the Pain of Healthcare Reform

Accountable care has arrived.  Some have begun to invest in a new level of performance and accountability. Others are not as far along. Where do you stand? Join us on April 17th at 3 pm eastern to learn ways your organization can smoothly transition from a volume-based to value-based ACO model of care. The concept of the ACO is beyond overwhelming when we start to think of the logistics of a transition. Learn where to start + some tips to help ease the growing pains along the way. Discover how wellness initiatives are a critical component to this transition, and learn ways to leverage your wellness initiatives as a critical element in the creation of a successful ACO. This complimentary online webinar is delivered by a panel of national experts in hospital marketing, lasts one hour and covers a variety of topics focusing on ways to smoothly transition during healthcare reform. Together, we will: Discuss the vision for the future of ACOs Explore a comparison of the volume-based healthcare model with the value-based ACO model Discuss programs that will yield the healthiest bottom line for the ACO Learn about the integrative medicine center and how it will ease the transition to an ACO Explore the importance of elevating wellness to the status of a Center of Excellence Discuss today’s reality of adverse health trends (and why wellness is more critical than ever before) Focus on the 10 keys to successful wellness initiatives Highlight ways to get your many audiences on-board with (and excited about!) wellness Review common components of corporate wellness Learn more about community health promotion Review a case study of a successful women’s wellness initiative (and plenty of anecdotes!)   FEATURED SPEAKERS: Russell Faust, PhD, MD Guest Faculty at Oakland University School of Business, Executive MBA Program in Healthcare, social media consultant and Chief Medical Officer for Anicca Media, LLC, a digital media agency helping physician practices + hospitals connect with their online patient communities + physicians. Jon Headlee: President, Ten Adams, applies his 20 years of healthcare industry knowledge developing + nurturing the strategic vision for hospital clients. Working closely with hospital executives, he helps 'connect the dots' between increasing revenue + developing brand leadership. As a speaker + author, Jon simplifies the complex and focuses on delivering quantifiable results for clients. Space is limited; so be sure to register at http://bit.ly/GSjmNg.

Hospital Marketing Leadership Webinar:

ROI, Measurement & Accountability for Hospital Marketers

Hospital executives are confronted everyday with demands for accountability for all expenses, including their traditional marketing campaigns as well as new media.  Asked to do more with less, hospital marketers are forced to build the hospital brand, develop and implement patient acquisition strategies, promote their integrated physician practices and all of this on tight and dwindling budgets.  It’s tough enough convincing hospital administrators of the importance of marketing without having to also show them that the proposed marketing campaigns are working optimally.  Being able to measure and report ROI for hospital marketing campaigns is an important and vital step in this overall process.  Unfortunately, measuring marketing results and reporting ROI for hospital marketing campaigns can be challenging.  In the healthcare industry, it’s a lot easier to measure an increase in referrals – broken down by each referring physician – than it would be to try and figure out how many patients checked in after viewing or reading a particular advertisement.   This is particularly true because patients are not good at reporting why they’ve chosen one hospital over another. The healthcare industry has gotten a bad rap at reporting marketing effectiveness ROI.  In the 2009 HealthLeaders Media Industry Survey, marketing leaders at hospitals and health systems were asked what emphasis their organization will place on measuring the ROI of marketing efforts in the next three years. The largest number of respondents (85%) said they'll use a mix or anecdotal and financial evidence to measure return, although only 6.74% say they'll employ hard, financial ROI measurement exclusively. Do you feel somewhat behind the times regarding the most recent methods to measure successful hospital marketing? Do you need some assistance figuring out how to demonstrate return on your hospital marketing investments?  Are you interested in learning where to start and what mistakes to avoid? Ten Adams and Hospital Executive Today, and producer, Social Media Training, Inc., are teaming up for a live Webinar, entitled, Hospital Marketing Leadership:  ROI, Meaurement and Accountability for Hospital Marketers.  The webinar will be held on Thursday, November 17, 2011, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm eastern and includes such well-known speakers as: Chris Boyer, Director of Digital and Communications, Inova Health System Jon Headlee, President, Ten Adams Jake Wengroff, Frost & Sullivan, Global Director of Social Media Strategy and Research  Topics of discussion will include: Discover 5 Steps to measuring the success of your marketing campaigns Learn why accountability is the fastest road to marketing success Learn how to be accountable to and communicate with the New Hospital Consumer Learn how to get better results with a smaller budget Connect the dots from your hospital marketing strategy to ROI Understand how new media & social media can allow you to achieve more with less Case studies of successful hospital marketing strategies Don’t miss this great webinar so you can learn to take the best approach to measuring your hospital’s marketing effectiveness and ROI.    Space is limited.   To register go to https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/422117334

Hospital Branding Webinar:

How to Stand Out in the Sea of Sameness

“Hospital branding” is an important topic today – the center of many discussions among hospital marketing professionals throughout the U.S. With many hospitals merging or consolidating, and the pressure from high operating costs, hospitals need to find and send the message that spells “value” to their prospective patients. Understanding “hospital branding,” how it is defined, how it is accomplished, and what strategies and tactics can be employed to make it work, is a marketing concept that needs some answers. Because this topic is so important, Ten Adams is sponsoring an informative Webinar entitled, Hospital Branding: How To Stand Out In A Sea of Sameness. This free Webinar will be held on Monday, October 10, 2011 for one hour, starting at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time). The Webinar is open to anyone interested in hospital and healthcare marketing. Jon Headlee, President of Ten Adams, said, “Ten Adams is proud to sponsor this upcoming event. We realize how difficult it is today for hospitals to make those all-important branding decisions – to develop their marketing strategy amidst a tough economic climate, where they are forced to deal with increasing regulation and inadequate reimbursement, and despite all of those challenges, trying to figure out how to bring in more patients to boost revenue.” The hospital and healthcare industry have grown and matured to a state where they must make some difficult decisions regarding their branding, in order to compete for future market share. The Webinar is designed to help marketers and administrators understand a variety of branding issues - to see that the hospital brand is so much more than just the logo and tagline, encompassing the entire patient experience. This online training is delivered by a panel of national experts in hospital branding, covering such topics as: What makes a great hospital brand? The importance of delivering a great experience A powerful brand is much more than a name, tagline or logo How brands are built from the inside-out, but sustained from the outside-in Discover how to find your hospital’s key brand differentiator How strong brands drive patient volume and increase revenue How and where your hospital brand is being judged every day Social media’s impact on your hospital’s brand & how to get better at managing it Keeping everyone happy: great brands are sustained by great communication Case studies and anecdotes Speakers at the Webinar include: Jake Wengroff: Global Director, Social Media Strategy & Research, Frost & Sullivan Dan Rogers: CoFounder of Bearings Branding Jon Headlee: President of Ten Adams Guest Hospital Speaker: To be announced shortly The Premiere Sponsor is Ten Adams. Webinar Host: Social Media Training, Inc. and Media Sponsor: Hospital Executive Today. Click here to register: Sign up https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/244860142