Hospital Marketing Journal

Content Marketing: 6 Tips for a Healthy Hospital

by Brandon Scott Content marketing connects your hospital to patients, their families and others who use your services. It extends your reach, making you more broadly visible to prospective customers. And all that helps grow your business and your market share, for a healthier bottom line. How can content marketing work for you? Be overtly helpful, not just informative. Content delivers added value when it allays fears, inspires, or simply generates smiles. It’s memorable when your audience learned something new. Or had an “ah ha” moment. Your content can teach customers about trending medical issues, help them become proactive about maintaining their own wellness, manage a chronic illness more effectively, understand an upcoming procedure or simply find a doctor.   Truly useful content builds credibility and authority, but when it also demonstrates your willingness to freely share your special tips and insight, it makes you seem more approachable. That strengthens comfort level and confidence.   Focus on them. You’ve heard this before, but we can’t stress it enough: content that doesn’t play to your audience’s needs and desires will simply fall flat. Leverage your earned authority for the benefit of those who follow you. This signifies clear intent and provides a solid engagement to educate and convert your audience.    Healthcare consumers aren’t one size fits all, so your solutions never should be either. And that means your content marketing topics, formats and delivery platforms must to be varied, too. Give them what they want, the way they want it. This incrementally builds stronger relationships based on trust.   Put them in the picture. A picture’s worth…well, you know. Your content should include lots of photos, especially those that feature people. Infographics are also great, because they can encapsulate a significant amount of information in a visually appealing and readily digestible presentation. They’re very simple to share, and you can use them in printed form, too.   And let’s not forget video. Short but packed with meaty information, videos are an excellent way to demonstrate your newest equipment, educate patients about an upcoming experience or teach at home techniques. Be the resource people can “check out” via YouTube and share with friends via links.   Spark the conversation. The end-user experience is so critical to your content development. Ask yourself “what would I do with the content as a consumer?” If your response feels uninspired, then a change should be made.   Often, the trick is to find the hanging fruit consumers are already talking about, then add your voice to the discussion. Follow-up with a simple question or challenge your audience can instantly comment on. This gives your content exponential value.   Everyone likes a good story. Stories illustrate your compassion as well as your competence. Real-life examples of your hospital at work underscore your specific value and humanize your brand. You’re not just some enormous institution. Real-life examples of your hospital at play – perhaps participating in a community project – demonstrate your value as a good neighbor. This shows you care enough to get out there and get involved.   Tell personal stories about your docs or other providers – Dr. Suzy Smith loves paddleboarding, John Doe, RN is a talented painter. These are real people, just like their patients. Relatable. Trustworthy.   Commitment + creativity spells success. Content marketing is a glorious opportunity to talk up the “little extras” that give your patients a better experience. Maybe it’s pet therapy. Or art therapy. Healthy cooking classes. Your new lightning-fast admission process. Or your new live-chat-with-a-nurse program.   Innovative thinking sets you apart from the competition, and people love it. They expect outstanding medical care, but they expect personalized attention, too. Content that tells how you’re making things more pleasant or convenient proves you’re patient-oriented.   You think you’re selling your hospital. But what you’re really “selling” is personal relationships. Content marketing can establish you as the premier, personalized resource for health and wellness. That’s branding you can count on to keep your hospital and your community healthy.

Anatomy of a Photoshoot (Part Deux)

As we gear up to launch our new campaign for Riverside Medical Group next month, we thought we’d offer another behind-the-scenes peek at a Ten Adams photoshoot…and, of course, lessons learned along the way.     LESSON #1 — Doctors are different from you and I. (In this case, MUCH better dancers.) WHICH LEADS TO LESSON #2 — Music makes every job better. LESSON #3 — An unused wheelchair makes for a perfect camera dolly. LESSON #4 — It’s okay if your photographer looks like Andre Agassi. (As long as he doesn’t act like John McEnroe). LESSON #5 — Hospitals are home to many Instagram-able distractions. Oooh, shiny… LESSON #6 — Messages from home can make the long trips more bearable. LESSON #7 — Professional lighting brings out the poser in all of us. LESSON #8 — Healthcare marketing requires more heavy lifting than you might imagine. LESSON #9 — Anything can be fixed with duct tape. LESSON #10 — Sometimes doctors need a little TLC, too. LESSON #11 — A weeklong shoot means you should plan to leave with more than you arrived with. LESSON #12 — And, if you didn’t plan for that, see lesson #9 — duct tape. LESSON #13 — A good team moves in synchronicity at all times. LESSON #14 — And a good client knows how to make the job fun. LESSON #15 — Dinner on a photoshoot is not always fancy. LESSON #16 — You should always have several wardrobe options ready to go during a shoot. LESSON #17 — If you try to take pictures of your shoes on set, you’re probably gonna get busted. LESSON #18 — Sometimes everyone really is kung foo fighting. LESSON #19 — Life on the road is better with good folks by your side.

The Power of Believing

by Scott Mosley I recently had the privilege of accompanying Jon Headlee to the 4th Annual Becker’s Hospital Review Meeting in Chicago. I got to see a few old friends and left the three-day meeting with some strong impressions reinforced. I was reminded that Lou Holtz is every bit as entertaining of a speaker as he was when I had occasion to hear him during our mutual time in Arkansas. His Friday morning keynote message was simple and on-point. Attitude trumps talent in the game of life. Holtz – a master of motivation – should know. In his address, Holtz mentioned the 1978 Orange Bowl at which the Arkansas Razorbacks entered as overwhelming underdogs to the #2 ranked Oklahoma Sooners, coached by Barry Switzer – a Crossett, Arkansas boy. As an Arkansas native, myself, I remember the game well. The Sooners had a national title in their grasp and were 24-point favorites since just prior to the game Holtz had to suspend three star players for team rule violations. Among them was Ben Cowins, the Razorback’s much-heralded star running back. Arkansas was given little chance of victory. Although the suspended players and fans protested, Holtz refused to back down and the suspensions stood. The #1 Texas Longhorns had lost earlier on New Year’s Day, and everyone knew for certain that Oklahoma would leave the game as national champions. Everyone but Holtz, that is, and a second string running back by the name of Roland Sales. Sales was handed the unenviable and overwhelming assignment of filling in for the suspended Cowins. Well, the outcome is history. Roland Sales caught four passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball 22 times for 205 yards, more than half his total for the entire preceding season. His performance set an Orange Bowl record that stood for 20 years until Ahman Green carried for 206 yards in 1998. Under Holtz’ leadership, Arkansas defeated Oklahoma 31-6 in one of the best ballgames I’ve ever seen. Arkansas finished #3 that year, behind Notre Dame and Alabama. But, I don’t think Holtz saw it that way. Arkansas outplayed Oklahoma in one of the most unlikely exhibitions of attitude and spirit I ever hope to see. Yes, it’s only football. But I think it’s impossible not to draw some parallels. It’s good for us to be reminded of the true power in leadership, teamwork and motivation. Holtz would call it the “power of believing.” Whatever you call it, it’s a vital ingredient in healthcare’s recipe for success. To view the Keynote presentation Winning Every Day: A Game Plan For Success by Coach Lou Holtz, click here.

The Pitch for the 2013 Addy Awards

Ten Adams had the opportunity to see how our work stacked up against the competition last Friday night at the 2013 American Advertising Federation’s ADDY Awards. This year’s theme involved yet another AMC original television series, The Pitch, offering companies in the Tri-State a chance to compete head-to-head for recognition for their work in advertising. Ten Adams was honored with eleven Addy Awards for hospital advertising campaigns for The Christ Hospital Health Network in Cincinnati, OH, St. Mary’s Health System in Evansville, IN, and Logansport Memorial Hospital in Logansport, IN, as well as self-promotional work. The AAF’s annual Addy Awards recognizes the best and brightest advertising representatives of true creative excellence from media and companies of all types, sizes and locations through the organization’s advertising clubs and districts. Ten Adams was honored with a Judge's Choice award for The Christ Hospital Health Network Campaign. “I chose that campaign because the concept resonated with me personally, which is the first sign of an effective campaign. Hospital marketing is typically an inward expression; you see a lot of marketing that communicates who the hospital is and what they offer. They talk to themselves a great deal. This campaign aimed to buck that trend by bringing the hospital to the community rather than bringing the community to the hospital. The strategy feels genuine and the execution solid. I felt the concept authentically and that emotion is the calling card of quality communication.” - Stefan Mumaw Ten Adams was honored with golds for The Christ Hospital Health Network TV Campaign and for the overall campaign. Two silvers were awarded for self-promotional work - Ten Adams’ Muscle Ad and the Brains AND Beauty promotional video.  One silver was awarded for St. Mary’s Health System – Heart “Choices” TV Spot and another for the Logansport Memorial Hospital Newspaper Campaign – “Well and Good”. As for the bronzes, all were awarded for self-promotional work – the Merry + Bright Campaign and Christmas card and the Ten Adams promotional campaign and Tervis tumbler. [view winners here]  A special thanks goes out to our clients for letting us create outstanding work!

Ring in the New Year — Ten Adams Style

While most New Year’s resolutions revolve around diets and exercise, Ten Adams has kept its goals for the upcoming year on the less conventional side. And to shake things up even more, the creative team here at Ten Adams has been hustling and bustling to put together a fun video showcasing these goals.     Ten Adams has also made a resolution to help those in need. So, this holiday season, Ten Adams is taking a moment to recognize our blessings and support an initiative that has been near and dear to the hearts of the Ten Adams family — Lifesong for Orphans' — Both Hands initiative. This initiative helps families adopting orphans internationally with the incredible expense of the adoption process — while, simultaneously, serving widows through home improvement projects. With over 163 million orphans in the world today, we encourage everyone to donate to this cause, helping to put children back into families and on the road to success and recovery. To contribute to Both Hands Foundation, please visit www.bothhandsfoundation.org. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2013!