Hospital Marketing Journal

making a better impression tips to improve your digital marketing

by Brandon Scott Digital marketing is a critical ingredient for success when it comes to attracting patients, educating them about your service lines and converting them into customers. It augments your print, broadcast and outdoor advertising with highly targeted and highly personalized content that speaks directly to prospects and existing patients. Done right, digital marketing instantly captivates your audience, irresistibly drawing them in and making the kind of positive impression that inspires them to learn more.   It starts with great website design. We’re not talking about pretty here, although visual appeal is fundamentally important. We’re talking about “feel.” Your website has to convey your hospital’s personal side. Hospitals treat people, and there’s nothing more personal than healthcare. Besides, all purchasing decisions have an emotional aspect, including choosing a hospital, doctor or services. Demonstrating competence is critical, of course, but compassion and empathy win the day. So make your website less clinical. More personal. Great website design also includes spot-on SEO that ensures searchers find you easily. It includes obvious navigation, graphics that directly support your content topic and a clear call to action on every page to guide their decision-making choices.   Content that works is strategically planned. Everything you say or show online underscores the fact that customers can count on you. Web pages, your blog, email and social media work together to inform people about who you are as well as what you do. You’re using compelling stories and visuals to relate amazing patient experiences – the kind of caring care every prospective patient hopes to receive. You understand. You’re people, too. Content that differentiates your hospital and your people from the competition increases market share and develops life-long relationships.   Social media link you with patients and colleagues. Nothing is more multi-generational than social media, and sharing reinforces your brand. You can reach patients and also care-givers responsible for patient healthcare decisions. Social media posts are short and sweet. They’re eminently two-way, perfect for ongoing engagement. Offer links to your other content. Or health tips. Share photos that demonstrate wellness. Give a face and voice to your staff -- not just physicians but nurses, technicians, others that have patient contact. Your hospital’s “bedside manner” is a composite of interactions. Participate in a few carefully-chosen groups or circles or communities, too, to expand your professional development and generate referrals.   Mobilize your resources. Smartphones and tablets are becoming the search devices of choice, so you’re wise to directly target mobile searchers. They’re usually looking for practical information -- directions to your hospital or to some department, your doctor directory, how to make an appointment – rather than conducting lengthy research. Response rates to texting are impressively high. So target your mobile audience with  appointment or prescription reminders, information about wait times, upcoming classes, etc. Add QR codes to your print ads so readers can follow up instantly with a quick click of their mobile camera. And use geo-targeting. Mobile searchers tend to be nearby. Above all else, remember this: small screens require concise presentation that fits their format. So optimize your all your content specifically for your mobile audience. Make it easy, and they’ll love you for it. Digital marketing can do amazing things for your hospital. But only if you track and analyze your progress in meaningful ways. You’ll get valuable insight about patient needs and preferences. You’ll quickly see what’s working and what needs work to strengthen your marketing results. What does your digital marketing say about your hospital?

Webinar: The Missing Link Between Strategy and Performance

Does your strategic plan look great on paper but fall short on execution? According to a recent Booz & Company survey of 1,800 organizational leaders, including more than 480 C-suite executives, leaders feel a high level of frustration associated with strategic execution. They indicated that devising strategy is less than half the battle, with effective execution of chosen core strategies posing a more significant challenge.  We all recognize that business leadership today is more difficult and demanding than it’s ever been before.  Effectiveness in today’s healthcare organization demands strong, insightful strategy.  But, more importantly, your organization must have the operational capabilities to effectively execute your strategy.  It is not the development of the strategic plan which stifles most healthcare leaders today.  Rather, it is their ability to foster, nurture, grow and leverage the right set of organizational capabilities--by that we mean the processes, tools, knowledge and skills necessary within the organization to effectively act upon a strong, focused results-orientation. This often unacknowledged shortcoming in strategic execution is suggested to be the “missing link” in the chain of leadership disciplines which connect a bold strategic vision to decisive performance in the marketplace. Join Ten Adams on Thursday, June 28 at 3pm EST to find out why 70% of business failures are not a result of bad strategy but rather bad execution.  In this 30 minute webinar, we will show you: Realities of Strategic Development in Today's Healthcare Environment The Value of Strategic Coherence The Importance of Capabilities-Driven Strategy How to Create a Strategy Map Ten Keys to Successful Strategic Execution Don’t miss this opportunity to take a deeper look at how the changing landscape of today's healthcare environment is affecting strategic development and learn how to identify the keys to success and the warning signs of failure in strategic execution.  Space is limited. Register here - to hold your spot.

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.