Healthcare Advertising

Healthcare Marketing: Want to Grow Market Share? Target Young Women

Young women should be a primary focus for hospitals wanting to grow market share.girls

Women have always been the primary target for healthcare advertising.  They are, after all, the primary decision makers for a family’s healthcare  including even their husband’s.

But recently released statistics prove that it’s even more important to pay attention to females and particularly younger females.  Philip Betbeze writing for HealthLeaders Media cited some very interesting statistics from HCUP Facts and Figures: Statistics on Hospital-Based Care in the United States, 2007.

  • Conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth were the reason for more than one out of every five female hospitalizations in 2007
  • When combined with stays for newborn infants, these hospitalizations account for one-quarter of all stays.

These are pretty astounding numbers.  They indicate that hospitals and the marketing messages of hospitals should be heavily favored toward young females.  The fact that a full one-fourth of hospital stays are related to this demographic should make every hospital and hospital marketer take notice.

Also cited from the study:

  • Maternal discharges increased to 5 million in 2007, a 16% increase since 1997
  • Infant hospitalizations increased to 4.7 million in 2007, a 21% increase.

If a hospital wants to take advantage of increasing trends and wants to grow market share, heavy attention should be given to younger women and their healthcare needs.  And it’s not just about targeting the marketing messages to this audience; it’s also about meeting their healthcare needs.

Confirms what we have known all along – women are the ones in charge.

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Healthcare Marketing: Social Media is Where the Moms are

mother and baby girl with laptop

Over one-half of all online moms are now using Facebook regularly.

Mothers are a prime target for hospital and healthcare marketing efforts.  Sure they can be reached using TV, radio, print and other forms of traditional media.  But social media must also be considered.

According to a recent poll by parenting website BabyCenter.com, 63% of online mothers now use social media networks such as Facebook regularly. This is a 462% increase, as just three years ago 11% of online moms were regular users of social media.

Moms “don’t watch TV as much, they are not reading magazines as much but instead they check Facebook, Twitter….where people are really drawn together over parenting issues”, states BabyCenter’s Editor-in-Chief Linda Murray.

Additionally, the survey of 25,000 online moms indicated that now 29% of them read blogs regularly.

These numbers can’t be ignored.  The mothers healthcare marketers want to reach are online and active in social media.  Over 60% penetration is huge in an ever increasingly fragmented marketplace.  Some say social media is no more than a fad.  Even if that proves to be true, the numbers of moms are there now and should be seriously considered in the communication strategies and plans of hospitals and healthcare marketers.

Social media is new.  It’s different. And it has risks involved.  But it can no longer be dismissed without serious consideration.

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Hospital Marketing: Using ER Wait Times as a Marketing Tool

 Emergency Room Sign         

Some hospitals are using new technology to communicate ER wait times.

In the October 12, 2009 issue of Advertising Age , Abbey Klaassen wrote about HCA hospitals in south Florida using technology to communicate their ER wait times.   Current wait times are electronically sent to electronic billboards with a RSS feed and the times are shown on the billboard.  They also have an iPhone app that provides the wait times and a texting service.  Consumers simple text “ER” to a number, supply their zip code to a text reply and the wait time and a phone number is texted back to their phone. 

And Progress West Hospital in O’Fallon, Missouri is using Twitter to communicate ER wait times according to Eric Becker of Suburban Journals.

We must commend these hospitals for embracing new technology and using it to communicate with consumers.  Sure, there may be some risks and some pitfalls.  Melanie Arnold, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health points out that communicating ER wait times presents all sorts of possibilities of misunderstandings among patients.  A patient may show up expecting the communicated wait time and be bumped by more serious injuries or health problems.

Ed Fishbough, a spokesperson for HCA acknowledges that communicating wait times is targeted to less serious walk-in patients,  “Obviously, people who have a serious injury or medical condition should call 911 or go to the closest emergency room.”

Despite the concern, and there are legitimate ones, you must applaud those hospitals who are using new technology and channels to communicate with the public.  Those who do will reap significant rewards.  Fishbough added, the network of 12 emergency departments in south Florida has seen “significant increases in the number of patients visiting its ERs”.

New technology and new media as part of the communication effort of hospitals is something that should not wait.

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Hospital Advertising: Online Advertising is about the Creative!

buntstifte 1

Study shows creative is more important than placement for effective online advertising.

A study conducted by Dynamic Logic has determined that creative is the most influential factor in determining effectiveness in online advertising.  Marketers spend a great amount of time determining the right placement, the optimal target and web measurements and analytics but perhaps give too little consideration to the most important factor – the creative.

Kunur Patel reports the findings of the Dynamic Logic study in the October 20, 2009 issue of Advertising Age and states that bad creative is what makes online advertising ineffective.  Over 170,000 online ads were included in the study and the company determined that creative factors such as persistent branding, strong calls to action and human faces make for better ad recall, brand awareness and purchase intent.  The recent study supported Dynamic Logic’s past research that found creative quality is 50-75% responsible for the campaign’s success or failure.  “But media people spend most of their time trying to optimize and measure campaigns”, stated Ken Mallon, Senior VP-custom solutions for Dynamic Logic.

While it seems the study’s conclusions are obvious, Amy Taylor, research manager of custom solutions for Dynamic Logic stated the firm still sees a “shockingly large percentage of creative that falls short of it\s potential”.

Based on the study, Dynamic logic, offers some recommendations for better-performing digital creative:

  • Highlight the brand prominently throughout the ad.  Logos should be omnipresent.
  • Make each second count.  Ad should support the message at all times.
  • Reveal ads don’t work.  Get straight to the point.
  • Stay simple.  No more than two messages per ad.
  • Use people.  People imagery works very well.

Of course it’s important to place your ad on the right site to reach a highly targeted audience.  But it’s only effective if the creative is right too!

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Hospital Advertising: Give Me Your Tired, Your Weary

The most effective time to reach a consumer with an advertising message is when he’s tired. man

Marketers attempt to reach consumers when they are alert, active, engaged and clear-minded.  That’s when the message is more readily received, right?  New research indicates that may not be true.

In a study to be published in the Journal of Marketing Research, researchers studied advertising’s effectiveness based on the mental and physical state of the consumer.  And their conclusion is that consumers who are depleted invest more to process an advertisement thus leading them to fell more certain of their attitude toward a product. 

One of the researchers, Derek Ruker stated, “When individuals are worn out, engaging in subsequent tasks requiring more effort should be even more straining than if they were at the top of their game.  Depleted, compared to non-pleated, consumers should feel that they have invested even more of their resources in subsequent tasks.  As a result of perceiving to have invested more effort into processing an advertisement, we reasoned that depleted consumers should fell more certain of the attitude they formed.  Furthermore, being more certain of a favorable attitude should lead to a greater inclination to buy the product.”

The results from their research led them to believe their assumptions were correct.  This would indicate it would be advantageous to schedule advertising when consumers are tired and fatigued.  In the evening rather than the morning.  At the end of a sporting event instead of the beginning. Times of the year like April 15 at the end of tax season or after Christmas.

The one caveat is that the creative must pull the consumer in.  If the creative is strong enough to grab attention, a tired consumer may be a better target.

Interesting finding.  It’s something to think about late at night just before you doze off to sleep.  

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Hospital Marketing: Facebook is Growing Up and Getting Older

facebook logo 2 

Teens and students are abandoning their use of Facebook – Privacy Is the Issue

Between January and July of this year about 900,000 high school students and 1.6 million college students have gone missing from Facebook, according to a recent article by Jeff Neff in Advertising Age.   Where have they gone?  It seems they have gone “in-hiding”.  Facebook and Comscore report that users under 18 and 18-24 continue to grow but they are hiding their identity and not using the social media site nearly as much as in the past.

In it’s early stages, Facebook was all about students, high school and college.   But the real growth in the past couple of years on Facebook has been middle-aged adults and primarily women.  That means parents (especially moms), parents’ friends, grandparents, prospective employers and teachers are active on Facebook and can view profiles.  As a result, students are revealing less about themselves.

Students may still visit Facebook but are not providing as much information and are not as engaged.  They are actively using Facebook less and less.  Facebook was once a place almost entirely for students, now students are moving away from Facebook because they don’t want to share the same turf as their parents and older adults.  They are much more private on the site and are seeking new venues, away from adults.

So as a hospital marketer, if you think Facebook is just a place where teens and young adults play, you are wrong.  The adults have taken over and the students have gone into hiding.  Facebook has become a site for older adults and thus perhaps more useful as a marketing tool.

Facebook is no longer your child’s playground.

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Hospital Marketing: Patients Learn from Patients and Marketers Can Too!

baby girl working on laptop

Online medical websites are now more advanced, allowing patients to interact with one another, share experiences and hopefully make better decisions about health issues. Hospitals marketers should follow these. The benefits are that we learn what issues are important to the patient, how to speak their language, and how to better communicate our brand to them.

In a recent issue of the Washington Post, was an article about the many online health sites that have a presence in the Washington, DC area.  A new one, WiserTogether, began when  a couple got some troublesome news in the 12th week of her pregnancy-that there was a strong possibility she would deliver a baby with Down’s Syndrome.  The husband, Shub Debgupta, started WiserTogether after they faced the decision of undergoing an invasive but highly accurate procedure that could spur a miscarriage or wait for an ultrasound that would not be risky but much less conclusive.  WiserTogether addresses expectant parents’ issues that are pregnancy related.

Earlier sites, like WebMD, are more encyclopedic but newer ones like Inspire, PatientsLikeMe and CureTogether are more interactive and case-study oriented.  Some, like Inspire, partner with associations that advocate for patients with various diseases. Sites generate revenue by selling research (without the personal information) to healthcare companies, by recruiting members for clinical trials conducted by pharmaceutical companies, custom searches and subscriptions with premium features.

In the end, the patient is involved in a dialogue….not with the physician…but with other patients facing a similar diagnosis. Hospital marketers should consider following the dialogue on these sites in order to better communicate with potential patients or better yet consider hosting a similar service in their market.

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Healthcare Marketing: Testimonial Ads Under Scrutiny by FTC

bubble speak

Many hospitals use testimonial advertising, and rightfully so.  They can be very compelling and very effective. But more care must be given to the type of testimonial used.

The Federal Trade Commission has changed the rules regarding use of endorsements and testimonial advertising. Since 1980, advertisers could use testimonials which describe “unusual” results as long as “results not typical” was disclosed. Now the FTC says testimonial ads must clearly disclose typical results of consumers using the product or service

One area of particular concern for hospitals is using testimonials for weight loss services. “Typical results” can be very difficult to determine due to many patient variables. Other ads where patient testimonials reflect a result that is better than the typical patient would be unacceptable unless the typical results are clearly disclosed.

And the guidelines are not only for traditional advertising, but includes social media, the internet, and television/ radio talk shows.

Traditionally bloggers must disclose if they are compensated by an advertiser. And celebrity testimonials must disclose if they are being compensated for their endorsement.

Testimonial advertising can still be very effective for hospitals but should be used with care when a patient talks about results and outcomes. The results and outcomes cannot be better than the typical patient without proper and clear disclosure.


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Hospital Marketing: Is Social Media for You?

 Social media impacts nearly 40% of hospital or urgent care patients.Social media wordcloud glowing

Out of 5700 hospitals in the US, less than 400 utilize social media, according to statistics collected by EdBennett.  Yet a study conducted by Ad-ology found that social media impacts nearly 40% of hospital or urgent care patients and with more than half of 24-54 year olds saying they are influenced by it.

If the statistics stated above are accurate, there is a great underutilized opportunity available for hospital marketers.  Current and prospective consumers of hospital’s services are engaged in social media.  They are active and involved in various social media options.  They cannot be ignored.  Hospitals must begin to understand how social media is being utilized and join in the fray.  Not in traditional ”sell them what we have” manner, but in forms and strategies consistent with the way social media is used by the consumer.  Targeted online communities should be explored. 

There are conversations going on about your hospital.  In many cases, you should be involved in those conversations.  These interactions can become become a vital and effective marketing endeavor.

Sure, there are lots of unknowns and potential pitfalls.  And there are risks involved.  But strategies should be pursued to engage in the mediums effectively while minimizing the risks. 

The consumer is present in social media venues.  They can be highly targeted.   Hospital marketers should be there too.  We can no longer expect them to come to us.  We must go where they are.

 

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Hospital Advertising: Click It…Or Not

Even though click-thru rates are down, internet display ads are still effective.

Computer mouse and hand with reflection

According to a study from Comscore and media agency Starcom, the number of people who click display ads has dropped 50% in the last two years.  Only 16% of web users actually click through. And 8% of internet users account for 85% of all clicks.

So does that mean web display advertising is not effective?  The answer is clearly “no”.  Even though click-thrus are down, the study found that display ads generate lift in site visitation and search.  Additionally, consumers exposed to a display ads were 65% more likely to visit the site than users who never saw the ad.  Even after 4 weeks, consumers exposed to display ads are 45% more likely to visit the brand’s site.

So the idea that click-thrus is the real barometer of web advertising effectiveness is erroneous.  Even if a consumer does not click through, just the exposure to the ad can lead to a website visit and engagement.  Banner ads are more effective than what click-thrus indicate.

The study indicated that online users exposed to a particular brand’s display ads are more likely to conduct searches for that brand.  So web display advertising works more like traditional advertising than previously believed.  The exposure to a brand’s ad on the web may not lead to an immediate visit to a website but the impression is made and can effect the consumer’s behavior later.

Combined with paid search, display ads can lead to consumers being twice as likely to conduct an online activity on the advertiser’s site.

Also interesting is that half of all clicks come from lower-income young adults.  Not necessarily the most desired audience for healthcare advertising.

Don’t judge the effectiveness of web banner advertising by the number of click-thrus.  That display ad can be working in the consumer’s mind long after the initial exposure.  

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