Healthcare Advertising

Marketing Your Hospital: Facebook Can Be Effective For Reaching the 55+ Market

facebook logo 2No longer dominated by college-age consumers, ads for your hospital on Facebook can be effective in reaching a more mature audience.

Service lines that traditionally target the 55 plus market including prostate and colorectal cancer, heart attack, osteo and stroke can be effectively promoted on social medium Facebook. In fact, the 55 plus segment saw the largest increase of usage so far this year. According to istrategylabs the number of Facebook users over age 55 increased more than 500% (from nearly one million to 5.8 million) from January 4, 2009 until July 4, 2009.

The 35-54 age segment also had some pretty significant usage increases. During the same time period as above, according to istrategylabs, Facebook users between 35 and 54 increased 200%. While the percentage is not as impressive as the 55 plus audience, the numbers are impressive when you consider that this percentage represents 20 million users compared to 7 million as of January.  Perfect audience to receive ads for your hospital’s branding campaign, colorectal or breast screening, spine center, etc.

Some other insights in the same report:

  • The south has the largest growing metro – Atlanta had a 142% increase.
  • Almost 17% fewer high school students are using Facebook compared to January of this year.
  • Nearly 55% of Facebook users are female.
  • Whether or not a user is a college graduate is difficult to determine as almost 80% of the users did not indicate their education level on their profile.

This shift in usage also means that Facebook eventually may no longer be the obvious choice for your hospital’s traditionally younger-skewed service lines.

According to istrategy, there was a decrease in college age users on Facebook of almost 22%. If the trend continues, young women may no longer be an obvious demographic to target on Facebook for your hospital’s obstetric services. Instead grandmother may be a better choice to target for her osteo health.

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Hospital Marketing: The Dreaded Colonoscopy

first prostate examMaking it a simple, streamlined scheduling process for the patient can help your hospitals numbers as well as eliminating a truly preventable kind of cancer.

Increasing your hospitals diagnostics is such a challenge as more and more doctor’s groups and other businesses venture into diagnostic labs and services.  But one elective procedure that should be the easiest to sell, from the standpoint of prevention, is also the one that most patients do not want to even think about much less actually schedule-the colonoscopy.

Patients have all heard from Katie Couric and others the cry for every person to have the procedure at age 50 and thereafter as needed.   But what they may not have taken away from all this public awareness is that colon cancer is the one truly preventable cancer unless there are other risk factors such as Crohns’ disease or  a family history.

When there is so much for the patient to gain, and yes, the hospital to gain in procedures, why is this such a difficult procedure to market?

 Is it a taboo subject to put out there in traditional media?  Or just something that we think people won’t respond to with marketing efforts?

After all, it does take several steps or actions for the patient to actually accomplish. 

1.     First they have to find a gastroenterologist and make an appointment to see them.

2.     After that wait, they get a less than appetizing prep kit and prescription.

3.     They wait yet again for the scheduling of the procedure.

With all this waiting, it gives a patient plenty of time to find excuses and back out of the procedure…no pun intended.

One alternative to this delayed process I saw work very successfully was in a south Texas hospital.

Cultural taboos made it  even harder to convince the largely Hispanic population of the need for the procedures so they developed a colon center along with a team of gastroenterologists who worked on staff at the hospital. 

The center allowed patients to call for one appointment scheduling and they came by that center for a quick review and to pick up their prescription. With this  timely access, patients were often scheduled for the procedure itself within days.  Because there was a large uninsured population, pricing was included  as many diagnostics in that market were actually shopped by price.

Making it simple with one number to call and quick scheduling made all the difference in breaking through barriers to prospective patients.

An emotional plea from the city’s most known gastroenterologist, who had made his life’s work educating the public about preventing colon cancer, was featured in TV advertising along with newspaper ads and radio spots. 

The results: a 40% increase in colonoscopies for that hospital in the following 6 months and likely a good increase at the competition. 

The awareness raised in the local market served the hospital well but just as importantly, educated the residents of the preventative health measure they could all take and help to eliminate a cancer that can truly be prevented by taking early action

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Healthcare Advertising: Do Consumers Really Hate Our Ads?

Advertising tags cloudA recent poll indicates consumers actually have a positive attitude towards advertising.

Everybody is skeptical today, right? Nobody believes anything anymore. And certainly advertising is not to be trusted. This is sometimes the prevailing thought. Some believe that advertising is a waste and all of us involved in the craft are slimy, manipulative, greedy, self-serving hacks.

Not according to a study by Neilsen Media, ” Trust, Value and Engagement in Advertising” . More than 25,000 consumers were polled and revealed that consumers actually have a generally positive attitude toward advertising. Here are some interesting findings:

1.   Over 71% of the respondents believe advertising contributes to the growth of the economy.

2.   More than 68% agree that advertising stimulates the economy leading to better products and lower prices.

3.   Over 70% of North Americans responded that advertising provides useful  information that allows them to make better choices.

And despite what you may hear there was not a huge gap in credibility between traditional and non-traditional media, although text ads on mobile phones finished at the very bottom of the trust ratings with very low scores. And what may be even more surprising, trust in advertising overall was up from the 2007 survey.

And we can certainly conclude that healthcare advertising is no different. In fact, healthcare advertising, because it speaks to one of the most important aspects in a person’s life, has even more credibility and trustworthiness.       

So those of us in the business really aren’t as lowly as snake oil salesmen. There is credibility and effectiveness in what we do. The results of the survey are encouraging. But they will remain that way only if we take our responsibilities seriously by dealing fairly with the facts and always speaking the truth and never misleading.

Advertising is powerful and can be extremely effective, but that will only be true if we are honest, fair, and truthful. It is a serious and important responsibility. And in healthcare advertising we must accept an ever-higher burden of responsibility.

Skeptics can say what they want about the value of advertising but the only real enemy is ourselves. We can quickly destroy consumer confidence in our industry if we don’t hold ourselves to the highest possible standard.

Yes we will be aggressive in our efforts, but if we continue to accept the responsibility of truthfulness and fairness, we can continue to be proud of what we do. And by providing helpful and accurate information through our advertising we will also enhance and improve the lives of consumers who value and benefit from what we do.

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Hospital Branding: Does Branding Matter So Much In the Age of Social Media

Experimenting with social media does not minimize the importance of brand development and consistency.

More and more hospitals are joining the social media fray. It’s new, it’s fun (if you’re under 40), and it’s basically free (except for time). Some who have begun utilizing this consumer- controlled media have jumped on the bandwagon and have forgotten the importance of branding.

Though changing and less used, traditional media is still very reliable and important to establishing a brand. Brands are difficult to create using just social media. There must be context already established for the brand to make sense in social media. Brands are usually formed by using traditional media and a relevant website.  That is the foundation and context for effective use of social media.

Even with social media, there should be a brand strategy. The way you interact in social media should:

1.     Reflect your hospital’s core messages

2.     Differentiate you from the competition 

3.     Be delivered in a tone and style consistent with the brand.

Social media is used to engage in conversation, it is not to be used to promote or sell. So in addition to social media conversations, traditional media should still be used to sell your product or services.

In other words, the brand must be consistently integrated across all media.

Neither traditional nor non-traditional media operate in a vacuum; they must work together, in the same tone with the same overarching marketing objectives. With the proper brand coordination, each type of media enhances the other.

Social media? Yes. Forget traditional media? No. Consistent brand strategy and messaging across all media and platforms? Absolutely!

Healthcare Marketing: The Age of Celebrity Endorsements Over?

Red CarpetThe brand is more important than the endorser. 

In recent months, we’ve seen the passing of several high profile celebrity endorsers. With it, perhaps an era of celebrity endorsement is passing too. Within just a few days prolific and long time product endorser, Ed McMahon, the beautiful and sexy starlet, Farrah Fawcett and the king of pop, Michael Jackson passed away. Even Karl Malden left home without it. And even though more of a pitchman than an endorser, Billy Mays also died. Instead of pitching products because he was famous, Mays became famous because of his product pitching.

Each of these leave behind memories of on camera time endorsing and pitching an array of products. Who benefited the most? The celebrity or the product? It’s hard to say. The research is conflicted.

Some studies indicate the right match between celebrity and product can be effective. Other research indicates the celebrity is remembered but not the brand. Several studies have indicated that a strong majority of consumers state that celebrities do not influence their purchasing decisions. But we know consumers don’t always tell or even know the truth when responding to surveys.

Hospitals have sometimes used celebrities to promote their brand. Pat Summerall, former NFL payer and broadcaster, has a separate business that aggressively seeks hospitals to pay a rather large sum of money for him to endorse a hospital.

Whether you think celebrity endorsements are effective or not, one thing is true – it all goes back to how strong the brand is. A celebrity can endorse a hospital or healthcare service but if the brand does not deliver satisfactorily to the customer, then money and effort is wasted.  A celebrity cannot make a bad brand good. Neither can a celebrity make consumers like an inferior brand.   

Maybe in some cases a celebrity can bring attention to a product, but most importantly the brand experience must be positive and deliver. There is no substitute for a brand that delivers. If your brand doesn’t deliver, a celebrity can’t overcome the weakness.

 We have lost some very famous and memorable product endorsers recently. But there are other celebrities busy pitching all manner of products, including hospitals. What matters is whether your brand delivers a positive patient experience that will build credibility and loyalty.  If it does, then the brand becomes the true celebrity.

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Hospital Advertising: Advertising That’s As Big As All Outdoors

Outdoor advertising billboardOutdoor advertising has increased its usefulness to healthcare marketers. Traditional media is struggling to maintain revenues and effectiveness. Print, radio and television are all under extreme pressure in a down economy and because of changing consumer media habits. But in the face of all this concern, outdoor advertising is seeing resurgence – a renaissance of the medium. Outdoor advertising is expected to see strong growth in the coming years. Behind only online advertising, outdoor has been the most dynamic media over the past five years. It is capturing market share from the other traditional mediums. So why is this happening?

Two primary reasons are causing outdoor to buck the trend.

1.  The first is the introduction of new technology. The digital billboard provides more visual impact and more flexibility than outdoor has ever had. To have several messages rotate on the board expands outdoor’s usefulness. And the ability to remove and/or insert new copy and designs in a matter of minutes has brought outdoor from a slow, long lead-time medium to an instant one. This has great advantages for hospital advertising. Instead of being locked into one message for the long haul or having to pay for costly changes, now a hospital can advertise several services at the same time and can change any message within minutes. For hospitals, outdoor provides flexibility that only radio and the internet can provide.  

2.  The second reason outdoor is growing market share is it’s cost efficiency. The average cost per thousand for outdoor has always been lower than practically ever other of medium. And in an economy that forces hospitals to stretch every penny and get the most of every dollar spent, outdoor delivers.

True, outdoor has its limitations.

  • The message  is very limited.
  • Outdoor competes with highway clutter.
  • And some view billboards as an eyesore that contributes to highway clutter and a community’s unattractiveness.

But despite these liabilities, in a media landscape where traditional advertising is taking hits, outdoor is a shining star. It’s big. It’s flexible.  It’s outdoors.

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Healthcare Branding: Can You Control Yours?

Woman Smiling,Lying In Hospital BedYour hospital’s brand is being created everyday. It’s being determined most of all by patient experiences.

 Tom Peters, the management guru, recently spoke to the American Hospital Association’s Annual Leadership Forum and basically called the industry out. He recently had an experience in the Emergency Department of a well-known hospital, after his wife injured her ankle. The experience was not a good one. Unfortunately, it was probably much like the experiences of other patients at hospitals everyday across the country.

It’s interesting Peters’ comments were not focused on whether his wife’s ankle was given the proper diagnosis and treatment. Rather his comments were focused on their experience and how the service was so poor. Hospitals often think the thing that matters most is the treatment and medical outcome. It’s easy to assume that, since it’s involves one’s health.

But more and more it’s about the patient experience.

A hospital can be exactly “on” with the correct diagnosis and treatment and deliver great outcome. But if the experience of how the patient is treated and the environment in which the treatment is received is not positive – the hospital’s brand suffers. It’s no longer only about the medical aspects, it’s about the total experience.

Yes, hospitals have paid lip service to quality service, but not that many hospitals deliver it. And if the hospital doesn’t deliver on service, no amount of advertising or marketing can build a great brand.

For a long time, hospitals have made all kinds of excuses about what hinders or prohibits great service, but Peters pointed out some examples of hospitals, although only a few, who’s service outcomes are known to be outstanding. And of course his point is that all hospitals have the same requirements, restrictions and constraints, so if one hospital can deliver great service than all of them can.  Peter also emphasized that quality service and positive patient experience are mostly within the discretion of the hospital. And that will be true regardless of what “Obamacare” turns out to be.

It is indeed a consumer-driven economy and hospital brands are being enhanced or terribly downgraded everyday based not necessarily on medical outcomes but more on the quality of service provided.

The day his wife hurt her ankle, Peters was in “search of excellence.”  But he didn’t find it. Unfortunately, that’s a much too common occurrence in many hospitals

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Social Media vs. Traditional Media for Hospital Marketing

Information SocietyWhat is considered a liability for traditional media is touted as an asset for social media.

Some clarity is needed.

You often hear an advertiser say, “radio and television advertising are too fragmented – it’s just not effective anymore.” And then you will hear some say, “Social media is so good because you can really drill down and finely tune your target audience.”

While both statements have some truth in them, it’s very confusing. What some marketers label as a liability for traditional media, they credit as an asset for social media. Is that fair?

Social media is a fairly recent phenomenon that is here to stay and if used effectively, can deliver positive results. But in jumping on the social media train, is radio and television getting a bad rap?

Hospital marketers are exploring how to utilize social media to target specific narrowly defined target audiences. And that’s good. Those efforts should be continued.

But at the same time, hospitals marketers should not discredit radio and television. Yes, media buyers in the past could buy 3-5 radio stations in the market and buy 3 major television networks and reach everyone. That’s certainly not true anymore. Now there is a multitude of radio stations in the local markets and scores of television networks that can be bought.

In one way, this is not good – a large mass audience cannot any longer be reached cost effectively. However, the proliferation of stations and networks allow more targeted advertising within each medium.

Local radio formats and cable networks can be matched with the target audience for each hospital service line. So now radio and television can more effectively reach a narrow audience creating more impressions for the same or fewer dollars without paying for so much wasted exposure.

Social media creates an abundance of new opportunities and should be pursued by hospital marketing departments. But radio and television should not be quickly dismissed because they too can provide more narrow targeted audiences. Yes, it requires more work, more research, more creativity, but the opportunities are abundant in radio and television also. 

It’s not social media verses traditional advertising. It’s the integration of both to more effectively reach the appropriate audience. 

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Newspapers May Be Dying But Can Still Be Effective for Hospital Advertising

roll of newspaperWhile newspapers are rapidly losing readers, a strong community-based newspaper can still deliver strong results. 

The news for newspapers these days is not very rosy. It seems to be dying a slow, or maybe rapid, death. But locally oriented daily or weekly newspapers can still provide an effective vehicle for hospital advertising. And their future may be brighter than it seems.

In the past two years, The Tuscan Citizen, Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Examiner, Cincinnati Post, Albuquerque Tribune among others have halted their presses. Others, such as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Detroit News/Detroit Free Press and Ann Arbor News joined a list of newspapers that have gone to online/print or online-only editions. And that does not take into account the many who have filed bankruptcy or who are desperately trying to avoid it.

There are several reasons for the demise of newspapers.

  1. The down economy is certainly a heavy blow to the industry.
  2. The high cost of newspaper advertising has always been an obstacle.
  3. But more than anything else, the rise of the Internet, and especially the adoption of the Internet by younger generations, is the largest factor.

Even though newspapers are having huge struggles, some newspapers are doing quite well and provide an effective medium for hospital advertising. Those newspapers, in medium to small markets that are focused on a heavy dose of local news where there is no other viable source of local news are still very viable. In some markets, there is no local television station for local news reporting and local radio stations have long ago forsaken local newsgathering and reporting. So where does one get the local news? You might say the Internet. But in these medium to small markets, the only source that is posting local news on the Internet are the local newspapers themselves. So in those markets, newspapers still survive and even thrive.

It is argued that younger generations just don’t read newspapers but depend on  the Internet for their news. This is true, but at some point in the years to come, those young people will have families and be more concerned with happenings in their community. Then they will become interested in what happened at the city council meeting or who’s running for the local school board or what’s going on that affects them. Then where will they find that information? Unless Internet news postings somehow become very local, there are nowhere but local newspapers to obtain news and valuable information. Then even non-newspaper readers might become newspaper advocates.

So, it’s not wise to dismiss local newspaper advertising out of hand because of what’s happening nationally and in large markets. For those hospitals interested in reaching the local audience in medium to small markets, newspaper advertising can still be a very good option.

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Healthcare Branding: Branding is Important for Recruitment Too

CB022478In a market where the competition for employees is only increasing, a hospital’s brand is extremely important.

There is keen competition for healthcare workers. Ample, qualified, dedicated employees are not easy to find. In many markets, recruiting hospital staff and professionals is ever increasingly difficult. The down-economy and anticipated healthcare reform will not ease the burden. And the brand reflected in your recruitment efforts is becoming more and more important.

Here are some interesting facts:

  1. The President’s Council of Economic Advisors recently released a study that stated there would be 3.5 million new jobs created in the healthcare industry by 2016.
  2.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 20,800 new jobs in healthcare in June of this year and over 125,000 new jobs in the first half of the year.
  3. As the population ages and babyboomers get older, there will be greater demand for healthcare workers.

So the days of simply running help-wanted ads and hiring a recruiter have passed. The competition for workers demands that a strong and effective brand image be created and projected to potential employees.

Job applicants will have more choices where to work and how a hospital projects itself to these applicants is becoming more and more important. More creative and strategic thinking will be required to be successful.

With young job applicants, pay is important but it is not the most important issue. The new generation of applicants is seeking a certain quality of life.  They want to work at a place that shares their values, and they want to be proud of where they work and what they do.

Obviously, the typical help wanted ad does not communicate to any of the felt needs of the applicants. So the hospital brand and personality must be communicated in recruitment efforts.

The applicant is not simply wanting a job, but a place to belong, a place to receive satisfaction and meaning, a place that connects with the consumer, a place that values employees and a place that offers professional and personal growth.

In this competitive market hospitals must project a brand that is appealing and speaks to the needs of those seeking employment.  Hospitals must be successful creating a brand that resonates to potential employees. A brand that will attract the most qualified, most caring talent.  Otherwise the brand we project in the marketplace to consumers will be greatly compromised.

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