Jimmy Warren

Healthcare Marketing: Do Consumers Prefer Digital or Traditional?

Digital or traditional media? Consumers prefer one but marketers the other.

New mediums and vehicles show up practically every day.  And as healthcare marketers we are always looking for an edge.  Something to create an advantage over our competitors.  And like other marketers, we are exploring digital options more and more.  And why not?  That’s where consumers are.  On the internet, on social networks, on blog sites and hundreds of other places that are digital.  But is that where are emphasis should be?vintage radio

A recent study by Adobe found that 51% of marketers now believe online advertising as more effective than traditional forms.  And although, the percentage of healthcare marketers may not be that high, we have certainly given it a lot more attention over the past few years.  But the surprising part of the study found that almost 70% of consumers identified TV adverting as the most effective.  Consumers preferred traditional advertising to digital by a large margin.

EMarketer, commenting on the Adobe study, noted that marketers prefer digital because it’s more easily measureable.  But it’s important not to confuse measurability with effectiveness.

But even this creates challenges.  Traditional mediums have become increasingly fragmented.  Just look at television, with the proliferation of cable channels and the option to view TV programming on-demand at later times than the original airing and the use of PCs and mobile devices to consume TV content.  And even those who are watching on a traditional television set, it is estimated that 77% of them are multi-tasking by simultaneously using a PC, a tablet or a smart phone.

So the challenges are enormous.  But the study from Adobe would suggest we should not abandon traditional mediums.  The study found that what consumers really want is to be told a unique story and not just to be sold.

As healthcare marketers, the challenge is to understand consumer preferences and their media habits as well as media and device fragmentation.  And with that information discover how to effectively tell smart and compelling brand stories across multiple channels.  It’s the combination of creatively using multiple media channels to drive home our brand’s story and make it meaningful and memorable that will be most effective.

6 Tips for a Successful Healthcare Blog

If your healthcare organization has a blog, here are tips to make your efforts more effective

Online BlogHospital marketers are slowly adopting blogging as a way to connect with consumers, opinion leaders and the media.  Although there has not been widespread use of blogs by healthcare organizations more and more are considering it and even trying it.

My friend Michael Gass, a new business consultant, author of Fuel Lines and a blogging advocate offers 6 tips to those who blog.

1.    Write a lot

To be a successful blogger, one must write a lot.  The more posts, the more traffic.  More content also increases the opportunity to re-purpose content through other platforms.

This may be a discouragement for some who are considering establishing blogs. It requires time.  Lots of time.  And unless there are the resources adequate to develop and write content, blogging may not be an effective tool for your organization.

2.    Be consistent

There must be a reason for people to keep coming back for our blogs.  Unless there is consistently new content people will stop looking for it.  There must be a steady stream of useful content for blogging to be effective.

3.    Be concise

People are busy.  People consume information in some bytes.  So make the blog easy to read and easy to scan.  Frequently use bullets and numbers.  Eliminate the puffery.

4.    Use analytics

Know what your readers like and care about.  It is all about them, isn’t it?  Examine which titles and topics are read the most.  Know where people are coming from and what search terms they are using.  This will tell you what to write about.

5.    Use writing to learn

Writing invigorates.  It forces you to think, to learn.  There may be some truth to the saying, “you don’t know what you know until you write it down.”

6.    Keep focused

Narrow the focus for the blog. Be narrow and deep instead of wide and shallow.  Know your audience, what you want to communicate, what your audience is interested in and the key words you want to dominate for search.

Blogging is not easy.  It takes work, thoughtfulness and research.  It requires consistency. Each healthcare marketer will have to decide if it’s right for your organization.  If you decide that it is, it’s important to do it well.

 

Healthcare Marketing: Increase Your Hospital’s Reach on Facebook with Paid Ads

Paid advertising on Facebook reaches five times more consumers than organic content.

paid social media strategyThere are two ways to reach consumers on social media- paid media and earned media. Organic (earned) media is extremely valuable for any brand.  It s a way to engage consumers, enhance brand perception and build loyalty.  But a new study from Facebook and comScore indicates that paid advertising on Facebook can dramatically increase your reach. Among the top 100 brand pages on Facebook, those using paid advertising reach an audience that is 5.3 times larger on average, the study found.

As reported by Matt Kapko for ClickZ, comScore looked at how major brands used paid media to extend their audience five times over their organic audience in one week. Some brands were able to extend the reach of a single post or other piece of content by more than 100 times with paid media, according to comScore.

Paid advertising on Facebook can be used by healthcare marketers to cast a much wider net and reach a much larger audience.  Facebook ads, or paid media, will reach “slightly lighter” Facebook users than organic content, comScore concluded. Paid messages were 30 to 60 percent more likely to reach users that have liked 100 or fewer pages. Similarly, paid messages were 17 to 32 percent more likely to reach users who hadn’t posted a status update in the past 28 days, the study confirmed.

With media planning, whether its TV or print or Facebook, traditional or non-traditional advertising it’s always desirable to reach those lightweight users. You’re reaching more lightweight users when you’re paying because you’re ensuring you get in front of those users.

Ad campaigns that are focused on reach, reaching a larger number of people, are usually more desirable.  And the study from comScore indicates that paid advertising on Facebook can significantly expand our reach.

Many healthcare marketers have spent hours trying to decide the value of social media and whether it’s worth the time and effort.   And that is still being debated.  However Facebook advertising can be an excellent way to reach users of social media.  Even the light users of social media. 

A word of caution is needed.   Using Facebook advertising effectively requires significant thought and work as well.  You are very limited in what you can say in a Facebook ad.  It’s very much about like outdoor.  Words are limited.  The message must draw attention and communicate something meaningful.  And if the Facebook ad is successful piquing interest there must be more information provided by a landing page or micro site that can provide more information and close the deal.

Healthcare Marketing: Five Deadly Marketing Sins for Hospitals

Sometimes healthcare marketing cannot only be ineffective but could do more harm than good.

Deadly Sins of Hospital MarketingHealthcare marketers work very hard to craft a message and effectively communicate to consumers.  And getting it right is an art.  We want to influence consumers and affect the choices they make.  But sometimes in our efforts we can do more harm than good.

Five deadly sins of marketing are outlined by Jonah Sachs, founder of Free Range Studios and author of Winning the Story Wars and summarized by Minda Zetlin  for Inc Magazine.  And each is appropriately accompanied with a story.  They would be worth noting by healthcare marketers.

1. Vanity

The ancient Greek story of Narcissus illustrates this sin, Sachs says. Narcissus, the handsomest hunter in the land became so entranced with his own reflection in a pool that he either remained immobilized there forever or fell in and drowned, depending on the version of the story.

For modern-day healthcare marketers there may be an even bigger risk: being ignored. “It’s hard to tell a story when you’re the main character and everything else is a background for your character’s greatness,” Sachs says. “You’re going to sound largely irrelevant to audiences who hear 3,500 marketing messages a day.” A better approach, he says, is to create a story where the customer (or someone just like him or her) is the hero.

2. Authority

In the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen, the emperor relies on the authority of his tailors who assure him he is clothed in cloth so fine only the wise can see it. Too embarrassed to admit that he sees nothing there, the emperor eventually finds himself nude in front of all his subjects.

The problem with relying on authority, whether subject matter experts or facts and statistics is two-fold, Sachs says. First, experts have been so flamboyantly wrong about so many things (remember the doctors who swore in the 1960s that smoking was safe?) that the public is instinctively mistrustful. Worse, by relying on facts you miss the chance to make a more heartfelt connection with customers. “If you can reach people on emotion and values, that’s a more powerful way of getting them marching toward you,” he says.

3. Insincerity

Remember the story of the wolf in sheep’s clothing, one of Aesop’s fables? A wolf that comes upon a sheepskin, puts it on, and hides within a flock. But the disguise works too well and the shepherd, mistaking the wolf for a sheep, slaughters him for his own dinner.

For modern healthcare marketers, the big risk of insincerity is getting found out or people knowing better. With the internet, Twitterverse, Blogosphere, and so much social media out there, it’s fairly difficult to fool anyone for long. And with so much data now available about hospitals and physicians from independent sources and patient reviews it’s very difficult trying to be something we aren’t. You want to reach out to a new audience but you must deliver on your promise.

4. Puffery

The down side of pretending to be bigger than you are is displayed in this unforgettable line from “The Wizard of Oz”: “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

“The idea is that we can speak in the disembodied voice of God and have people listen, rather than finding our unique and human voice,” Sachs says. “Finding that human voice is a step that healthcare marketers so often miss. Consumers particularly want to see the human beings behind the brand.

5. Gimmickry

Sachs illustrates this sin with the tale of King You of Zhou who repeatedly calls out his warriors on a false alarm to coax a laugh out of his hard-to-amuse trophy wife. You can guess the rest: The kingdom actually does come under attack so he lights the distress beacons but the warriors stay home, believing it to be another gag.

There’s nothing wrong with being clever, Sachs says, but trying too hard can backfire–which is why, he says, most Super Bowl ads aren’t very effective at selling their products. It’s great to try to be clever to connect with your audience.  But you can run the risk of undermining your message and your brand.

These are not the only mistakes marketers make but one that can be deadly for our brands.  Clear, concise, honest massages told in ways that connect to our audiences are always the best approach.

Minda Zetlin is a business technology writer and speaker, co-author of The Geek Gap, and president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors

Healthcare Marketing: Men are Cheap!

It’s costs less to reach men on Facebook than women.

101891266Women dominate Facebook.  They are the ones constantly posting and engaging in social activity on Facebook.  So it makes sense to use the social network to reach women.  But although it makes sense, maybe we should wait a minute.

Against common thought, men cost less to reach on Facebook and respond better.  Noreen O’Leary reported in Adweek  that the surprising conclusion comes from an analysis of 65 billion Facebook ad impressions and 20 million ad clicks in a 12 month study conducted by Resolution Media.   While 58% of Facebook users are women, men see and click through more ads than women. 58% of men see Facebook ads compared to only 42% of women who notice them.  And men have a click volume of 60% compared to 40%b for women.

The study concluded that men are more focused on their activities when interacting on Facebook while women do more browsing, sharing and communicating.  And men have shorter attention spans on Facebook, which means they are more easily distracted and more likely to be persuaded by relevant advertising messages.  As a result, men click on Facebook ads at a higher rate than women.

So the cost-per-thousand impressions for men was 16 cents compared to 20 cents for women while cost per click for men was 51 cents compared to 68 cents for women.

Many healthcare marketers use Facebook advertising as a means to reach women.  And it can certainly be effective.  But this research shows we shouldn’t discount men on Facebook.  They are there, and although in lower numbers that are more likely to see our ads and even click on them.   So it’s true after all.  Women are right. Men are cheap!!!

Healthcare Marketing: Consumers are Talking. Are You Listening?

Consumers have become very savvy and bold in their use of social media to express anger and dissatisfaction against corporations and organizations. 

99246593Many hospitals are reluctant to become active in social media.  Some have no presence at all and others have very limited engagement.  Some are reluctant due to compliance issues and others are just afraid of the potential for negative comments.  Why provide a venue for negative comments is the argument? And the hesitations are understandable.

BUT, the lack of engagement in social media by a hospital doesn’t mean the conversations aren’t happening.  Our reluctance doesn’t stop the conversations.  And even more alarming, consumers are becoming more strident and sophisticated in their use of social media to express anger and dissatisfaction. 

Here are just a couple of examples.  A college student in Washington D.C. used a petition on Change.org to try to pressure Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to reverse it’s denial of rehabilitation coverage for his father.  A mother launched a social media campaign against Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after it denied a transplant to her child because, as the mother contended, her child was developmentally disabled.  Both organizations I’m sure based their decision upon existing standards, policies and practices.  But that didn’t stop the individuals from initiating a social media campaign and engaging many others in their effort to damage the brand’s reputation.  These individuals were acting emotionally out of anger and outrage, and maybe hopelessness.  Many consumers have found that traditional appeals do not get the results desired and so they turn to social media guerrilla tactics.  They hope they can create enough pressure to get their desired result and if not, they will damage the brand.

Now the big question for all hospital marketers: is there a campaign being conducted against your hospital right now, that you are not aware of?  Are disgruntled patients (rightly or wrongly) fanning the flame, attacking your brand and soliciting others to do the same?  If you ignore social media, don’t want to have anything to do with it, or take it lightly, it could be happening.

Every hospital should have means to monitor social network activity about their brand.  Every hospital should have a social media presence so that if negative things are being said the hospital can join the conversation and attempt to talk the offended party offline to address the issues.  And every hospital should be engaged in social networks to demonstrate the hospital’s concern and responsiveness to concerns and complaints.

Hospitals should engage authentically in social media networks and be part of the human discussion rather than being perceived as unengaged and detached.  Remember, there could be conversations going on right now about your brand that you need to be aware of.  And in which you should be participating. 

Healthcare Marketing: Media as the “Big Idea”

Media strategy is just as important as the creative strategy.  Sometimes maybe more.

96284895As marketers we are always looking for the “Big Idea”.  And by the “Big Idea” we are usually referring to the creative concept.  The creative that will interrupt an audience and profoundly establish our brand identity.  And we should never stop our pursuit of that very thing.  That “Just Do it” or “Got milk?” creative idea.

But sometimes that “Big Idea” could be about media and not creative.  Sometimes the media strategy can be just as important, or perhaps even more important.  Antony Young, CEO of Mindshare  writing for Ad Age Mediaworks listed several reasons why media is as important as creative in developing effective advertising.  A synopsis of some of his points is worthy of considering

1.    We’ve moved from a world of Mad Men to Math Men (and Women).

Advertising has become a math game.  Where can we get the most impressions?  The right impressions? What is most effective?  And most efficient?  How can we achieve a favorable ROI?  And prove it?  What is the “right” amount of advertising investment to maximize results without diminishing returns?  All of these questions are important.  And in today’s world of fractured media and financial pressure these questions become equally as important as the creative approach.

2.    Instead of the creative idea, it may be more about small, smartly placed relevant ideas. 

There are those brilliant creative ideas, like those introduced by Nike, Apple, Dove and others.  But quite honestly they are few and far between.  We can work all our lives and rarely, if ever, develop a concept that becomes iconic.    But maybe in today’s marketplace it’s can be just as effective to tactically use custom messages in different media at relevant times, locations and environments that creative engagement.  The ability to target a very narrowly defined audience with today’s media tools certainly makes this a viable approach.  Axe has used it very effectively over the past few years.

3.    Matching the message with the media.

It may prove helpful to determine how we are going to reach our desired audience before we decide the creative.  Because the medium(s) will determine the way we present our message.  We can have the best concept in the world but if it doesn’t fit the medium needed to reach our target audience it’s a waste.  And what will be effective in the appropriate and effective medium may not lean itself to “out of the box” creative.  It may just need to be solid effective communication.

4.    Content is king.  But which content?

There are so many platforms for communication.  And advertising effectiveness may require several types.  Long form video, sponsored programming, video pre-rolls, mobile apps, interactive creative are all options in addition to traditional media.   More and more brand decisions are being influenced by sources beyond advertising.  These options should be considered and then develop the creative necessary for each.

5.    Adaptive marketing.

There are now opportunities to use data collected from web behavior to develop an appropriate message and deliver it to the targeted audience in real time.

6.    Media is more than a venue for ads

There is huge media events…destination TV.  The Super Bowl, the Academy Awards, the Grammys, finals for American Idol and others.  There is so much more potential than just buying an ad during these highly rated programs.  Tablets and social media have made these events interactive and even bigger marketing opportunities.   Take advantage of social interaction surrounding these events to increase your advertising effectiveness.

Yes, as healthcare marketers, we are always in search of the “Big Idea”.  But it might not just be in the realm of creative.  It could be media-induced.  We would be wise to pursue these kinds of “Big Ideas” too.

Healthcare Marketing: Market Your Hospital Newsletter Like a Pro

This blog was provided by Brittany Richards who is an editorial coordinator at Software Advice <http://www.softwareadvice.com/> where she handles the Profitable Practice blog.

Five steps to improve the effectiveness of your hospital’s newsletter. 93062112

Email newsletters are a common way to keep your hospital top-of-mind for potential patients, as well effectively reinforcing yourself as a credible healthcare authority within your market. Companies such as Constant Contact provide an affordable, valuable service to organizations that wish to develop a newsletter following and attract new patients. However, effective newsletter marketing is an art, and it requires continuous attention and effort to maintain a following.

Steve Klinghoffer of WPI Communications advises healthcare professionals to follow these six tips to ensure their email marketing programs are effective:

Know Your Brand
There should be consistency across all marketing materials. Make sure font and color schemes match. What you send out is a reflection of your hospital so always remember  to use the newsletter to reaffirm your brand.

Build a Quality Email List
Put the email “subscribe” button on your website and social media channels. People who visit these pages are more likely to be interested in receiving a newsletter. This can also ensure that the contacts on the list know what they’re are signing up for. You don’t ever want your emails to come across as spam. Ever. Ask patients to sign-up and keep the process short and sweet.

Develop Interesting, Relevant Content
It is no mystery that many emails go unopened or unread. But there is a remedy for this. Use high-quality content to engage your reader. For instance, your hospital could consider email newsletter content on the impact of sugary drinks on a child’s health. It’s a relatable topic and can apply to many different readers. Just remember: The goal is to educate, not sell. If done correctly, the newsletter can provide valuable and helpful content and build loyalty.

Write a Good Subject Line
The subject line is the bait. It is the first thing a reader sees so it should be concise and targeted. Consider something like “Can french fries cause health problems?” versus “Hospital X  eNewsletter.”

Be Consistent
Find which email frequency works best for your hospital and stick to it. If you send out an email monthly then keep it monthly. Just make sure your efforts are consistent.  If your content is compelling enough, your readers will anticipate your email.  Until you get there, find which email frequency works best for you. Steve Klinghoffer, President of WPI Communications, suggests monthly emails for patient audiences and quarterly for health care providers.

Measure Your ROI
The money put toward an email campaign should generate a return. There are important metrics that can be measured to gain insight on the success of your email campaigns. Most email marketing providers track who opened the email, clicked links and did email forwards. Keep a record of that information because the metrics can help shape content for the future.

A couple of new patients could cover the costs of a newsletter for a full year. Maximize your results with good content, design and distribution.

This blog was provided by Brittany Richards who is an editorial coordinator at Software Advice <http://www.softwareadvice.com/> where she handles the Profitable Practice blog.