Marketing Ideas

Managing Your Hospital’s Reputation

Why Reputation Management Is Key for Hospital Marketing

At the doctor's office, a female doctor is performing a checkup on a young girl.

Reputation is everything in business. It’s even more important for hospital marketing because a hospital’s reputation is its most important asset.

Without a strong reputation, your hospital’s patient intake will suffer. After all, people don’t want to entrust their health to a hospital that has a poor reputation. (more…)

Make Your Community Hospital Standout with Hospital Marketing

How to Make Your Community Hospital Stand Out with Hospital Marketing

Medical staff and patients with hands together

Running a community hospital in an area dominated by larger hospitals with more brand recognition and bigger budgets can be very difficult. It’s hard to stand out unless you have a convincing brand value proposition, a competitive advantage to exploit, and a smart hospital marketing strategy to gain market awareness.

This challenge is particularly seen in suburban or rural areas where community hospitals are going up against urban medical centers in larger nearby cities. Standing out can be hard, but it is possible to carve out a competitive advantage and stand out in a crowded market dominated by larger competitors.

The means to this outcome is a well-crafted hospital marketing strategy built around the natural benefits of being a community hospital.


Finding Advantages You Can Claim

The main advantage a smaller hospital has versus a larger hospital is simple: smaller hospitals mean doctors have fewer patients on average, thus improving patient relations and creating a more personable feel.

We see this all the time in the retail and service industries. You may not get the same selection in a smaller store as a larger one, but you’ll probably get better customer service than going with a larger chain. For example, if you’re using a plumber who knows you by name, you’ll probably get more prompt attention than going with a larger, more corporate plumbing company.

Caring comes naturally to thing caregiver who is helping an elderly patient

The same logic applies to hospitals. No patient wants to feel like they’re just one face out of thousands who make their way through the larger hospital, almost like an assembly line. Patients in, patients out. That’s the image of a large metro hospital that you want to portray. Your contrasting image is one where doctors and nurses have the time to get to know the members of their community and give them more direct attention.

Another major advantage is proximity. No one wants to travel 45-60 minutes each way to visit someone in the hospital, or go to see a doctor for a checkup. Community hospitals have a big advantage in that they are in their patient’s own backyard. You’re only a short drive away, and in emergency situations, that can be invaluable.

Finally, a big advantage is wait time. Wait times at large urban hospitals are almost always longer than they are in smaller, rural ones because of the sheer volume of patients they have to process. The message here is this: “Go to a place where you won’t spend more time waiting than you will actually being seen by a doctor.”


Hospital Marketing Methods to Capitalize on Advantages

Business People Meeting using laptop computer, calculator, notebook, stock market chart paper for analysis Plans to improve quality next month. Conference Discussion Corporate Concept

Hospital marketing is all about creating perceptions. You want to paint a perception through your ad campaign that large hospitals are just too big. They’re impersonal, overcrowded, and inefficient. They can’t possibly care more about you as an individual as a community hospital does, because we’re your neighbors. Those are the perceptions you’re working to create.

Painting this picture with a traditional ad campaign is one way to differentiate yourself. Having an active social media presence is another. You can probably be more responsive to patients and their families online than a bigger hospital can, even if they have more resources. Capitalize on that.

Make sure you are creating a cohesive message across all of your marketing channels, traditional and digital. A campaign-style format is best because you are working with a central theme and everything synergizes well with everything else.

A smaller, rural community hospital can compete with larger, big city hospitals. It’s all about playing to your strengths and creating brand perceptions that favor you.

TotalCom is a full-service hospital marketing and advertising agency that believes in getting great results from telling great stories. Contact us for more information or view our previous work and see what stories we can tell for you.

Healthcare Marketing: Have We Lost Our Marketing Way?

Today’s emphasis on social media, analytics and ROI has taken the place of the “Big Idea.”  And brands are weaker because of it.

When you scan the topics of marketing conventions, examined the titles of webinars that are available everyday and study what marketing subjects are most tweeted, you will find the marketing landscape is covered and dominated by new processes and platforms.   All the talk is about social media, digital platforms, analytics, market segmentation and targeting, lead generation and tracking and ROI.   Where is the discussion about  “big ideas”?  About creativity?  About speaking uniquely to the consumers’ hearts and minds?

Now all of these things are important and create exciting opportunities.  But none of them really matter absent the right, break-through idea.   Where is today’s equivalent of Volkswagen’s “Think Small”, DeBeers’ “Diamonds Are Forever”, “The Absolut Bottle” or Avis’ “We Try Harder?”   Oh there are currently some great campaigns but it seems we have too often substituted creativity for things we can compute and measure.

Brands benefit from savvy marketing tactics and superior media planning but great brands are built with great ideas.  Sure there are some new powerful media platforms but they cannot make a bad idea good.  Or a build a great brand from mediocre concepts. All the best new communication platforms and the analytics that go with them can’t capture the heart and soul of a brand.  Or the critical position in the consumers’ minds.

Maybe our first question should be “what” and not “how”.  An architect conceives a great structure before deciding the tools and materials to use.  An artist has an idea for a subject before deciding on the techniques and colors. And a composer hears a grand symphony in his mind before deciding the instruments to use.   And as marketers, we should have a great concept, a big idea, before deciding where to place it.

New tactics and processes can make us more efficient but great brands they do not make.  Great brands come from breakthrough ideas.  Marketing should be less about analytics and more about inspiration. Less about measured results and more about creativity.   After all, great brands are created and transformed by big ideas.

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Healthcare Marketing: Digital Outdoor Provides Creative Options

With the emergence of digital outdoor, advertisers can switch creative in real time.  And that provides enormous opportunities for creativity that really cuts through the clutter.   

Just a few years ago, outdoor advertising was considered a dying medium.  That has certainly changed with the use of digital messaging on billboards and out of home displays.  And marketers are taking advantage of the new technology to reach out and grab consumers.

One example of creative use of outdoor is Vitaminwater, a Coke brand  in the United Kingdom.  Coke placed boards in train stations and at Piccadilly Circus with employees inconspicuously posted nearby to watch those that passed by.  Messages were sent to the digital board and placed under the Vitaminwater logo, which were specifically targeted to consumers who approached the boards.   The messages referenced clothing or accessories specific to the reader, along with the message to “go grab a Vitaminwater for energy.”

The purpose of the billboards was to engage consumers with the brand.  And indeed it did!  How could a passerby ignore a message directed specifically to him or her? And what a unique way to effectively draw consumers to the brand and communicate the brand message.

True, this may not be appropriate or feasible for a hospital but it does show how digital billboards can be creatively utilized.  Real time messaging provides enormous engagement opportunities for hospital brands. Hospital advertising doesn’t have to be boring or predicted.  The opportunities for creativity abound.  Even outdoors.

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Hospital Marketing: Online Video a Turn Off?

Research indicates that up to 25% of web viewers click off of pre-roll video.   Consumers do not want to watch a video before they can get to the information they want.    

A recent study by video analytics firm TubeMogel finds that nearly 16% of viewers click away from a pre-roll video ad rather than watch it before getting to the content they are seeking. And on newspaper and magazine sites, where interruptive advertising isn’t the norm, the percentage goes up to 25%, according to an article in Ad Age by Michael Learmonth.

Consumers just don’t want to want to watch a video before they can get to the information they are searching for. They consider it a nuisance and become annoyed by it.  Yet the easiest thing for marketers to do is to place a: 30-second TV spot on the web.   It’s already produced, it’s available, and it’s easy.  But they may be doing more harm than good.  Annoying the consumer may be what you’re doing.

“Consumers have so many choices that 16% are going to leave your content just because you put an ad in front of it,” stated Brett Wilson, CEO of the video analytics firm.  “That’s a big paradigm shift – people don’t have to watch your ad”

Learmonth also cited research by YuMe that shows a completion rate of only 61% for 30-second video ads on the web. So clearly, using TV spots or videos as an ad, like a pop-up screen, is not highly effective.  Most people go online to gather information and do not want to have to watch an unrequested video ad before they can get to the content they are seeking.

Web advertising requires it’s own unique strategy and approach. While the brand must be consistent across all mediums, it’s not effective to just take traditional media and stick it on the web.  The audience expectations and tolerance levels are entirely different.  When you turn on your online video ad, you may just be turning off the consumer.

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Hospital Marketing: You Have a New CEO… Now What?

When an outgoing, gregarious new leader arrives in town as your hospital’s new CEO, it can be an exciting process to help them find acceptance in the community.

Some hospital CEO’s are from an accounting background and prefer to concentrate their efforts internally, but an outgoing personality who wants to be visibly active in the community can be an asset for a hospital. The CEO is more than an internal leader  but an external one as well and when he or she has an effective relationship with the community, this can prove beneficial for the hospital during emergency situations, legal issues, expansion plans, requests from the community, and of course from an imaging stand point. 

But what to do when the new leader arrives? The expected introductions to the hospital’s board and employees and the usual press releases and Chamber of Commerce events are certainly in order.

Consider Twitter updates (Can be sent from a another leader in the community if your hospital isn’t yet tweeting but another reason we should be building our Twitter followers) with links to your hospital’s website for more info on the just-arrived CEO. Other social media should be considered such as Facebook ads targeted to your market, and possibly a live video feed question and answer via Facebook.  YouTube videos of interviews or snippets “into the life” of the new leader and perhaps his family can also help build a relationship with the community.

Healthcare related fundraisers such as ones hosted for the American Heart Association, Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society, or Diabetes Walks all offer an important opportunity for the new CEO. This kind of personality can make inroads quickly in a community by supporting and attending arts organizations, fundraisers and gala events.  Often times smaller, more intimate settings and events should be considered as they offer the new leader more quality one-on-one time with community leaders.

Opportunities to Consider Sponsoring/Attending:

  • Gala fundraisers for local arts groups like the local museum of art, symphony, community theater or dance organizations.
  • Community-supported events hosted by organizations such as the Botanical Gardens, Land  Trusts, Green Initiatives or outdoor enthusiast events like bike clubs and hiking clubs.
  • Civic groups like Rotary Club. Lions Club, Jaycees or Jr League provide opportunities to network and show support for the community.
  • In smaller markets, involvement in high school sports and band booster clubs provide opportunities to meet families that are very active in the community.

Getting to know the community and making an impact through actual involvement can open doors quickly for a CEO who is so inclined. Converting marketing dollars to community event sponsorships can raise the profile of your new CEO as well as elevate the reputation of the hospital.  This can prove beneficial the next time the hospital needs the community’s or local political leaders’ assistance.

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Hospital Marketing: Social Media as Customer Service Tool

Hospitals and doctors are using social networking as a means of delivering a higher level of customer service by providing more communication with patients and their families. 

Every fifteen minutes the patient’s family receives an update on a Blackberry from the operating room, which gives them a status report and informs them how the patient is doing.  Surgeons use Twitter to report the details of an ongoing surgery.   Patients receive educational information from their doctor concerning the health issue they face. Prospective surgical patients watch a webcast of the surgery they are considering. Instead of going to the doctor’s office, a patient receives answers electronically to her health questions.

All the above are real examples of social media being used by healthcare providers as cited by Nirvi Shah in a November 9th article in the Miami Herald.  Social media tools are increasingly being used to provide information, and a higher level of customer service.

Many hesitate to use social media due to concerns about patient privacy.  But users avoid those concerns by using just one of a patient’s initials or just the age of patients. Messages are generally vague so that they would only make sense to the patient’s family.  And public posts are simply educational or very general in regard to details. 

Many patients consider the use of social media tools as modern day bedside manner.  It’s a way to make a stronger connection between the healthcare provider and patient.  It’s a means of making patients and their family more comfortable.

The tools of social media provide a wide range of opportunities to improve and enhance customer service.  Educational information and one-to-one conversations delivered through social media venues can be an extremely valuable asset to hospitals and physicians.  In a very competitive environment, the adoption of such tools can create a very significant advantage.     

 

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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: Increase Effectiveness of Ads with SMS Call To Action

Mobil Phones - Many Hands and Phones

Consumers are much more likely to respond to an ad using text messaging than visiting a website.

Hospital marketers have learned to add a web-based call to action to their ads. It has become fairly typical. But is there a better way to get results?

Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium advertised its new Fantase aquatic show with television ads on the 4 major networks. The ads featured a contest in which the viewers could register to win a hotel stay and VIP seats for the show’s premiere. The ads directed viewers to a website to register.  The one exception was one ad, which gave viewers the option to enter the contest by sending a text message.

The amazing results according to Mobile Marketer.com were that the call to action using SMS generated 325% more entries than the web based call to action. 52% of entries were via text message even though that option was only given on 25% of the television ads. 

The experiment indicated consumers are much more likely to respond by texting than by visiting a website. The reasons texting is more effective is because:

  • Texting is easier
  • Texting is more immediate-real time
  • A text number is easier to remember than a web address.
  • Texting takes less time
  • Mobile phones are almost always with the consumer.

For ads that have a call to action, hospital marketers should consider if texting could be used. If so, the Shedd Aquarium experience would indicate the response could significantly improve. 90% of all mobile phones in the U.S. are SMS capable and texting started outpacing voice calls as early as 2007. The frequent use of texting demands that marketers explore how to use it to increase the number of responses and get more immediate response.

It’s an opportunity that cannot be ignored. Why expect a consumer to go to a website to respond to an ad when it can be as easy as punching 5 numbers on the cell phone which is sitting nearby?

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