Lately we've been increasingly aware of the growing importance of word of mouth (WOM) advertising in physician practice marketing and medical marketing in general. WOM can be either positive (resulting in a patient referral and new business), or it can be negative (resulting in, well, nothing). Having experienced both edges of that sword, we all […]
The deceptively simple concept of “breaking bread” is actually a powerful healthcare marketing tool. It’s an idea that seemingly has little connection with hospital or medical practice marketing. But the reality is that people bond over food, and here is how physicians, administrators, physician liaison representatives and others can make more effective use of “food […]
A few years ago, my dentist retired and I scheduled my first visit with a dentist who had become a client. After my first appointment, he personally made a follow-up phone call to see if everything met my expectations in the first visit. (It was a step in his new medical practice marketing plan.) Though […]
From the nation’s heartland to the big city, here are two “healthy heart” illustrations of healthcare marketing at work. Avera Heart Hospital Marketing and PR Thinks Mega Some things are larger than life in South Dakota. For example, Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls has a big heart and knows how to make a big impression […]
Faulty logic may keep you stuck as the "best kept secret" in town. Healthcare practitioners often fall victim to the widely-held, but mistaken belief that being a good doctor is sufficient to attract new patients and assure success. In reality, this non sequitur often leads to failure, and the frustration of feeling like a "best […]
At its unveiling in April 2010, Apple predicted that the use of the iPad by medical professionals would change the face of healthcare, ultimately providing multiple ways to promote hospital marketing and public relations. The latest count by Apple shows over 25 million tablets have been sold (first 14 months); more than 15 million iPad 2's […]
At first, this post may seem completely unrelated to medical practice marketing, but stick with us. A lot of successful doctors and healthcare providers we know can relate to this story about a sales guy who never wanted to work in sales. Although many professionals don’t like the label “sales,” it is a vital part […]
From a hospital wedding to rockin’ oncologists to disco-beat CPR, here’s a quick roundup of noteworthy medical marketing and PR ideas that promote a healthy message of awareness. First, the “nobody wants to miss the wedding” department…
For centuries, doctors made house calls to patients’ homes. Except in some rural communities, these visits have become about as practical as using mustard plasters to promote respiratory health. In today’s world, telemedicine increasingly enables doctor-patient communications in two different places for a high-tech house call. Telemedicine is also a great “hook” for hospital marketing […]
When healthcare makes news, journalists—both print and broadcast—want quotes and sound bites that give their stories more excitement, interest and depth. Physicians and surgeons are often sought by the media as authoritative sources for “quote-able” quotes and interesting sound bites. And that’s a sterling opportunity for medical practice marketing and PR to stand in the […]
How can your hospital marketing and advertising efforts communicate quality care when your patients may not fully understand your health information, advertising, letters, brochures, and social network messages? As America increasingly becomes a myriad of cultures, it’s a growing challenge to include a range of languages, cultures and customs. To compound that headache, according to […]
We applaud the podiatrists—and other professionals—that have embraced social media to market their practices. Many are so eager to hop on the digital bandwagon that some folks are beginning to ask, “Is it time to scrap traditional media advertising?” Our answer is an emphatic “No!” Used to their best advantage, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other […]
Patients are increasingly technically oriented and equipped, and they want to open the door to digital communications with their doctors, according to InformationWeek Healthcare. And that only makes sense for a general public that is largely broadband-installed, smartphone-equipped and increasingly involved in their own healthcare decisions. What’s new about this situation is that InformationWeek reports […]
The managing partner of a large, respected group called me recently to find out if my firm could help them answer a rising competitive threat and build volume for their associates. The trouble was, he was very guarded and hesitant. After a lot of coaxing, he finally blurted out the real reason behind his reservations. […]
From time to time we spot hospital marketing and public relations examples in the field that you might like. Here are two with the “can’t miss” combo of kids and/or dogs. Spotlight: St. Louis Children’s Hospital. When therapy dogs make the rounds in the hospital’s cancer wing it makes for a compelling story. Not only […]
Testimonials—a patient’s expression of appreciation for you, your practice and their results—are powerful motivators for potential patients, and highly useful in medical practice marketing. And, being mindful of HIPAA, many professional situations can use this tool effectively. While patients are often happy to make referrals and testimonial statements, they often don’t have a clue about […]
The paramount question that nearly all physicians have been asking themselves is, "Where do I want to work?" Just six words, but it's an extremely complicated question. As the turbulence of healthcare reform forces change, almost every doctor in the nation is pondering some version of a question like this one and wondering about their […]
This headline really grabbed us: Rude Surgeons Hurt Patients, Increase Costs. It’s about a study with internal hospital and medical practice PR implications that can’t be good. (Let’s hope this doesn’t sound familiar to you. “Those [surgeons] who berate their staffs are practicing 'bad medicine,' experts say,” according to the item in this month’s issue of […]
Healthcare delivery isn’t exactly like Gene Roddenberry envisioned it on the Star Trek television series nearly a half-century ago. Or is it? Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy was armed with futuristic devices like medical tricorders, hyposprays for needle-free injections, and vital signs monitors in Sick Bay. So are any of the science fiction devices similar to what […]
The job of a pharmaceutical company field rep is tough. In our experience, it’s always been hard work, but lately pharma marketing—the up-close-and-personal kind—is getting tougher. (It’s always been a challenge to see a busy doctor during office hours.) What’s worse, now there are news media reports about doctors who refuse to see any pharmaceutical […]
The primary reason that public speaking is a powerful and persuasive tool in healthcare marketing is that it is highly personal. A good speech is a tool of engagement that can make an emotional or intellectual connection—sometimes a bond—between the speaker and individuals in the audience. Physicians, medical practice administrators, hospital public relations executives, and […]
A quick survey of 4 communications cornerstones and 24 basic ideas that might belong in your marketing plan. This is a "forest-for-the-trees" kind of thing. Or maybe it's a "nose-on-your-face" deal. In any event, overlooking an obvious opportunity is definitely common, and even somewhat understandable. Hospitals, practices and healthcare organizations are busy places and marketing […]
Patients don't complain, they just quietly fade away. In more ways than one, this is a sad tale...and a lesson learned much too late. In fact, 20 years too late, Following is a true story...
One of the most important skills in medical practice marketing is the ability to ask the right questions. Doctors, physicians, practice administrators and healthcare marketing professionals can easily find themselves caught up in the daily frenzy of “business as usual.” They can overlook the opportunity to use the right questions to diagnose physician-marketing problems or […]
We’ll call this one the tale of the “dead rat ambassador.” It's currently at the top of the list of real-life “horror stories,” in the category of negative hospital public relations and really bad patient experience. (We have photos, so we know it’s true, but who could make up this kind of stuff?) On the […]
One of the grand frustrations about the “world wide web” is that your medical marketing website might be found online by someone who is two hundred miles away and not by a prospective new patient who lives in your neighborhood. The first individual is not a prospect because of the distance. They’ll search again for […]
A few words from master storytellers. The payoff is in more engaging medical marketing, better physician-patient communications, patient satisfaction and more effective healthcare delivery. Stories and storytelling are at the heart of medical marketing, doctor advertising, hospital public relations and physician-patient interaction. Stories can be conversation, advertising and online testimonials, persuasive guidance for patients, news […]
When we compiled a list of reasons why people won’t “follow” someone on Twitter, we nearly ran out of paper. Twitter is an immensely popular social media, and for many hospital social media efforts, it can be a highly useful tool. Ask your followers about what they like and don't like and you're bound to […]
Don’t you just love it when a good plan comes together? As we speak with the principals and executives of hospitals, professional societies, medical groups and other healthcare organizations, a regular challenge is to help shape and execute an effective business and marketing strategy. And it’s gratifying when a good strategy wins the day. Goals […]
It's a tragic and extremely costly story - and unfortunately one that we see all the time. Perhaps it has even happened to you. Every day, hospitals and healthcare organizations across the USA invest hard-earned money into marketing, yet see zero new patients from their efforts.
By Stewart Gandolf I recently asked our team to share some of the worst medical marketing mistakes they’ve ever witnessed out “in the field.” As a word of caution, the incident I am about to share is so egregious that my team was divided as to whether we should publish it, or bury it forever. […]
Here’s a heads-up snapshot of four recent news items. Each of these is likely to be of growing importance on your healthcare, medical or hospital marketing horizon. We’ll be watching and writing more about: Google takes a new swing at Facebook with Google+. This, we predict, will be big…or at least a big battle of […]
Editor's Note: Here's another installment in our continuing series of articles about social media and healthcare marketing. The professional networking site, LinkedIn, is coming of age with over 100 million users. Here are ways to get the most benefit from your LinkedIn pages. It's a low cost, high visibility platform to showcase the personal brand […]
I had a call today with a prospective client that followed a theme I have heard at least one hundred times before. Essentially, he and his colleagues said they have "been burned" with their previous marketing efforts and are now "gun shy." He was understandably very reticent to do anything. He summarized, "I spent a […]
A fundamental guide for hospital, provider and healthcare organization news releases and media relations. The process of "getting ink" —when your news release or story idea finally appears in the media—has always been a challenge. Often it's more of an art than a science, enlivened by a generous splash of good luck. (For simplicity in […]
Here are two distinctly different but well-told stories that are worth sharing. The two storytellers—a photographer based in the Netherlands and an orthopedic surgeon in New York—probably don’t know each other. One story is about social media at work in the hospitality industry. The other is about patient-physician communications. On the surface these topics are […]
It seems that the nation’s hospitals have lifted their patient satisfaction scores, according to a recent survey. Kudos to the hospitals, with the doctors and staff deserving a healthcare marketing salute as well. Data from nearly 3,800 hospitals says that there’s been a 1.6 percent annual increase in the number of positive responses in the […]
How to take a fresh and fast survey of your own backyard. For a whole lot of reasons, nearly all all healthcare organizations, hospitals and practices are doing business differently from what you might think. Especially in marketing terms, the previous 12 months are not a good guide to how your competition will be navigating […]
It's the woman who makes the healthcare decisions in most households. That fact hasn’t changed much over the past few years. Estimates have it that eight out of 10 times, it’s the woman, wife, mother who is the keeper of the family health choices for spouse, children and herself. The the “mom” sector has been […]
Editor's Note: Healthcare Success authored this article as one of a series for ImagingBiz, a unique industry publication that delivers business intelligence for hospitals, imaging centers and radiology practices. The marketing concepts regarding physician liaison, practice representative, physician relations or business development apply to many professional, medical and healthcare marketing situations.
Here’s a roundup of four interesting and informative healthcare and hospital marketing vignettes from the past few weeks. There are insights and observations in each, and we’d like to hear your comments.
This week I want to share with you some fascinating insights I've gleaned from some of America's wealthiest families, but more importantly, give you some new ways of looking at investing in your own business, practice or organization. Due to a prior business relationship, I have come to know a fair number of investors and […]
As a HealthLeaders Media commentary put it recently, “Expecting patients to shop for discount cancer treatments and bargain heart procedures is, of course, a non-starter.” But coupons, discounts and special offers can take many forms in healthcare and hospital marketing. What's more, the search for savings, and being value-conscious, is no longer a middle-income trait. […]
We see a ton of healthcare, medical marketing and hospital websites in our work. We review them, we critique them and we provide advice how to improve them. And sometimes it’s downright frightening what we find. Perhaps the scariest moment is when we discover a provider or healthcare organization that has no website at all. […]
Many of the “old rules” are up in the air. It seems like nearly every aspect of our nation’s healthcare delivery system is in flux. An example of this—one that we see daily—is the turbulent competition among and between providers. It’s skyrocketing. But please proceed with caution; there are legal issues to consider for your […]
Major changes and pivotal events in the growth of a medical practice require a solid marketing program—and a stream of new business—to assure success. Here's when to consider financing for marketing and how we can help. [Series installment.] In the kindest of terms, the current state of healthcare in the United States is "dynamic." Maybe […]
If you don’t know a lot about “The Father of Advertising,” please invest a few minutes with David Makenzie Ogilvy. Your return on investment will be an insight to some of the most powerful and effective ideas in advertising. This is a tiny piece of advertising industry history, but we can assure you that David Ogilvy’s […]
There are several important healthcare marketing lessons hidden in the recent Los Angeles Times article titled Dentists turn to marketing after getting brush-off from patients. Although it is primarily about dentists and dental marketing in the economic downturn, the important marketing takeaways also apply to medical practices and hospitals. We'll look past any immediate temptation […]
If you’re a little behind in reading your Federal Register subscription, we see that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing to use “secret shoppers,” perhaps in your office. The HHS wants to sample Primary Care Physicians’ (PCPs) wait times, accessibility and availability. In government talk, the Proposed Project is titled Assessing […]
This is another segment in our continuing series of articles about effective social media and healthcare marketing. Survey information about Facebook user motivations to LIKE a company, brand or association leads to six useful tips in reaching and engaging patients and the public through effective social media.
