HealthLeaders Media Marketing Weekly - December 17, 2008 | The Ghost of Healthcare Marketing Columns Past
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The Ghost of Healthcare
Marketing Columns Past
Gienna Shaw, for HealthLeaders News
The thing about writing columns that predict what will happen in the next 12 months is that, a year later, you have to go back and see how well—or how poorly, as the case may be—you did. Last year around this time I made five predictions about the future of healthcare marketing. I got two right. I could have done a little better on two others. And I'm stubbornly insisting that I was right about the fifth prediction, even if nobody agrees. [Read More] |
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December 17, 2008 |
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Editor's Picks
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A positive (and fuzzy) ER experience
When this blogger's young daughter was treated at a local emergency room, she left with a pneumonia diagnosis, a prescription, and a Beanie Baby. And the blogger parent left with a very high impression of the hospital, thanks to a short wait time, friendly staff, and the unexpected gift. Many hospitals don't put much marketing effort into their ERs because they are often among the less profitable departments, but this anecdote proves that you don't need a big budget to keep ER patients coming back for other services. If the marketing team can help the emergency department staff create positive experiences for all patients, they will remember the next time they need care. Beanie Babies optional. [Read More]
Women + social networking = ka-ching!
Women make the majority of healthcare decisions for their families. This is not news. But a good percentage of those same women have active profiles on at least one social networking site. Put those two not-so-newsworthy tidbits together and we've got ourselves a wheelbarrow-full of healthcare marketing opportunity. A new survey found that more than four out of 10 women in their 40s had a social networking profile. Mothers of teens are most likely to discuss brands online, with over 70% responding that they had posted comments about products. The survey concludes that social media marketing is probably more effective than simply placing your ads on social networking sites. Just one more reason for your organization to start some virtual mingling. [Read More]
Social media marketing is the new Web 2.0
Still a bit wary of diving into the social media marketing ocean? Take a look at this Fast Company article that asks eight marketing experts how they think Web 2.0 will evolve in 2009. Their answer: more developments in online social networking. "Social Media will cease to be such an 'experimental' field in marketing and will start to become part of the main core of good campaigns," said one expert. "It is important to realize that and shift the marketing program to be more about how you interact and empower those customers rather than how you control and spread the message." [Read More]
Less-glossy PR might foster more loyalty
It's finally alright for your PR department to wipe that plastered smile off its face—at least when it comes to addressing the economy. This Platform Magazine article gives advice about how to make the best public relations moves in the midst of budget cuts and universal glumness. One of their tips: Tell it to the public like it is. It's important to promote "authenticity, reality, trust," said Maria Kalligeros, EVP and consumer practice director at CRT/tanaka. "Brands that can convey those values to consumers are going to win in a time of contracted spending." By addressing today's economic reality, PR can help its organization gain the community's trust. And with that trust comes brand loyalty that will last beyond the bad times. [Read More]
A Twitter retweat
If you read last week's column and are planning to use Twitter to market your organization, this article might help you maximize your efforts. It explains one of many products that are made specifically to help marketers manage their Twitter accounts. This particular one lets you manage multiple accounts, view click-through stats, and—the best part—it's free. [Read More]
Happy Holidays!
From all of us at HealthLeaders Media, have a happy and safe holiday. HealthLeaders Media Marketing will not publish next week, but will be back December 31.
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Campaign Spotlight
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Health Knowledge = Support
Though most healthcare facilities find messages of technology and care important for targeting consumers, one California hospital is hoping to convey the complexities of today's healthcare to its community. It's a difficult approach, but those at California Pacific Medical Center, located in San Francisco, see it as a beneficial strategy. "The strategy behind this campaign is to, over the course of a year, help readers to understand how complex modern healthcare is and what our hospital does for the community," says Kevin McCormack, media relations manager for the facility. [Read More] |
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Calendar of Events
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Webcasts
1/6/09: Service Line Strategies Workshop 2009: Women's Health
On Demand: Proving Real ROI: The Bottom-Line Impact of Your Healthcare Marketing
On Demand: Use Call Centers to Grow Market Share and Measure Marketing ROI
On Demand: Marketing to Physicians: Increase Referrals and Grow Market Share
On Demand: Marketing Obstetrics: Strategies for Service Line Campaigns |
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| From HealthLeaders Magazine |
20 People Who Make Healthcare Better
In our annual HealthLeaders 20, we offer profiles of individuals who are making a difference in today's complex healthcare world. [Read More]
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| Service Line Management |
Here Come the Seniors
The influx of baby boomer patients promises to increase the already high demand for senior services. But the prospect of expanding a service line that relies so heavily on Medicare has some hospital leaders jittery. [Read More]
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Marketing Forum
Rewarding More Than Just a Pretty Advertisement: The ornate stock exchange room at the Art Institute of Chicago was a symbolic location for the 2008 HealthLeaders Media Marketing Awards, guest speaker Gary Adamson, CEO of Starizon, said at the October 15 ceremony. The room represents aesthetic beauty and financial results, much like the Marketing Awards, which, unlike many other award programs, honors campaigns that set and achieve clear goals, Adamson said. [Read More] |
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Audio Feature
Lisa Slama, PhD, consultant with Sg2, talks about expanding the scope of women's health service lines and considers the market's potential for growth in the near future. [Listen Now] |
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Sponsor HealthLeaders Media Marketing Weekly
Contact Lisa Brown, Director of Integrated Sales, at
lbrown@healthleadersmedia.com or call 781.639.1872. |
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