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Four Powerful Service Line Marketing Tactics

 |  By Marianne@example.com  
   November 28, 2012

Service lines allow hospital leadership to adapt the consumer industry concept of business units to healthcare. But the comparisons to the consumer market go only so far. Hospital service lines aim for clinical excellence and revenue at the same time, while subject to internal and external pressures such as changing government regulations, new medical developments, and hospital politics.

Marketing service lines is difficult—marketing directors must balance the sometimes—competing desires of service line leaders and health system executives, differentiate the service line among competitors without overstating or running afoul of regulations, and stay on top of trends and changing technologies.



WellStar Health System, an integrated delivery network headquartered in Marietta, GA, has recently developed several service line initiatives that have made an impact for its five hospitals, which have 1,320 beds between them.

Kim Menefee, senior vice president of public and government affairs, singles out four tactics to create streamlined service line programs that achieve results. WellStar uses these methods in its marketing push for the heath system's cancer network and heart screening program.

Several key stakeholders, one page
It's critical to make sure all key stakeholders in your organization understand the goals and the means of the service line marketing effort. Otherwise it won't be long before the program begins to falter. To do this, you must first ascertain the priorities of all individuals involved and assure them that you can meet their needs.

"Do your homework by gathering the appropriate consumer data and engage physicians in the process in addition to senior management," Menefee says. "It is important that senior management recognize and support how the patient experience will impact the success of a campaign. Establish metrics in order to illustrate ROI. Then when you are prepared to launch the campaign, you have all of the buy-in internally for your effort."

Know your market
It may sound basic, but a thorough analysis of your key demographic and your competitors are crucial for any campaign's success, but especially so for service lines. You wouldn't believe how many organizations put out campaigns focusing on their own strengths without studying the position their competitors have taken. It's an easy step to overlook.

When promoting a service line, specificity is key. Don't just tell consumers that you have the most patient-centered cardiology department in the region, but rather describe the attributes that make it so. With your help, the patient will draw their own conclusions.

For an added boost, competitive retail-style pricing and bundles can be helpful.

"It is sometimes difficult to differentiate yourself in a highly competitive market," Menefee says. "You've got to establish your brand position on a specific service line and communicate clearly the attributes. Retail products can be helpful in attracting new patients."

For example, WellStar promoted preventive screenings to bring new patients into the system. Its heart and lung screening program has proven very successful. "The heart screening is $99 for one and $149 for a couple," Menefee says. "It is a popular Valentine's Day gift."

Social media for service lines
"We are all experiencing the surge in use of social media," Menefee says. "Consumers today expect you to have a strong presence and use a variety of social media channels. This does allow us to create more relationships by having dialogue with patients."

How you have the dialogue will depend on the depth of the service line. A larger service line may warrant its own Twitter account and Facebook page, but all service lines should at least have a voice within the organization's social media presence.

WellStar uses the full gamut of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, to identify brand advocates.

"On Facebook, for example, we monitor this 24/7 to address consumer concern and praises efficiently," Menefee says. "We also feature a Doc-A-Day and push our relevant service line content."

Anticipate the future
As the business of healthcare changes, so do service lines. And the better you can anticipate those changes, the better your marketing will be.

In coming years, for example, pricing may become a new dimension, with even more importance placed on retail product offerings, Menefee says.

"It is uncertain how health insurance exchanges will impact healthcare marketing and brand loyalty," she says. "There is a great deal to be gained from health systems working together, so we will see a more collaborative environment amongst traditional competitors. These changes may require more brand collaboration and as a result drive us to manage our brands differently."

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Marianne Aiello is a contributing writer at HealthLeaders Media.

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