Healthcare marketers can't do their jobs without physicians. At many organizations, that means featuring physicians in video testimonials and in print ads that feature a cheery group of clinicians in brightly colored scrubs. But some hospitals are beginning to realize the value of involving service line directors and other doctors in the strategic marketing planning process.
Marketers at a New Jersey hospital were about to develop a strategic plan for the hospital's orthopedic service line and expected a portion of the effort would focus on spine procedures. But that was before they talked to an orthopedic surgeon.
"It was great to be able to talk to the surgeon because his feedback was that more spine surgery is happening in ambulatory and outpatient settings, which financially changes the dynamic of the hospital for spine procedures," says Gabrielle DeTora, healthcare marketing consultant. "We otherwise might have originally planned to promote spine procedures, but this insight allowed us to set the right plan for that institution."
Healthcare marketers have long been going to physicians for advice for marketing service lines and clinical technology, increasingly marketers see physicians as valuable partners in the strategic planning process.
"Physician input is extremely important at Cooper," says Jill Lawlor, vice president of marketing and community outreach for Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ. "We have marketing managers for all major service lines and these managers communicate with the chiefs and division heads on a daily basis. We hold bimonthly meetings with all managers and administrative directors from these service lines so that all marketing is integrated."
DeTora worked with Lawlor and the Cooper marketing team earlier this year on a strategic marketing plan for several service lines, with a focus on increasing physician referrals. Physician input is especially important when creating direct-to-physician marketing because they, of course, understand the pain points and desires of target audience.
Physician input can also be useful when developing a strategy for consumer campaigns because they know what matters to their patients and can help explain technology and procedures in laymen's terms, but they may not know how to best communicate those points with consumers.
"It's more important to be able to position your messaging structure based on what is most important to the consumer and not the physician—even though you're working with the physician to market their service line," DeTora says. "A lot of time what they think is important doesn't matter to the consumer. As much as it's important to have that initial conversation, it has to be filtered through what the consumer needs to know to make that decision."
Though many physicians are eager to be involved in the marketing process, it's important to prioritize the information you need to obtain from them because their time will likely be limited.
"We understand that physicians are extremely busy seeing patients and performing surgery," Lawlor says. "This is why they are here. We share our strategy and tactical plans. Once we have their input, it is up to us to implement this plan."
Physicians play a lesser role in the execution and creative stages. When a physician reviews advertising copy, it's better to ask him or her if anything is factually inaccurate rather than asking whether or not they like it or think it will work, DeTora says.
"Then it's about what that particular physician likes and wants and not necessarily what the target audience will respond to," she says. "At that point it's not as much about an open conversation. You go from this big funnel of information gathering, and it gets funneled and funneled as you go toward the technical execution."
Marianne Aiello is a contributing writer at HealthLeaders Media.