Word of Mouth Works Best When Hospitals Listen

How do you pick a restaurant to visit over the weekend? There are basically three options: try the place your friend recommended, browse online reviews for guidance, or wander into an eatery at random.

Following the wise words of a friend seems to make the most sense. Word of mouth has led me to my favorite hairdresser, nail salon, dentist, and yes, doctor. It is continually one of the most important ways to market your hospital or healthcare facility, health leaders say.

One popular way to measure free lip service is the cocktail party test. In my time covering the marketing beat, I've heard leaders sing the praises of this test -- when schmoozing at a party, or interacting with others, the best way to find out your hospital's reputation is to ask questions and then listen. The method isn't exactly scientific, but it works.

"Hospitals talk more than they listen," says Emerson Smith, PhD, Medical Sociologist for SC-based Metromark Market Research. "The only way we can know what people are saying is to talk less and listen more."

Measuring word of mouth is not as easy, but it is vital. The first step is defining what qualifies as word of mouth:

• Transmission – One person communicating to another
• Broadcast – One person communicating to an audience
• Social media – All forms and methods of communication between two or more people. Social media doesn't just have to be online and includes TV, radio, and face to face interaction.

"Face-to-face transmission, including word of mouth is the most effective way of communicating," says Smith. "But before you mouth off, make sure the product is good."

Face-to-face interaction is one of the goals of the marketing department at HealthCare Express, a group medical practice based in   Texarkana, Texas. Marketing Director Tina Baiter says the majority of the marketing budget is allotted for in-person marketing. Because HealthCare Express is small and up against higher marketing budgets within a rural community, the most effective way to connect is by spreading the word in person, Baiter says.

"Every single patient who comes in is asked how they found us – the number one [reply] is word of mouth," Baiter says. "The bulk of our budget is spent sending one person to each community to network, hand out cookies and snacks, and visit small businesses."

"People like to do business with their friends," she adds. "That has a much higher impact than an ad in the paper."

One example of the scope of a word of mouth campaign is at TX-based Baylor Health Care System. Since the launch of twenty-eight 30second television spots testimonials and videos on the BHCS website, there has been an increase of more than 250 patients. BHCS employees are encouraged to fuel the fire of the viral campaign using social media.

Jennifer Coleman, senior VP of consumer affairs of BHCS, was able to produce a video testimonial for under $500. She says Baylor does not spend as much on advertising as its local competitors and testimonials are an expensive option to garner positive attention.

"We went out and listened to what people were saying and what people told us was 'Baylor? I don't know if I want to go there. It's big and scary and downtown – you only go there if you're really sick,'" Coleman says. "So we tried to make Baylor seem more accessible and more  [humane]."

To get the conversation started, Baylor offered an option where visitors can nominate themselves for a video testimonial. Just as word of mouth is centered on outcomes, so are the testimonials.

"That's what you tell people about when you go home," Coleman says.

What else will people talk about long after they leave your hospital doors? Will they talk about your valet service? Will they talk about your cafeteria food?

"It's outcomes," Smith answers. "Sure valet parking is nice, but that's not what patients are concerned about. Word of mouth is primarily based on outcomes as a result of care."

A hospital should create a list of words they would like for people to describe them, Smith says. If the words no not match up with the public perception the hospital can do one of two things: change or convince others to change their minds. A word of mouth audit (WOMA) can help the communications team understand more about what the community is saying.

"But, we need to listen and document good and bad things people say about us," Coleman says. "Seventy percent of our patients don't tell anybody  [anything] – good or bad – about the hospital."

A suggestion for hospitals and health systems looking to make word of mouth work to their advantage: observe social media and what people are saying. Most hospitals and health systems rely on intuition for what people think about their reputation for care, Smith says.

Marketers should be on a quality team in order to understand and monitor both strengths and weaknesses of care. Also, a tool for marketers to build word of mouth trust is testimonials that do not need to be expensive to produce. Word of mouth is a powerful tool with powerful potential.