What’s on your mind, healthcare marketer?
I was on the road last week speaking to two healthcare marketing groups. First, we talked marketing measurement at the Cincinnati AMA monthly meeting. Then, I presented “Joe Public Doesn’t Care About Your Hospital” to the Virginia Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (VSHMPR) in Charlottesville, Virginia. In talking with attendees and fielding questions, a few common points of interest seemed to emerge at both venues. What was top of mind for marketers in these two markets? See if any of these sound familiar:
What do we do about bad bloggers and caustic comments?
There was a lot of angst about real or potential negativity coming from bloggers, and from those posting negative comments about hospitals on local websites (such as newspaper sites). This issue has been around for as long as these “web 2.0” tools have been around, but that doesn’t make these scenarios easier to deal with. The two extreme responses – ignoring all comments or engaging in tit-for-tat replies – are rarely the answer. As with many issues, the appropriate solution is somewhere in the gray middle, depending on the situation. (How’s that for helpful?)
How do you break down silos within a hospital?
To improve the patient experience, consistently set and measure marketing goals, to improve operations – you name it, and silos are there, causing pain. There’s no easy answer to this one (or to any of these, I guess). But try starting your engagements with others in the organization by asking them what they want, how you can help them, even if you have your own agenda. Breaking down walls starts by showing a genuine interest in helping the others behind that wall.
How can we convince leadership to do better/different marketing?
Another doozy that touches many hospitals and health systems. The logic seems simple – why follow when we can lead? why do the same when we want to stand out? why spend valuable budget on politically driven marketing requests? But this issue is more about right-brain emotion than left-brain logic. Two quick tips: find success stories that support your approach, so your idea doesn’t seem so novel. And use marketing measurement to help demonstrate what works – and what doesn’t – to help move the discussion back to the left-brain, objective side of the discussion.
What role should pricing play in hospital advertising?
An imaging center in the Cincinnati market was running an outdoor campaign featuring “MRIs for $700.” Seeing price-based advertising move beyond the more established retail healthcare services (e.g. Lasik eye surgery) to more traditional healthcare services is a big deal. MRIs are easier to “price,” given the straightforward nature of the offering (compared to, say, the “price” of joint replacement surgery, which can entail many components and isn’t always the same experience or cost). I use quotes around “price” because the actual price of a service to a patient typically depends on her coverage, including the negotiated reimbursement rate between her insurer and the provider, her out-of-pocket exposure, etc. The $700 MRI billboard is most likely targeted at those with high deductible plans, who are much more likely to shop around (especially for a commodity level item like an MRI). Is this an anomaly, or the beginning of a trend? Either way, it’s cutting edge, and it would be fascinating to learn the impact of this effort.
What’s your take on these issues? Which of these are you dealing with, and if they are front and center, how much pain are they causing?
Chris,
I love hearing “hot button” issues like this. Please write more of these posts. You are one of the few healthcare marketing pros who blog that I trust has their finger on the pulse of what’s top-of-mind.
Here’s my sarcastic, but serious take:
1. Bad bloggers/caustic comments: People have been bitching about their local hospital since it opened. The only difference today, is that hospital folks can hear and see what’s being said. If hospital marketers do rounds with patients, this shouldn’t be a surprise. It is what it is and nothing has changed. Your advice is perfect.
2. How to break down silos? Often times you can’t. Not a “marketer” anyway. They lack the credibility and influence in a health system. The best advice for marketers is to learn how to work with them. The CEO is responsible for recognizing and addressing silos, but often he/she is ineffective in addressing them. Two choices are 1) do the best you can with what you’ve got or 2) leave.
3. How to earn better marketing: Read Section 2 of Seth Godin’s book Free Prize Inside. It’s titled, “Selling the idea.” And the advice is spot on. Warning: It’s hard, messy work. Does it strike you as ironic that professionals trained in the art and science of persuasion can’t sell their idea internally? Hmmm.
4. Price’s role: Unless you have a clear OPERATIONAL strategy for becoming the Walmart of healthcare (and someone should and eventually will), healthcare strategists should focus on NOT remaining commodities. Read the classic book, The Discipline of Market Leaders, and figure out which of the three foci are best for your culture and competitive environment: innovations, operations or service.
For what it’s worth…