Why ignoring cost might be shortsighted
With my background in finance, I never forget how much money matters. My point of view on decisions about marketing and beyond is typically oriented in terms of cost and return on investment. However, there’s a perception that most consumers, particularly in the healthcare space, don’t view medical care that way. In messaging, our focus is usually on convenience, technology or compassionate care.
Encouraging positive dialog about your brand on social media
Social media usage by gender is just about neck and neck. Men slightly over-index on LinkedIn, but the opposite is true on Facebook and Instagram. The stats are just about even on Twitter. But there are distinct differences in social media use by gender, and these represent a big opportunity for hospital marketers.
Research published by Facebook noted that women are more likely to share personal topics, while men tend to focus on current events. Another study analyzed vocabulary across millions of Facebook posts and concluded that women’s posts tend to center around friends and family and to use friendlier, more compassionate language.
Raising the bar on customer service in hospitals
Customer or patient? Some hospital marketers consider the words synonymous. Others prefer “patient” as a more precise description of their target. Make no mistake; there is nuance between the two. Take a look at the definitions:
Patient: (noun) A person receiving or registered to receive medical treatment. Synonyms: sick person. (adjective) Able to accept or tolerate delays, problems or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. Synonyms: Uncomplaining, resigned.
Customer: (noun) A person or organization that consumes products (goods or services) and has the ability to choose between suppliers. Synonyms: consumer, client, purchaser, buyer, patron, shopper.
Compassion is key to building trust for your hospital’s female patients.
I recently had a bicycle accident that left me with a broken elbow and a referral for surgery. While it wasn’t fun, it was a good opportunity to experience the patient journey from a different perspective than my usual view as a hospital marketer. What I learned along the way led to some surprising conclusions.
An understanding of how women choose hospitals can help shape your marketing messages.
Consumers are shopping for healthcare in ways they previously haven’t. Thanks to the proliferation of sites like www.Healthgrades.com, www.ClearHealthCosts.com, www.PatientsLikeMe.com and more, patients are finally getting windows into cost, quality of care and patient experience, metrics that greatly influence their choice of hospitals and healthcare providers.
Before we look at what women want in marketing from hospitals, it’s important to examine how they choose them.
How marketing to employees trickles down to make patients feel more valued and cared for.
Much has been written about the importance of internal branding and communications. A strong internal hospital branding campaign can maximize engagement and inform employees on how best to interact with patients. Nurses are the frontline staff in the hospital patient experience, and since they tend to be overwhelmingly female, it makes sense to cater to women internally as well as externally when introducing new marketing campaigns, reworked branding initiatives or consolidated branding after a merger.
How to position your hospital’s brand with your female market
Whether they’re patients or caregivers, women make the majority of healthcare decisions, and they are busy consumers. When they research products and services, they expect to get the information they need quickly so they can make a decision and move on.
Five marketing takeaways from the dining industry
To optimize marketing efforts to women, sometimes it helps to step outside our industry and borrow cues from another one. Here are five marketing insights from the restaurant industry to help spark ideas for customer satisfaction, online search, growth strategies, damage control and patient convenience.
How to build loyalty and drive long-term growth
If you’re like most of us, you probably have a punch card (or five) in your wallet. Loyalty programs allow brands to build relationships and trust, encourage repeat visits and enhance customer loyalty. According to Bond Loyalty, consumers are 81 percent more likely to continue to do business with brands that offer loyalty programs.
How can hospitals use loyalty-marketing principles to connect with women? Here are five ways.
Put yourself in your consumer’s shoes.
Have you ever approached your hospital as a consumer or potential patient? What you learn from this user experience test could help you positively impact the patient experience. Users of hospital services are not experts in the field, so when and how we communicate with them needs to take that into consideration. It doesn’t hurt to remember that when a consumer is out of her element or a little overwhelmed by a health concern or test, it’s nice to have a care team available for guidance.
Recently, I needed to schedule my annual mammogram. I chose a local hospital, since it’s convenient and offers 3D screening. Here’s how my experience went, and where I saw room for improvement.