Consider Leveraging the Vaccine Rollout as Part of Your Community Health Positioning

Daniel Fell

“Coming off an incredibly challenging 2020, health care marketers face a potentially rocky start to the new year,” says Danny Fell, a senior strategist with Optum’s innovation team.

“Positive factors, like revolutionary new COVID-19 vaccines, are coming up against the ongoing reality of a pandemic that is still very much with us across many parts of the country. The former offers a unique opportunity to engage consumers in the community and bring the pandemic closer to an end. But the latter will still threaten to prolong hospitals’ efforts to restore normal operations and convince concerned patients to return to in-person care settings.”

Here’s an excerpt from Fell’s new article:

Despite a likely unpredictable first half of 2021, strategists and marketing professionals can continue to help organizations survive and prepare for better days ahead. [One way to do this is] leverage the vaccine rollout as part of a larger community health positioning.

Despite organizations putting more emphasis on population health and community wellness in recent years, research shows many still view health systems as a place for treatment, rather than prevention and support. One silver lining of the pandemic may be the role hospitals and health systems secured in the community as both providers and champions for community health. For many people, the pandemic has reminded them of the vital role health systems play in public health — and brands that leverage this fact will benefit from the halo effect.

In addition to proactive efforts around COVID-19 education and community-wide testing and treatment programs, hospitals should position themselves as leaders in community vaccination efforts. Continuing to build on brand equity will reinforce the public’s view of health systems as stewards of community health and wellness. Likewise, it would be wise to find new ways to expand this perception moving forward, reframing your brand as more encompassing than ever before.

For 5 more ways strategists and marketing professionals can help their organizations thrive in 2021, read Fell’s full article now:

Where Health Care Marketers Should Focus in 2021

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Matt Humphrey
President