With more patients using online reviews and social media to air complaints about health care providers, it’s more important than ever for marketers to be at the forefront of this trend and be ready to respond in ways that optimize their organization’s brand. “From reviews on sites such as Google and Yelp to posts on Read More
// By Ross K. Goldberg // Pro bono work “feeds the soul,” says Susan Dubuque, principal at NDP. In this article, we hear from Susan and four other senior marketing and PR leaders about why they volunteer. Stepping outside your normal routine and using your skills to help a worthy cause may be just the Read More
As COVID indicators in the U.S. continue on a positive trend and we ease back into normal life, the opportunity for industry colleagues to gather in person again has finally arrived with the Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) annual conference. This year, conference attendees have two options. SHSMD Connections will convene Read More
// By Brian Griffin // A proactive approach to responding to negative online comments is a winning service recovery strategy. Patients think it’s important for health care providers to answer negative reviews; when complaints are addressed, the rate of patient satisfaction roughly doubles, according to one survey. With more patients using online reviews and social Read More
// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Since the first major industry conference was canceled back in March 2020, we’ve missed out on the energy and vitality that a live conference generates. The 2021 fall conference season kicks off with SHSMD’s annual conference in September, with the option of attending virtually in October for those who Read More
COVID forced organizations to adapt quickly. Communicators’ skills were essential in navigating the crisis, and marketing led the way, meeting the extraordinary demand for information. Over the past year-plus, health system marketing departments radically shifted their priorities. The question is: Which COVID-era changes actually moved the industry forward and should remain? Which strategic initiatives have Read More
// By Marlene Kurban // Top health system marketing executives weigh in on how COVID forced organizations to adapt quickly. Communicators’ skills were essential in navigating the crisis, and marketing led the way, meeting the extraordinary demand for information. Were greater flexibility and agility unexpected byproducts of a challenging year? Will they propel health care Read More
One organization with too many names leads to an identity crisis and confusion for all involved. It’s a story we’ve heard many times, usually driven by the rapid pace of mergers, acquisitions, and consolidation in the health care industry over the past 10 to 15 years. Brand has become increasingly important as a way to Read More
// By Jane Weber Brubaker // A strong brand has the power to elevate and unify an organization. Waco Family Medicine’s brand journey illustrates how important brand is in defining a culture and purpose internally, and giving a community a banner it can proudly rally around. One organization with too many names leads to an Read More
Like every other health care operation, fundraising has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Foundations, trusts, and development departments have had to squeeze all the creative juices they could muster to tackle an unpredictable, unprecedented situation. Boston Children’s Hospital sets the bar high. Named the country’s #1 Pediatric Hospital by U.S. News & World Report for Read More
“On December 14, 2020, the first COVID-19 vaccination outside the clinical trials was administered in the U.S. But UNC Health began preparing for the vaccine rollout months earlier,” writes Susan Dubuque, principal and co-founder of NDP. Here’s an excerpt from Susan’s new article. “Our consumer insights team conducts monthly Brand Trackers, and in the summer Read More
// By Marcia Simon, APR // When you have hundreds of runners raising money for you, and the Boston Marathon — usually held on the third Monday in April — gets canceled, how do you bounce back? Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, the pediatric hospital’s fundraising arm, found lots of ways to keep the donations flowing Read More
// By Susan Dubuque // In Part 2 of this series (Part 1 is here), Victor Reiss, vice president of consumerism and insights, marketing and communications for UNC Health, shares the health system’s research-based, comprehensive plan to address vaccine hesitancy. “For most health care marketing professionals, dealing with COVID-19 is the largest undertaking of a Read More
// By Peter Hochstein // If editorial and PR people fall into a passive-aggressive relationship, something’s wrong. Sometimes on both sides. There’s no magic to how I find sources for most of the stories I write in this space. Sometimes I start by calling the advertising agency that was involved. Most ad agencies love publicity Read More
The nonprofit Ad Council has announced plans for a $50 million educational campaign aimed at encouraging vaccination against COVID-19. The effort will be funded by private-sector contributors and has been created to overcome reluctance by two-thirds of the public to get vaccinated. According to a recent survey, although 86 percent of Americans believe that a Read More
The coronavirus continues its rampage throughout the country, sickening people, taking lives, devastating the economy, and overwhelming our health systems. Even if we are not sick, COVID-19 wears down our will to keep fighting until vaccines are widely available. That includes abiding by public health guidance: avoiding large group gatherings, social distancing, handwashing, and wearing Read More
At the Deborah Heart and Lung Center in southern New Jersey, the task of letting patients know it was safe and even wise to return evolved into a multimedia effort. The campaign has been paying off with a substantial increase in patient visits. In Peter Hochstein’s new story, he explains how they’re doing it. Here’s Read More
// By Jane Weber Brubaker // If marketing is about influencing people to change behaviors, then a new public service campaign launched just before the Thanksgiving holiday — #MaskUp — is marketing at its best. The coronavirus continues its rampage throughout the country as of this writing in early December, sickening people, taking lives, devastating Read More
// By Peter Hochstein // At the Deborah Heart and Lung Center in southern New Jersey, the task of letting patients know it was safe and even wise to return evolved into a multimedia effort. The campaign has been paying off with a substantial increase in patient visits. Don’t let the bed count — there Read More
“Hey, there’s a pandemic going on!” writes Peter Hochstein, crackerjack copywriter and regular SHCM contributor. “Hospital workers are supposed to look harassed, grave, and ready to collapse from exhaustion, right? That’s not quite the way the communicators and staff at Johns Hopkins Medicine saw it. Result? Internet views by the — no, not by the Read More
As the marketing communications function has grown in health care over the years, many hospital systems find their MarCom organizations continually growing in responsibility and staff size, with no master plan for how everyone will work together. David Feinberg, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer of Mount Sinai Health System, and Karen Read More
// By Sheryl S. Jackson // As the marketing communications function has grown in health care over the years, many hospital systems find their MarCom organizations continually growing in responsibility and staff size, with no master plan for how everyone will work together. David Feinberg, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer of Read More
// By Peter Hochstein // Hey, there’s a pandemic going on! Hospital workers are supposed to look harassed, grave, and ready to collapse from exhaustion, right? That’s not quite the way the communicators and staff at Johns Hopkins Medicine saw it. Result? Internet views by the — no, not by the thousands, by multiples of Read More
// By Peter Hochstein // Whether it’s a national news network on the phone, or a triple-header of a tornado, some of the biggest PR opportunities are unplanned. Even Lindsey Meyers, vice president of public relations and communications for Avera Health, sounds just a tad surprised that there’s such sophisticated medical research going on in Read More
Los Angeles is home to many world-class health care organizations, and they compete vigorously for the same patients. But even in a competitive market, joining together for the greater good may be the best way to get an important message across to the community. “It became apparent early on that people were not accessing health Read More