Mapping Your Community Hospital’s Social Media Plan
February 6, 2012
Social media is pointless if you don’t have a plan. Whip your social media plan into shape with these ideas from Radian6. Apply these strategies to your community hospital and reap the rewards.
Social Strategy Musts
- Socialize your culture, not just your technology. Use social media as a two-way, true conversation to generate discussion and gather feedback from your patients and community.
- Encourage hospital staff to adapt the same approach – to listen to and value your patients.
- Focus on cultivating the long-term customer experience instead of merely generating a following. Build community by encouraging online engagement.
- Make a plan; write it down. Develop a concrete plan in the same manner you would for any other business process. Determine your audience, budget and social media outlets as well as your goals and intentions. Who are you targeting and what message are you trying to send? Ask the important questions and stick with the answers.
- Stick to the strategy. Don’t just aimlessly blog, tweet or post.
- Ask these questions as you write (and reread what you wrote):
- Is the topic interesting?
- Is it popular?
- Is it timely?
- What are other hospitals doing or writing about?
- Will you have enough content for the month?
- Do more. Beef up your content by dabbling in other media:
- Photos
- Audio podcasts
- Video interviews
- Webinars
- Graphics and charts
- Be vigilant. Require team members who want to engage on behalf of your hospital to complete a certification program.
- Teach them your core principles, but also share your hospital’s vision. This will allow them to write in their own voice while staying true to the vision.
- Take time to monitor employees’ accounts to make sure they’re active and brand-compliant.
How to Be a Better Listener
- Pay attention to who is talking about your brand. Where are people talking about your hospital? Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? Blogs or newspaper forums? Watch what topics generate discussion, cause conflicts or create praise, and tweak your future interactions accordingly.
- Pay attention to the competition. Social media is a public forum. Spin that to your benefit by learning from other hospitals’ social media strategies. Do your competitors generate more community engagement? What are their patients and community members asking? Watch and learn.
- Listen for customer service opportunities. Identify issues as they emerge and respond in real time. Listen to and answer your patients’ questions and concerns.
- Respond gratefully to positive feedback.
- Respond professionally to negative feedback, and use it as an opportunity to learn, grow and change.
- Always reply promptly. Social media is about immediacy and real-time exchanges or the effects are lost.
How to Entertain and Engage (NOT Confuse and Enrage)
- Surprise and delight your fans. Entertain and engage your online community so they’re happy to be a part of it. Consider offering coupons or promotions for your online followers.
- Avoid common etiquette pitfalls. Radian6’s David B. Thomas lists a few:
- Being pushy
- Engaging and then ignoring
- Inconsistency
- Not keeping your comment house in order
- Sounding like a robot
- Deal graciously with detractors. Handling critics is one of the hardest parts of maintaining a social media presence. See Radian6’s 10 Tips for Dealing with Detractors, which include deciding whether the item warrants a response, acknowledging the issue and saying thank you.
Click here to download the complete white paper >>
Community Hospital: Offline Builds Unbelievable Online Branding
January 30, 2012
Print is not dead! Brand awareness, vast market reach and creative offline campaigns can catapult hospital goals and online marketing. With niche publications, strategic marketing strategy and stellar designs, traditional offline campaigns can drive overwhelming response and online branding.
You can reach more of your target audience by continuing to tackle both traditional and online avenues.
Focus first on offline messaging, visuals and strategy to reach your goals.
Successful offline campaigns in 10 easy steps
- Don’t respond right away – You just received your ad agency’s offline campaign proof. Set it aside and keep reading this.
- Use the 5-Second Test – Consumers are constantly assaulted with online and offline advertising. See if your campaign can rise above the clutter by showing your creative to a few non healthcare folks in your target demographic. If they don’t get it then forget it. Make your headline clear and direct. Make your graphics scream your message.
- Win the reader’s heart- Hook the reader with catchy headlines and intriguing visuals. Once baited, make them really FEEL something.
- See how it works in context. Mock up the ad in your target publication; throw that billboard in a simulator and toss that direct mail among your mail. Does it still stand out?
- Words sell. Review your campaign goals. Does every single visual and verbal element drive the reader to that goal? Delete anything extra. Add in anything you missed.
- Consider another campaign approach. There are always a few ways up a mountain. Even if success is at hand, is there an even better way? Keep an open mind and be willing to experiment with something new.
- Be brutally honest. Nothing is ever perfect. Tweak everything – headline, copy, tone, layout, photos, call to action – as needed. This isn’t about you. It’s about your hospital’s marketing message. Get it out there.
- Seek a peer review. Turn to a peer whose opinion you trust. Even one small improvement can be the key to success or failure.
- Don’t bury your call to action. Need more office visits? Filled maternity classes? Online community connection? Don’t bury your message at the bottom in nine-point font. People have to SEE what your hospital has to offer!
- Take the message online. Every offline campaign needs its online counterpart. Even older, less media-savvy audiences appreciate the option to link to directions, class registration and more information.
Amid the dazzle of ever-expanding online marketing options, don’t ever forget the importance of your offline efforts. Balance is critical to capture results!
Carpe Diem! Tips for Creating Your Community Hospital Calendar
January 10, 2012
Create a product to inspire your community and promote your hospital throughout the year. Create a calendar! Here’s how:
- Select a theme – Presbyterian and Forsyth both chose to feature cancer survivors, but the possibilities are endless. What is your community hospital known for? Is there a service or department that could be featured or promoted? What would be the most beneficial to your community?
- Tell your story – An important key to captivating the community is choosing subjects who tell a vivid story. Where are the best stories at your community hospital and how can they help educate and inspire? The NICU? Your own employees? The ER? Zero in where the stories are!
- Involve the hospital community – Invite hospital staff to participate by nominating patients or fellow employees to feature in the calendar. Active participation will give your hospital staff a sense of ownership and enthusiasm about the project. The featured community members will likewise feel a closer tie to your hospital. The more people you involve, the larger your community grows. (And the more likely you are to generate word-of-mouth buzz.)
- Quality photography is a must – One of the most important and memorable elements of your calendar will be the photography. Do not skimp on this – consider hiring a professional photographer to capture your featured patients. It will make all the difference in elevating your project.
- Go beyond the dates – See beyond the calendar as a composition of photos and dates and add valuable patient information to each month. Have a special event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Feature it! Make sure it’s already penciled on every recipient’s calendar. Offer phone numbers and information for how patients can easily schedule mammograms. Think of the calendar both holistically and month by month to make the most of the marketing space.
- Judge your calendar by its cover – It’s not always the best idea for books, but calendars are a different story. Make sure you have a cover that grabs you, and consider what educational information you can offer on the front and back covers to guide the community to all your resources.
- Think outside the paper – The process of producing these calendars creates so much more than a single product. Consider the other arenas your now-gathered stories and photography can be used. Turn different months into series of ads, eblasts, direct mails and more. It takes a lot of work, but the beauty is you’ve used one product to produce a year of easy marketing for yourself.
- Waste not – Record everything you can every step of the way. Have a passionate patient or employee at your fingertips? Why not record him or her while you’re at it. Be sure to videotape any community calendar presentation gatherings. You never know what you might do with all that footage.
- Order more – Seriously. If you follow our steps, demand will be greater than you anticipate – especially if you experience inaugural year success. Consider if calendars are offered for donations or as a nicety to patients. Make sure people can order online so friends and family of featured subjects can order from across the country.
- Don’t forget to celebrate – Don’t overlook the importance of pomp and circumstance when unveiling your calendar creations. Foster community by creating an event that brings together patients, community members, doctors, providers, friends and family to fawn over the calendar, sign calendar pages, share stories and connect. Calendar subjects might be the featured stars, but your community hospital will come out on top every time.
Community Hospital Calendars Drive Inspiration and Awareness
January 10, 2012
Harness hope, capture community attention and accomplish your marketing goals.
Master all of the above just like Presbyterian Buddy Kemp Cancer Support Center in Charlotte and the Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center in Winston-Salem.
Every year these hospitals spotlight 12 of their cancer survivors on calendar pages. Their stories are told in poetic prose and their photos are captured in breathtaking black and white with spot color.
The goals?
- Educate the community about available resources
- Harvest hope
- Inspire – daily
Watch this short video to see how their campaigns brought together doctors, providers, patients and community members to celebrate the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.
Click, sit back and get inspired.
What does your calendar feature for the month of January 2012?
Flowers? Cats? That national park you’ve never been to?
I have two calendars that tell me two different stories:
- Presbyterian’s Punkin Brookshire, a brain cancer survivor since 2010 who has learned to adapt while still seeing life with a glass half full.
- Forsyth’s Reggie McCombs, a brain tumor survivor since 2004 who has kept pushing in the aftermath of his treatment to cheer on his son, an NFL hopeful.
Wanna trade calendars? Get started on yours today >>
What Your Community Hospital Can Learn from the CHPRMS Speakers
November 22, 2011
There will be much to learn at the Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (CHPRMS) Fall 2011 Conference. With speakers from a variety of backgrounds, the conference will provide the opportunity to expand your knowledge on many healthcare-related issues and topics.
The six general session lectures address a range of topics:
General Session 1: They’re Part of the Family, So Why Are We Feuding?
- Tess Niehaus and Jennifer Benz, with their combined years of experience in healthcare marketing and physician partnerships, will talk about how to manage relationships with physicians. Using case studies from their work in St. Louis, Niehaus and Benz will teach us how to balance physicians’ expectations with realities of marketing strategy.
- Niehaus and Benz have many years of experience in healthcare marketing, both now working at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis. Niehaus oversees marketing and communications strategy for the hospital and its physician organization and related business lines. Benz is responsible for the marketing of several key service lines, including urgent care, women’s services, and St. Anthony’s physician organization, which includes 50 employed physicians.
General Session 2: The Reality of Political Correctness
- Martha Ann McConnell, vice president of governmental relations for Carolinas HealthCare System, will be speaking about political correctness. McConnell’s leadership experience, also formerly working as a lobbyist for Carolinas HealthCare System and as a Board Member of Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, gives her an edge understanding the importance of political correctness.
General Session 3: Cut Through the Clutter with Micro Campaigns
- Gary Mueller will draw from his experience as a creative director to help us break from traditional marketing strategies to more targeted micro campaigns.
- Mueller’s highly acclaimed work has won him virtually every creative advertising award imaginable. By founding Serve, the country’s first completely volunteer, not-for-profit ad agency, Mueller has helped strengthen nonprofits’ marketing efforts. Serve’s work challenges social norms, as seen in this dramatic, fake movie trailer to discourage teen pregnancy.
- As a fellow creative director, I’m excited to hear this talk. Let’s bring in the New Year with a bang by learning how to spice up our marketing tactics with Mueller’s out-of-the-box strategies!
General Session 4: CEO Issues Got You Up All Night? Find a Cure
- Carolyn Merriman, founder and president of Corporate Health Group (CHG), will offer her understanding of management and the healthcare environment to teach us about CEO’s current challenges at both a national and local level. Learn what you can do to help your CEO find the right solutions.
- Merriman has served as faculty and presenter for several healthcare associations such as ACHE, AH-SHSMD and The Forum. She is a noted speaker and contributing author for healthcare periodicals. Check out this article she wrote for SHSMD’s Spectrum newsletter.
General Session 5: State of the Industry
- Ron Paulus, MD, Mission Health System president and CEO, will provide an overview of current healthcare industry challenges. As the first physician to assume the CEO position at Mission and the first in North Carolina to head a community-owned, not-for-profit health system, Dr. Paulus offers a unique perspective on the healthcare industry.
General Session 6: Generation Crossroads
- Eric Rowles, CEO/President of Leading To Change, a national training agency located in Charlotte, will discuss the challenge of today’s workforce, which can include employees from as many as three or four generations. Learn strategic approaches to bring your staff together.
- Rowles is an expert on youth culture, substance abuse prevention and workforce development. He’s worked with more than 150,000 youth, adults, administrators, professionals and policy makers within the past 15 years. Known for his legendary presentations full of energy and innovation, you will not want to miss his engaging presentation!
CHPRMS Can Help Your Community Hospital
October 25, 2011
Reconnect, recharge and get inspired with fellow healthcare marketers at the Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (CHPRMS) Fall 2011 Conference! Hear what CHPRMS President Margaret Gregory has to say about the conference.
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| CHPRMS President Margaret Gregory |
Margaret Gregory, Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (CHPRMS) president and Piedmont Medical Center senior director of marketing and public relations, knows just how busy healthcare marketers are. That’s exactly why you need to attend the CHPRMS annual fall conference, Dec. 7-9, in Asheville.
In a recent podcast interview, Gregory admitted that keeping current on industry trends, tips and networking is challenging given all that healthcare marketers juggle. “Just like the industry we’re marketing, medicine, is always changing and always on the cutting edge, marketing and public relations is also always on the cutting edge,” Gregory said. “There are so many new things to learn, so if you don’t stay up-to-date with this you’re not going to be able to provide the best ability that you can back to the organization you’re representing.”
She added, “It’s key for people to understand that you constantly have to learn and grow – and this conference certainly offers that opportunity to everyone.”
Hot topics this year include writing for the web; optimizing search engines, meta tags and geo-targeting; marketing physician practices; and successfully targeting consumers in this still-uncertain economy.
“If everyone can walk away with some key, very specific things that they can take back to their organization and immediately put into place that will help them do their jobs better – that’s the goal for this conference,” Gregory explained.
Listen to the full interview below, and don’t forget to register for the fall conference.
Listen to the Interview:
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CHPRMS – Take Your Community Hospital to a New Altitude
October 21, 2011
Despite poet John Donne’s insistence that no man is an island, the healthcare marketing world can seem pretty isolated.
Reconnect, recharge and get inspired with fellow healthcare marketers at the Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (CHPRMS) Fall 2011 Conference.
Working off the theme “Changes in Altitude,” this year’s fall CHPRMS conference offers a galvanizing gathering of industry leaders and newcomers alike, set amid the inspiring heights of the mountains surrounding Asheville’s historic Grove Park Inn.
Scheduled for Dec. 7-9, the conference agenda is sure to offer something for everyone with topics that range from the reality of political correctness and planning innovation to how to deftly navigate CEO issues or capitalize on marketing with micro campaigns. Click here for the full conference agenda.
The fall CHPRMS conference is a joint meeting with the Carolinas Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development. So, in a word, it offers more bang for your buck with an even larger knowledge base and expanded networking opportunities within the industry.
We’ll be at the conference and connecting with all of you along the way to share the educational excitement. Join us! Click here to register >>
Next week we’ll post an exclusive podcast with CHPRMS President Margaret Gregory, senior director of marketing and public relations at Piedmont Medical Center. She’ll address the inspiration behind this year’s fall conference, what attendees can look forward to and why such a gathering is so critical to the industry today.
Don’t miss out! Register today and subscribe to Creative Triage for conference updates!
Branding Your Community Hospital’s Campaigns
October 14, 2011
Branding a campaign means more than just creating a logo. “Branding” encompasses the overall personality, look and attributes associated with your campaign. Learn about one community hospital’s branding successes that increased its neighbors’ awareness for quality healthcare right in their own “backyard.”
In today’s ever-developing, busy and media-rich world, it’s easy to get lost to consumers, especially when you’re up against a large neighboring hospital. But with a little extra effort, you can create a brand for your community hospital’s campaign to bring it more legitimacy and recognition.
Rowan Regional Medical Center (RRMC) of Salisbury, NC, recently launched two campaigns with distinctive and effective branding efforts. I was proud of my firm for helping RRMC establish recognizable faces for its campaigns.
Maternity Campaign:
To market its modern facilities and maternity center, RRMC launched a maternity campaign, complete with a branded style that was implemented on both the web and in print:
- ABZ Design developed a microsite for the Family Maternity Center. The site features videos of physicians, nurses and patients raving about the Center’s personable care.
- The site also acts as a resource for potential mothers and patients, providing information about maternity classes and pregnancy.
- The maternity branding was also utilized in print brochures and ads.
- Check out the videos and the campaign images!
75th Anniversary:
To celebrate its 75th anniversary, RRMC sought to involve the community in a big celebration. The ongoing theme of “CommYOUnity” was reiterated through a variety of advertising and merchandise.
- ABZ Design developed an iconic “75th balloon” which was coupled with “CommYOUnity” for the campaign’s branding efforts.
- From web ads and billboards to elevator wraps, light pole banners, T-shirts and stickers, this campaign’s widespread marketing efforts made it recognizable in the community.
- Check out the campaign with its variety of marketing products!
What Can You Do? Some Tips for Branding Your Campaign:
- Focus on three or four identifiable traits. Identify three or four traits that stand out about your brand, or in this case, your campaign, and then build your campaign’s platform around these traits for a more cohesive representation. What differentiates your services or programs from those of competitors? Read more tips about identifying your community hospital’s strengths and weaknesses in this article from Becker’s Hospital Review.
- Appeal to your audience. Tailor the look and feel of your campaign to your audience. Is it a somber cancer campaign? Is it an energetic pediatrics campaign? Is it an elderly services campaign? Every aspect – from the look and feel to your marketing strategies – should align with your intended audience.
- Stay up with the times. In order to maintain a competitive edge, your community hospital needs to be up-to-date with marketing technologies. The rise of Smartphones is rapidly making it essential to promote your campaign in a Smartphone-friendly fashion on the web, while QR codes are adding an interactive element and depth to traditional print design. Read more about hospital branding and technology in this article.
Practice Website Benefits for Community Hospitals
October 11, 2011
Physician practice websites will increase your community hospital practice’s visibility, build its reputation in the community and give your marketing budget the most value for every dollar spent.
The Internet is an absolutely essential tool for physician practices. I am amazed at how many rural practices that I talk to who have virtually no web presence.
Online Healthcare Empowers Consumers. Your practices need websites to acquire patients in an increasingly tech-savvy world.
In order to build a bridge between healthcare providers and patients, a website must also project the right image to your target audience. The appearance of the practice website and the information it presents greatly impact your visitors’ first impressions of your services. Their initial perceptions are completely in your control. How do you want your practice to be seen to the public? As reliable, modern and informed? As friendly, warm and welcoming? Build your site to reflect your practice.
As healthcare marketers, we talk a lot about mobile and social media campaigns, QR codes and email communication. None of these are effective if we have no coherent destination or website to which we can direct patients.
Developing your practice website is the first and most effective form of communication today!
Essential website content:
- A short description of your practice and specialties
- Physician biographies and certifications
- Personalized facilities and staff photos
- Explanations of procedures and services
- Before-and-after case studies showcasing your skills
- Hospital affiliations
- Office hours, office policies and accepted insurance plans
- Directions and maps to the practice
- Patient education articles
Getting ahead of the competition:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Social media integration
- EMR patient portal
- Physician videos
- Electronic patient forms
- Interactive maps and driving directions
- Patient education videos
Successful Practice Websites:
- Desert Institute for Spine Care – Physician videos, Patient education videos, Patient forms
- Cardiovascular Longevity’s MyEliteHealth – Patient Portal Integration, Patient forms
- Dr. Cooper-Lall – A dentist who understands the power of social media
As a mom and healthcare shopper, I take charge of my family’s health. Healthcare consumers go online for an increasing variety of healthcare information including looking for their doctors.
A website for your practice is more than just a way to “keep up” with your competition – it’s a way to get ahead.
Four Important Facebook Uses for Your Community Hospital
August 31, 2011
With social media on the rise, people are increasingly looking to it for health information. How can your community hospital benefit from this trend? Learn how to utilize your hospital’s Facebook page.
Some items that traditionally lived on your hospital’s home page should now be shifted to Facebook, according to a post from the Conduit blog.
Four Things to Move to Facebook:
- Fan Community – Though branding options are somewhat limited on Facebook, it is an ideal place for your fan base. Community members have the option to “like” your page and show their appreciation and loyalty. Everyone can interact by posting on and participating in your hospital’s wall discussions.
- Upload your logo to reinforce your brand!
- Post frequently. According to a study by Verasoni Worldwide and Simon Associates, only 40 percent of the hospitals surveyed posted daily.
- Advertise events and activities. In addition to using the standard methods (print ads, emails and direct mailers) for event promotions, try creating a Facebook event and promoting it on your page. Or, try Facebook advertising.
- Photos & Videos – Invite everyone to engage on a personal level by viewing uploaded photos and videos of your hospital and events. Give fans the power to upload their own pictures.
- Special Offers – Offer incentives for “liking” your Facebook page by giving followers exclusive promotions and offers.
- Polls & Surveys – Use Facebook Questions and polling to learn more about your community’s needs and how your community hospital can meet them. Learn about creating polls on Facebook.
According to a study by the National Research Corp., 41 percent of U.S. residents say they use social media as a healthcare resource, the majority of them turning to Facebook.
Common social media uses:
- To view health education videos
- For diet and exercise tips
- To learn about upcoming health events
- To study disease awareness
- For health statistics
- To connect with others with similar ailments
- For support groups
Successful Hospital Facebook Pages:
- CHOC Children’s - View Page: This California-based hospital has successfully acquired over 23,000 “fans” — and without adding any fancy customizations to the page. Frequent status updates, YouTube channel integration, photo uploads (over 16 albums!) and multiple link postings invite community engagement, so that community members have also uploaded many photos and videos.
- OSF St. Francis Medical Center - View Page: This medical center in Illinois has utilized the discussion board, event postings, image uploads and YouTube videos to invite community involvement. With nearly 3,000 fans, it is clear from the active wall postings that community members do not hesitate to interact with the fan page.
- Presbyterian Hospital – View Page: Located in North Carolina, Presbyterian Hospital integrates its YouTube channel as well as its Twitter feed. With frequent status updates and photo uploads, it encourages community engagement additionally through the use of a custom “Give Back” donation tab.
