A short while ago, I had a conversation with a colleague who relayed his conversation with a hospital executive around business development, innovation and growth. Hence the comment "We are in survival mode here."
My colleague also brought up the point to this same executive that somewhere, a group of entrepreneurs was looking at the process of care and have come to the conclusion that a hospital admission is a defect in the process of care.
Now that one stopped me dead in my tracks. Think about it.
The hospital admission as a defect in the process of providing care.
An attitude, much often too common in hospital executive leadership that we are just trying to survive. This is sad really, when innovation, growth opportunities and new business development initiatives are being left on the table because hospital executives can't get out of the "we're just trying to survive" mentality. Yep, leave it to the Walgreens, CVS/Caremark and Walmarts of the world to figure it out. Hint, they already have.
If your just trying to survive today without looking for market opportunity and finding ways to be more consumer-focused, innovative and non-traditional in providing care, then you are not going to survive.
The hospital is no longer and really for a very long time now, has not been the center of the healthcare universe.
Hospital executives can't seem to get out of the 70s and 80s mentality of build another patient bed tower. That will fix the problem. Instead, their response if they were providing any leadership at all, would be to the physicians, senior team and Board of Directors, let's find new and innovative, non-traditional ways to deliver care.
Infusion centers, retail clinics, pharmaceutical advances, free-standing surgery centers and diagnostic clinics, remote monitoring, home health care, sub-acute services, discharge management to prevent readmissions, medical device technological advances and many other services when taken together, have the potential to so significantly change the way that healthcare is delivered, it will make the hospital admission of today, a defect in the process of care tomorrow.
Does that mean hospitals will go away? No, there are limits to this concept of the hospital as a defect in the process of care such as surgical procedures that can only be performed in a hospital, and emergencies requiring an ER will always be needed. But the rest of it, maybe not.
Unless hospital executives and their marketing and planning departments start seeing the forest from the trees, just trying to survive is leading them away from innovation, opportunity and growth at a time when others, with non-traditional entrepreneurial backgrounds, will relegate the hospital to a place in the care continuum where an admission is a defect in the process of care.
So, are you still just trying to survive?
You can reach me at 815-293-1471.
Integrating Brand Messages Into Your Public and Media Relations
9:29 AM
advertising, Healthcare Marketing, Media Relations, Online, PR generated media, Press, public relations
How much more effective would your marketing campaigns be if you made a conscious effort to frame your messaging in your Media Relations (MR) and Public Relations (PR) campaigns around the main brand messages you use in your marketing campaigns?
More often than not, brand messages in healthcare PR-MR rely on the "about us" statement to carry that weight. Little if any attention is given to using public and media relations as a strategic and integrative vehicle in the overall marketing effort.
And that is a missed opportunity.
As healthcare organizations, we are expected by our audiences to advertise, write white papers, create case studies, write impactful sales materials, partner with leading market research organizations to present "groundbreaking" topical surveys and results, as well as other materials. That is a given. People see and read, they (hopefully) advance the brand, maybe generate some sales leads or in some cases bring a sense of accomplishment to internal audiences because in the end, all of these materials are "about us". Activity measurement as opposed to outcomes measurement.
Now think. What is the value of these same messages being crafted in such a way through PR-MR to your organization? The more people say they don't believe what they read and see, the more that they believe what they read and see. A positive news story online, print or electronic carries with it a measure of credibility conferred by the publication, news organization or web content carrier that the story has some measure of truth and validity. Can't buy that in advertising, direct mail or contests.
PR-MR can be summed up by the following:
Presence Builds Preference
and
Perception- Leads to Opinion- Becomes Fact
PR-MR can provide you with a continuous brand presence in the market that you cannot afford through traditional or online paid efforts. It can successfully build positive impressions, solid opinions which after a while other companies and individuals will come to believe about your organization and, this is an important and... build relationships with the media and audiences that can be leveraged to your benefit in times of crisis.
In my experience, it is not uncommon to generate on an annual basis for small healthcare organizations $1 million plus in equivalent advertising through a PR-MR program. For larger companies, an aggressively planned and consistent PR-MR program generates $10s of millions of equivalent advertising dollars. Ask your Executive Suite for that kind of money for paid advertising in this or any economy and see what happens.
If you are not integrating your brand messaging into your PR-MR efforts, your losing the opportunity of a lifetime and potentially your markets.
PS. It's just not writing press releases.
More often than not, brand messages in healthcare PR-MR rely on the "about us" statement to carry that weight. Little if any attention is given to using public and media relations as a strategic and integrative vehicle in the overall marketing effort.
And that is a missed opportunity.
As healthcare organizations, we are expected by our audiences to advertise, write white papers, create case studies, write impactful sales materials, partner with leading market research organizations to present "groundbreaking" topical surveys and results, as well as other materials. That is a given. People see and read, they (hopefully) advance the brand, maybe generate some sales leads or in some cases bring a sense of accomplishment to internal audiences because in the end, all of these materials are "about us". Activity measurement as opposed to outcomes measurement.
Now think. What is the value of these same messages being crafted in such a way through PR-MR to your organization? The more people say they don't believe what they read and see, the more that they believe what they read and see. A positive news story online, print or electronic carries with it a measure of credibility conferred by the publication, news organization or web content carrier that the story has some measure of truth and validity. Can't buy that in advertising, direct mail or contests.
PR-MR can be summed up by the following:
Presence Builds Preference
and
Perception- Leads to Opinion- Becomes Fact
PR-MR can provide you with a continuous brand presence in the market that you cannot afford through traditional or online paid efforts. It can successfully build positive impressions, solid opinions which after a while other companies and individuals will come to believe about your organization and, this is an important and... build relationships with the media and audiences that can be leveraged to your benefit in times of crisis.
In my experience, it is not uncommon to generate on an annual basis for small healthcare organizations $1 million plus in equivalent advertising through a PR-MR program. For larger companies, an aggressively planned and consistent PR-MR program generates $10s of millions of equivalent advertising dollars. Ask your Executive Suite for that kind of money for paid advertising in this or any economy and see what happens.
If you are not integrating your brand messaging into your PR-MR efforts, your losing the opportunity of a lifetime and potentially your markets.
PS. It's just not writing press releases.
If you need assistance or would like more information, you reach me directly at 815-293-1471.
Tapestry Marketing - Weaving an effective hospital marketing plan
So what is Tapestry Marketing?
Is it an analogy? Maybe, depending on how you look at it.
Tapestry Marketing is a new way of looking at stand-alone hospital and multi-hospital system marketing. It encompasses the “traditional” aspects of marketing, but acknowledges the special needs of hospital, the interplay of physicians and their influence on the process, patient insurance coverage and limitations, the needs of the consumer and the healthcare organization.
Tapestry Marketing is new. You will not find it in any text books. It is not taught in graduate school. It is a concept. A philosophy of marketing that is designed to cut through the clutter and bring a hospital or multi-hospital system out of the run an ad, hold a community program, send a newsletter marketing mentality.
Tapestry Marketing is learning how to weave a colorful, comprehensive, integrated multi-channel marketing program that drives brand, generates revenues and dominates the competition. A methodology to achieve market success, show Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) and bring you, the marketing leader, to the senior management table as a strategic player.
Please note: Tapestry Marketing is ©Michael J Krivich, FACHE, PCM 2010. All rights reserved.
A Tapestry Marketing plan is no longer than 10 pages.
That's it folks. Any marketing plan longer than 10 pages will not be implemented. Looks great but is generally a lot of words, to say what you will do when you will do it and how you will measure it.
Page 1: Mission and Vision Statement:
-A clear mission statement for the product line and the marketing plan will help to focus the efforts. The mission statement is the purpose and starting point from all which flows. It is important to evaluate your mission statement in light of changing environmental conditions and helps to keep you focused as an organization on what you are about. This will help you in evaluating the objectives you develop latter in remaining consistent with the mission of hospital or health system xyz.
Questions for guidance:
– Who are we? Who do we serve? How do we serve them? What are the limits of what we do? Does everyone have a shared understanding of our mission?
Page 2: Situation Analysis:
– Examine your current marketing program or examine your internal and external environment to understand where you are today and how you arrived at that point in time.
Questions for guidance :
– Describe your past experiences relative to the financial, human and capital resources as well as the strengths and weaknesses of your service/product line. Describe the cultural, societal, economic and demographic trends existing in your world. What other marketing opportunities can be identified from the strengths and weaknesses?
Page 3: Market Research:
– Surveys and discussion groups formal and informal, sales reports and market intelligence are the best ways to really understand your market for the purposes of developing a marketing plan. But a self-evaluation can also be helpful in answering the following questions and thus understanding your market. Here are some categories for self-evaluation: service/ product excellence; service/product attributes versus the competition; ease of use; customer service; service/product literature cost.
Questions for guidance:
- Why did insurance plans, physicians, employers and individuals choose our services/products? Why do some choose others? What does the industry and community think of us? What are competitors saying?
Page 4: Identify Target Segments:
– The goal here is to match your service and product line strengths with people most likely to be influenced by those strengths. Describe your target group in detail. Where are they located? What part of the service/ product value equation will influence them? Can they afford your services? What are their needs?
Questions for guidance:
- What types of customers are most likely to choose our services as it currently exists? What types of customers’ might choose our services if we make some affordable improvements or changes? What are the financial requirements in determining price and service?
Page 5: Marketing Strategy:
– Brainstorm for ways to develop and communicate the right messages for your service and for ways to create the right service or product line improvement/s. Develop measurable goals.
Questions for guidance:
- What are the quantifiable goals for the marketing program? How will they be measured? What will be offered to the key decision makers in relation to the Service or Product Line? How will the key decision-makers use the service Place? What is the message to be communicated to the key decision makers Promotion? What must the key decision-makers give up to purchase Price?
Page 6- 8: Marketing Tactics and Budget:
– When executing marketing strategies, it is important to get the basics right, be clear about who is doing what and track progress carefully. First and foremost, the strategy must be communicated and supported. All employees of the organization need to understand the message, including which elements of it are the main focus and which are the important facts supporting it. All employees need to understand their role in disseminating the message. All employees need to understand the goals of the marketing program and why they are important. Give a detailed account of each aspect of the strategy that will be put into operation.
Questions for guidance:
– What actions will we take? Who will be responsible for implementing each action? When is it to be accomplished and how much does it cost? What are the growth targets and how will we measure the results?
Page 8 - 9: Evaluate the Strategies:
– Your basic messages are unlikely to change dramatically from year to year, but your strategies should be evaluated quarterly so that weaknesses can be identified and strengthened, or strategies can be adapted to meet new market needs.
Questions for guidance:
– Did we achieve our goal/s? Which strategies should we continue? What have we learned? What are the new targets created from this evaluation?
Page 10: Next Steps:
- A wrap-up of major learning's including not only success but failures as well. You planned, you did, you checked, you acted. The PDCA process of the Dr. W Edwards Deming Quality Cycle. Now, what do you want to do next?
Questions for guidance:
-What do we need to do to take marketing to the next level? How do we communicate our financial contribution ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment) to organizational senior leadership to build the business case for more resources? How do we intend to use this planning format in our budget justification?
I can be reached at 815-293-7471 or via email michael@the michaeljgroup.com to answer any questions. I do have a Word template for this format and it is available. Contact me for pricing details.
Is it an analogy? Maybe, depending on how you look at it.
Tapestry Marketing is a new way of looking at stand-alone hospital and multi-hospital system marketing. It encompasses the “traditional” aspects of marketing, but acknowledges the special needs of hospital, the interplay of physicians and their influence on the process, patient insurance coverage and limitations, the needs of the consumer and the healthcare organization.
Tapestry Marketing is new. You will not find it in any text books. It is not taught in graduate school. It is a concept. A philosophy of marketing that is designed to cut through the clutter and bring a hospital or multi-hospital system out of the run an ad, hold a community program, send a newsletter marketing mentality.
Tapestry Marketing is learning how to weave a colorful, comprehensive, integrated multi-channel marketing program that drives brand, generates revenues and dominates the competition. A methodology to achieve market success, show Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) and bring you, the marketing leader, to the senior management table as a strategic player.
Please note: Tapestry Marketing is ©Michael J Krivich, FACHE, PCM 2010. All rights reserved.
A Tapestry Marketing plan is no longer than 10 pages.
That's it folks. Any marketing plan longer than 10 pages will not be implemented. Looks great but is generally a lot of words, to say what you will do when you will do it and how you will measure it.
Page 1: Mission and Vision Statement:
-A clear mission statement for the product line and the marketing plan will help to focus the efforts. The mission statement is the purpose and starting point from all which flows. It is important to evaluate your mission statement in light of changing environmental conditions and helps to keep you focused as an organization on what you are about. This will help you in evaluating the objectives you develop latter in remaining consistent with the mission of hospital or health system xyz.
Questions for guidance:
– Who are we? Who do we serve? How do we serve them? What are the limits of what we do? Does everyone have a shared understanding of our mission?
Page 2: Situation Analysis:
– Examine your current marketing program or examine your internal and external environment to understand where you are today and how you arrived at that point in time.
Questions for guidance :
– Describe your past experiences relative to the financial, human and capital resources as well as the strengths and weaknesses of your service/product line. Describe the cultural, societal, economic and demographic trends existing in your world. What other marketing opportunities can be identified from the strengths and weaknesses?
Page 3: Market Research:
– Surveys and discussion groups formal and informal, sales reports and market intelligence are the best ways to really understand your market for the purposes of developing a marketing plan. But a self-evaluation can also be helpful in answering the following questions and thus understanding your market. Here are some categories for self-evaluation: service/ product excellence; service/product attributes versus the competition; ease of use; customer service; service/product literature cost.
Questions for guidance:
- Why did insurance plans, physicians, employers and individuals choose our services/products? Why do some choose others? What does the industry and community think of us? What are competitors saying?
Page 4: Identify Target Segments:
– The goal here is to match your service and product line strengths with people most likely to be influenced by those strengths. Describe your target group in detail. Where are they located? What part of the service/ product value equation will influence them? Can they afford your services? What are their needs?
Questions for guidance:
- What types of customers are most likely to choose our services as it currently exists? What types of customers’ might choose our services if we make some affordable improvements or changes? What are the financial requirements in determining price and service?
Page 5: Marketing Strategy:
– Brainstorm for ways to develop and communicate the right messages for your service and for ways to create the right service or product line improvement/s. Develop measurable goals.
Questions for guidance:
- What are the quantifiable goals for the marketing program? How will they be measured? What will be offered to the key decision makers in relation to the Service or Product Line? How will the key decision-makers use the service Place? What is the message to be communicated to the key decision makers Promotion? What must the key decision-makers give up to purchase Price?
Page 6- 8: Marketing Tactics and Budget:
– When executing marketing strategies, it is important to get the basics right, be clear about who is doing what and track progress carefully. First and foremost, the strategy must be communicated and supported. All employees of the organization need to understand the message, including which elements of it are the main focus and which are the important facts supporting it. All employees need to understand their role in disseminating the message. All employees need to understand the goals of the marketing program and why they are important. Give a detailed account of each aspect of the strategy that will be put into operation.
Questions for guidance:
– What actions will we take? Who will be responsible for implementing each action? When is it to be accomplished and how much does it cost? What are the growth targets and how will we measure the results?
Page 8 - 9: Evaluate the Strategies:
– Your basic messages are unlikely to change dramatically from year to year, but your strategies should be evaluated quarterly so that weaknesses can be identified and strengthened, or strategies can be adapted to meet new market needs.
Questions for guidance:
– Did we achieve our goal/s? Which strategies should we continue? What have we learned? What are the new targets created from this evaluation?
Page 10: Next Steps:
- A wrap-up of major learning's including not only success but failures as well. You planned, you did, you checked, you acted. The PDCA process of the Dr. W Edwards Deming Quality Cycle. Now, what do you want to do next?
Questions for guidance:
-What do we need to do to take marketing to the next level? How do we communicate our financial contribution ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment) to organizational senior leadership to build the business case for more resources? How do we intend to use this planning format in our budget justification?
I can be reached at 815-293-7471 or via email michael@the michaeljgroup.com to answer any questions. I do have a Word template for this format and it is available. Contact me for pricing details.
