Category Archives: Digital Strategy

Social media and population health – a webinar for healthcare marketers

Notepad with words social media analytics on a wooden background

Most healthcare marketers understand social media as a valuable channel for marketing, but what they may not realize is the role it can play in population health management.

The Forum for Healthcare Strategists is hosting a webinar featuring strategies and case studies that leverage the latest Facebook marketing techniques to reach, engage and influence consumer health habits. Facebook for Accountable Care Marketing will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2015 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Central.

Matt Gove, chief consumer officer for Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, and Michael Sengbusch, senior vice president for product development at Influence Health, are the featured speakers, and I have the privilege of moderating the session. Matt and Michael will discuss:

  • Why Facebook works for accountable care marketing
  • How Piedmont Healthcare successfully used Facebook for preventative screenings – and how it outperformed all other channels
  • Tips on the latest Facebook marketing features

Webinar Details

Facebook for Accountable Care Marketing
Thursday, October 22, 2015
11:30 am to 12:30 pm Central

Speakers

speakers

 

Register Now

Because this is such an important topic for healthcare marketers, the Forum for Healthcare Strategists is offering complimentary registration to Forum members. So save the date, round up your team and tune in to learn more about the role of social media in accountable care marketing. Register here.

Last call for healthcare marketers

Last ChanceDo you have a healthcare marketing success story? Are you willing to share how your well your health system is doing when it comes to digital marketing? Here are two last chance opportunities for marketers to contribute to the growing body of knowledge about new and emerging practices in the healthcare marketing field.

But act fast! Tomorrow – September 11 – is the deadline for both.

Participate in a survey, then kick back at Starbucks.

My friends at Klein & Partners and Greystone.net are conducting a market research study on the state of digital marketing in healthcare. Healthcare marketers who take the 10 to 12 minute survey will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card. That’s enough for a Salted Caramel Mocha and a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Participants will also receive a report of the survey results.

Click here to take the survey.

Submit a proposal to speak at the Forum’s annual conference.

Last call to submit a speaker’s proposal for the 21st Annual Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit, which will be held May 23 – 25, 2016 in Chicago. This meeting always attracts an impressive group of healthcare leaders seeking to learn, but also to share, innovations and best practices in marketing, strategy and physician relations.

You can learn more about the conference and submit your proposal online at the Forum for Healthcare Strategists website.

Join fellow marketers at the 19th Annual Greystone.Net Healthcare Internet Conference

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Every fall, I make plans to attend the Greystone.Net Healthcare Internet Conference to network with colleagues and learn about the latest in digital trends, strategies and innovations from leading healthcare marketers and digital experts. It has become one of my favorite educational events and I wanted to let you know about this discount offer before it expires – register by September 11 and take $100 off the registration fee.

HCIC offers 3 days of educational programming showcasing 5 dynamic keynote sessions, 4 pre-conference workshops and 56 concurrent sessions. The exhibit hall will feature nearly 80 exhibitors and sponsors (including Corrigan Partners) so you can learn about the latest products and services to support your organization.

Visit the 19th Annual HCIC Website today and learn why this is a “can’t miss” event. And register now to take advantage of the early-bird discount.

To download a copy of the brochure, visit www.hcic.net/brochure.

Hope to see you there!

Evidence-based Healthcare Marketing Webinar Rescheduled

One of our healthcare marketing panelists has been called for jury duty during the week this program was originally scheduled.  See the new date and time, session description and link for registration below.

Evidence-based Marketing:  Rethinking Measurement
New Date and Time:  August 21, 2014 – 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. EDT

Healthcare marketers face increasing pressure to make the most of their marketing investments.  The C-suite wants accountability for outcomes – volume, revenue, greater customer loyalty – and assurance that the health system is strengthening its competitive position.

The bottom line is that marketing is becoming more science than art.  Today, sophisticated tools and marketing analytics provide great insights into customer needs, values, drivers and behaviors.  They inform our decision-making, shape strategy, focus investments.  When actionable information is combined with rigorous planning, innovative ideas and disciplined tracking, marketing executives quickly close the accountability gap.

Welcome to evidence-based marketing.

On August 21, 2014, I’ll join Marian Dezelan, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chris Boyer, AVP Digital Marketing Strategy, for North Shore–LIJ Health System (Great Neck, NY) on a webinar to discuss how an evidence-based approach to healthcare marketing can better focus your strategy and produce measureable results.  Marian and Chris will share how North Shore-LIJ’s marketing department applies evidence-based marketing techniques for personalized targeted marketing, patient engagement and making the most of marketing data.

Sponsored by the Forum for Healthcare Strategists, the webinar is scheduled from 12:30 am to 2:00 pm EDT.  The session is complimentary for Forum members; non-members can participate for $125.

I hope you’ll join us.  In fact, gather your team, order in lunch and make time to learn together.

Click here to learn more about the webinar and register for the program.

Brand journalism: engaging healthcare consumers with content.

A Forum for Healthcare Strategists Webinar

More hospitals and content 2health systems are diving into brand journalism as a way to deliver engaging content and showcase the work of the organization. But how does brand journalism differ from traditional approaches to communication? And what does it take to be successful?

Join me on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm CDT to hear how University of Utah Health Care is embracing brand journalism – and how the approach is delivering results. Brian Gresh, senior director for interactive marketing & web, and Christopher Nelson, assistant vice president of public affairs, will show how the University of Utah is building content that drives patient engagement, brings in local and regional referrals, and elevates the system’s national reputation.

Key discussion topics include:

  • How to engage and nurture your audience with content
  • Building internal support and the right mindset for a brand journalism approach
  • Integrating brand journalism into your healthcare marketing strategy… and why you should!

Because this is such an important topic for healthcare marketing executives, the Forum for Healthcare Strategists is offering complimentary registration to Forum members (non-members pay $125).

Click here to learn more and register for the session.

Social Media Update 2013: A good resource for healthcare marketers.

Who’s being social?  Social Media Update 2013, a new survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project, reveals that:

  • 73% of online adults now use a social networking site of some kind.
  • 71% use Facebook, up from 67% in 2012.
  • Facebook is the dominant social networking platform in the number of users, but users are diversifying; 42% of online adults use multiple social networking sites.
  • User profiles, demographics and engagement rates differ significantly across platforms. For example, Instagram users are nearly as likely as Facebook users to check in to the site on a daily basis; Pinterest skews toward women, higher education and income, while LinkedIn skews higher toward men in prime years.

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These are a few of the key findings and graphics on social networking site usage and adoption from Social Media Update 2013.  The study provides some great insights for your team to consider as they plan digital and content marketing strategies for 2014 – Who uses what platform?  How do they use it?  How often do they check-in?

Click here to browse through or download the full report.

What are your content marketing plans for 2014?

Content marketing continues to top the list of must-have capabilities for effective marketing operations.  Here’s a quick look at 2014 content marketing trends from the folks at Uberflip.

content infograph

New webinar on attracting, engaging and retaining patients with content

I’m looking forward to moderating this webinar hosted by the Forum for Healthcare Strategists on May 21. We have two terrific presenters — and a hot, hot topic.

How to Attract, Engage, and Retain Patients with Content
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
11:30AM – 1:00PM (CDT)

Jessica Carlson

Jessica Carlson

With so many communication channels available to consumers today, the rules for marketers have changed. The focus now is on content marketing: creating and sustaining great conversations with the people who visit your websites and social media channels.

Hear how Sentara Healthcare leveraged the power of healthcare content marketing during its 28 Days of Heart campaign. Using combined techniques to pull content, a healthcare tool, and reconfigured information architecture, they were able to show clear results metrics in changing its approach to content.

Ahava Leibtag

Ahava Leibtag

Join Jessica Carlson, Digital Media Advisor, Sentara Healthcare, Ahava Leibtag, President, Aha Media Group LLC, and me on May 21, and learn how to:

  • Create a content strategy around a campaign
  • Set up a social media editorial calendar
  • Engage and nurture your audience with content
  • Analyze your data to improve campaign performance

Click here for more information and to register online.  The price for Forum members is $89 ($119 for non-members).

Share your digital marketing expertise at Greystone.Net’s 17th Annual Healthcare Internet Conference

HCICLogoSpeaker Proposals are due Wednesday, April 3, 2013

This coming November 4 – 6, Greystone.net will host the 17th Annual Healthcare Internet Conference in New Orleans.  For 17 years (can you believe it!), this has been the go-to forum for health leaders seeking to learn and share their knowledge, expertise and experiences in web, social media, mobile and clinical information technologies.

It’s a conference I look forward to every year.  In this space, both the magnitude and pace of change are significant. When it comes to digital strategies, opportunities and practical applications in healthcare, there is always something new to learn, and this is the place to do it.

The 2013 conference will feature workshops and concurrent sessions in six educational tracks:

  • Strategy development
  • Patient engagement
  • e-Metrics, ROI and business value
  • Social media
  • Web solutions and tools
  • mHCIC: mobile and emerging technologies

I hope you’ll consider sharing your own successes (and lessons learned).  The Call for Speakers is still open but closes on Wednesday, April 3, 2013.  Submit your application here.

See you in New Orleans.

Engaging healthcare consumers through content marketing

content marketing rxContent marketing is a hot topic for healthcare marketers.  And no wonder.  More than ever, healthcare consumers are seeking information, sharing healthcare experiences, exploring treatments and selecting providers online. And the vast majority of online health-related discussions take place without input from healthcare professionals.

A recent Pew Internet and American Life Project study revealed that 81% of U.S. adults use the internet and 59% say they have looked online for health information in the past year. Over a third of U.S. adults say they have gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have.

Also consider:

  • 47% have looked for information about a doctor
  • 34% have read about someone else’s healthcare experience
  • 16% have consulted online rankings or reviews of providers

Professional Research Corporation’s (PRC) 2012 National Consumer Perception Study also found that one-fourth of healthcare consumers use the web to find a doctor, and 16% say that blogs and posted comments impact which physician or hospital they chose for care.

Content is about strategy, not just promotion

The challenge for healthcare marketers is having the right content in the right place at the very time that consumers are searching. To do this, they must develop a thorough understanding of how consumers discover, consume and share information on-line; and the role of search and social interaction across the consumer buying cycle.

The bottom line is that content marketing isn’t about self-promotion; it’s about engaging consumers through relevant information, resources and tools, discoverable at a time and place when they are most open to receiving messages.  It’s about building your brand and strengthening relationships at every point through the consumer decision-process. And encouraging your audience to act through strong calls to action with content that positions you as the preferred choice.

Learn more at PRC’s upcoming Webchat on content marketing

On Thursday, March 28, 2013, I’ll be joining Janna Binder, director of marketing and public relations for Professional Research Corporation (PRC), on a webchat to discuss the role and power of content marketing in healthcare. During the one-hour session, we’ll talk about how content marketing can engage healthcare consumers, build your brand, drive patient acquisition and cultivate customer loyalty. Key discussion points will include:

  • The role of search and social interaction in the healthcare consumer’s selection process
  • Where consumers discover, consume and share information
  • What constitutes relevant, valuable content, tools and relationships
  • How marketers can build content marketing plans

I hope you’ll join us. The 60 minute PRC Webchat starts at 1:00 pm central time. And, there is no charge for participation. Just click here for more information and online registration.

Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame now taking nominations for 2013

Do you know an individual or organization that has significant contributions to the healthcare Internet field at a local, state or national level?  Someone who has:

  • Assumed a leadership position across the health industry?
  • Demonstrated a willingness to share their expertise with others?
  • Served as a role model or mentor to others in the healthcare Internet industry?
  • Shown the ability or influence to effect change in the industry?
  • Been engaged in the field of healthcare Internet for at least 5 years?

Then you may have the perfect candidate for the 2013 Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame.

The Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame was established in 2011 to honor both individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the healthcare Internet industry, and to ensure that the history of the industry is preserved for the future generations.

Each year, new members of the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame are inducted at the industry-wide Healthcare Internet Conference. The 2012 inductees included:

  • Ed Bennett, director of web and communications technology for the University of Maryland Medical System
  • Mark Gothberg, editor of eHealthcare Strategy & Trends and chairman of the eHealthcare Leadership Awards for Health Care Communication
  • Community Health Network of Indianapolis, whose eBusiness team has demonstrated, over a decade, innovations in the use of Internet technologies for healthcare consumers
  • PatientsLikeMe, a free online community where patients can connect with each other to better understand their diseases, share condition and treatment information, and get the support they need to improve their health.
  • Mayo Clinic, who launched one of the earliest health information sites on the Internet, and today, receives nearly 30 million unique visits per month from all over the world.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 class.  Information regarding criteria and the nomination process can be found at the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame website (www.hihof.com). All nominations must be received by August 2, 2013.

Learn more about the 2012 honorees.

Should You Bag Your Facebook Advertising?

by Katie Adams, Corrigan Partners

Just days before Facebook’s scheduled $100 billion IPO one of the largest U.S. manufacturers has dropped all of its paid advertising on the social media site. GM made the decision to axe its $10 million advertising budget based on findings that paid ads on the site “had little impact on consumers.” Before rushing to join the crowd suspect of the relevance of social media, it’s important to note what the car giant said about how they plan to continue interacting with Facebook users. According to a Wall Street Journal article GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick said that GM is “reassessing our advertising on Facebook, although the content is effective and important.”

Did you catch that? “Content is effective and important.”

As chief marketing officers grapple with continued tight budgets and increasing demand for ROI it’s worth examining how you’re using social media as a marketing tool. First, focus on the main reason people use Facebook in the first place. According to the study “Why Do People Use Facebook?” by Boston University researchers Ashwinin Nadkarni and Stefan G. Hoffman, the two primary needs that Facebook satisfies for its nearly 1 billion users are (1) the need to belong and (2) the need for self-presentation. Conversely that means that Facebook is not viewed by the majority of its users as a way to find or buy services or products. So it stands to reason that if you are purchasing ad space on the social media site as a way of quickly generating sales you may be disappointed.

The question isn’t if Facebook is effective as a marketing tool, it’s how is Facebook MOST effective? Are you using the platform to its best marketing objective? GM has chosen to maintain its Facebook presence because it provides a powerful way to engage with customers and influencers as well as to have a pivotal presence in conversations about the industry and its own brand. But the company is aware that it can do that solely by providing CONTENT, not by purchasing paid ad space.

While GM’s decision may have prospective shareholders concerned it should be welcomed by chief marketing officers. GM’s insight should give you pause about your own organization’s position on Facebook as a marketing tool. If the two primary motivators for Facebook users are to belong and to be able to share personal stories and opinions (“self-presentation”) what types of material are you giving them to be able to do just that? Are you creating an engaging community for users? Are you sharing content — information, tips, and tools that they can use and share with others for free? Are you customizing your content so that you are one perceived as a highly relevant voice in their social media world?

Despite the contrarians Facebook isn’t going anywhere. The question is where are you going with Facebook?

Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame Names Judges Panel

Note:  June 1, 2012 is the Deadline for 2012 Nominations

The Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame has selected its inaugural judges panel, and I’m honored to be a member of that team.  The panel members include:

  • Dan Ansel, President/CEO, Private Health News
  • Stephanie Cannon, Director Web Communication and eBusiness, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
  • Karen Corrigan, Co-founder and CEO, Corrigan Partners
  • Michael Cutter, Vice President Sales, Krames Staywell Communication
  • Ben Dillon, Vice President, eHealth Evangelist, Geonetric
  • Daniel Fell, Executive Vice President, Neathawk Dubuque & Packett
  • Andrew Gradel, Director of Internet Marketing, Cooper Health
  • Paul Griffiths, CEO, MedTouch
  • Shawn Gross, Director Service line Marketing & Web Strategy, Tufts Medical Center
  • Neal Linkon, Assistant Director Internet Marketing, Northwestern Mutual
  • Robin Snow, Principal, Aefinity Interactive, LLC
  • Becky Daghir Wardzala, Marketing Director, Hendricks Regional Health
  • Kathy Divis, President, Greystone.Net – (Chair)

Each of us has agreed to serve a 2-3 year term and judge the candidates for the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame in a fair and unbiased manner while adhering to the Hall of Fame’s mission to “honor men, women and organizations that have made outstanding, long-lasting contributions to the healthcare Internet industry.”

The Hall of Fame’s purpose is to “ensure that the “history” of the industry is preserved for future generations new to the healthcare industry.”

Launched in 2011, its ‘freshman class’ of inductees included:

Click on the links above to learn more about the roles these esteemed individuals and organizations made in making healthcare internet history.

Nominations for the 2012 Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame class will be open until June 1st. So, there is still one month left to nominate the man, woman or organization you feel has made lasting contributions to the healthcare internet industry.

Please visit the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame Web site for more information on candidate criteria, or to nominate a qualified candidate.

Wondering about the Pinterest buzz??

Pinterest is now the 3rd largest social networking site in the U.S. and healthcare marketers are asking how Pinterest fits – or should fit – in the digital toolbox. Corrigan Partners’ Carla Bryant will join Danny Fell of Neathawk Dubuque & Packett on a webinar to talk about the “Impact of Pinterest on Marketing and Digital Strategies.”  Here’s a brief summary of the session topics:

  • Pinterest: the basics
  • Brand and business value of Pinterest
  • How Pinterest can align with your hospital’s brand, marketing and digital/social strategy
  • Building a Pinterest strategy – vision, content, resources
  • Tips for optimizing Pinterest

The webinar is sponsored by the Forum for Healthcare Marketing Strategists and will be held on Tuesday, May 15 from 11:30 am to 1 pm central. To register, visit http://www.healthcarestrategy.com.

Harnessing the Power of Content Marketing – Part One

If content is king, where are its loyal subjects?

Web, social networking and mobile technologies are transforming customer-business relationships, and revolutionizing business processes.  Consumers have hijacked the entrenched B2C (business to consumer) marketing model, and reversed the formula. The result is an absolute shift in power from marketers to consumers. The bidirectional and real-time nature of web, social and mobile requires marketers to have relevant information in the right place at the exact time consumers are seeking it.

C2B (consumer to business) marketing isn’t the future.  It’s here. Right now. 

Consumers are in control and have the skills and tools to search, collect information, compare, purchase, write reviews, and provide you the data and insights your organization needs to stay relevant.  “Content is king,” decree marketers everywhere – and businesses are churning content like never before. But without strategy, the monarch has no kingdom. Or at least no loyal subjects.

Content marketing is strategy, not just production of information in all its forms. 

Understanding customer needs at different stages in the buying cycle is critical to formulating effective content and channel marketing strategies.  What a customer wants or needs to know, terms she searches on, places she goes, social topics she connects with, inquiries she initiates and the actions she takes, can vary significantly across the purchasing decision process. 

Content marketing success requires a thorough understanding of:

  • Consumer needs at different stages of the buying cycle
  • The role of search and social interaction across the decision cycle
  • What constitutes relevant, valuable information, tools and relationships
  • Where consumers discover, consume and share information
  • Real-time accessibility, engagement and connectivity
  • Listening, learning and adapting services, products and experiences

Harnessing the power of content marketing is vital to patient acquisition and retention. 

More than ever, patients are seeking healthcare information, sharing experiences and selecting treatments and providers online.  And the vast majority of online health related discussions take place without input from healthcare professionals.   Essential tasks for healthcare marketing leaders are:

  • Learning about and helping providers understand how web, social and mobile have changed consumer and patient behaviors;
  • Creating a C2B content marketing strategy, executing  across the right marketing channels and using methods that will have the most impact;
  • Mobilizing marketers, administrators, managers, physicians, clinicians and business partners to execute content strategies that educate, inform and build loyal relationships with patients, families and staff.

Next up:  Part 2 – developing a robust content marketing architecture to guide investments.

Healthcare Digital Strategies Must Move Beyond the Website and Facebook

This Changes Everything . . .

We’re witnessing an amazing shift in terms of how people are relying on web, social networking and mobile technologies.  And that changes everything for healthcare providers in terms of how they reach, engage and communicate with healthcare consumers and patients.

The rise of smart phones and tablets such as the iPhone and iPad have put information, communications and commerce just a click or voice command away.  Digital strategies must move beyond the hospital website and Facebook page, to a fully integrated approach for reaching and engaging consumers, supporting patients with care management, facilitating workplace communications and promoting clinical decision-making. 

A comprehensive web, social and mobile capability, integrated with clinical IT systems such as EMR and patient portals, and embedded in physical environments , is no longer optional for organizations that want to remain relevant. 

Today, consumers don’t have purely offline or online experiences. They weave technology through nearly every point of contemplation, purchasing and use of products and services.  People may get healthcare in the physical world, but some of their best data, decision support, buying and communications tools exist in the virtual one. More than ever, patients are seeking healthcare information, sharing experiences and selecting treatments and providers online.    

A few facts to consider:

  • Over 80% of the U.S. population gathers health information online.
  • 55% of internet users look online for information about medical treatments or procedures.
  • 66% of internet users look online for information about specific diseases or medical problems.
  • 60% say the information found online affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition.

Terms like eHealth and mHealth are used to describe healthcare practices supported by the internet or mobile technologies.  Videoconferencing, remote monitoring and tracking devices for patients with chronic disease, electronic health records, on-line consults, and health topic chats and support groups are just a few of the ways technology is being used for care delivery purposes. 

Industry investments in the application of these technologies for purposes of healthcare are significant and projected to increase.  We can expect these to be important components of future delivery models where patient engagement and cost effectiveness are crucial aspects of performance.

Marketers can be change agents in helping health systems, physicians and other providers better understand how to employ these technologies. Many have had a head start by integrating digital technologies with traditional communications tools to engage stakeholder audiences.   And marketers have the communications expertise to influence consumer perceptions and behaviors.

What it will take is a stronger marketing, care delivery and operations partnership.  But, oh, the possibilities.