A new book by healthcare marketing consultant David Marlowe should be required reading for anyone with any connection to marketing in healthcare provider organizations. The book, A Marketer’s Guide to Measuring ROI, does a fantastic job of outlining how and when to measure return on investment for marketing efforts, specific to hospitals, health systems and other providers. Perhaps more importantly, (more…)
As the saying goes, ask 10 people their definition of branding, and you’ll get 10 different answers. In healthcare, however, you might get 20 answers. The confusion around branding in healthcare provider organizations - particularly among leaders and physicians - is widespread: “the brand is the logo, the name, the advertising.” The confusion around what brand means most frequently leads to the misunderstanding and oversimplification of how to apply the strategy of branding. One result is the plea to “tell our story” (also known as the “hidden gem” or “best kept secret” plea). If we only told our story, the assertion goes, then people would know how wonderful we are and our beds would be overflowing with patients, our coffers with revenue. But for branding to be effective over the long haul, there has to be a story to tell, a unique story. And that’s where Marty Neumeier’s new book, Zag, comes in. (more…)
Consumer-driven healthcare. Overseas surgery. Freestanding surgery centers, mini-clinics and other new provider models. It’s not a stretch to say that hospitals and healthcare systems are competing in a more chaotic environment. Surfing the Edge of Chaos: The Laws of Nature and the New Laws of Business, written in 2000 by Richard Pascale, Mark Millemann and Linda Gioja, offers a nice primer for how businesses should embrace chaos as a way to innovate and compete. (more…)
A friend recently recommended the popular book, The E Myth Revisited, which is subtitled “Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work, and What to Do About It.” As a small business owner, I was obviously intrigued by this successful book, as well as the impassioned recommendation with which it came. What I found was a compelling outline of business success and failure, which applies to most small businesses. I also found myself thinking of how the book could bring value to healthcare marketers, despite its obvious orientation toward small businesses. (more…)
If there ever were an industry that was handicapped by its traditional organizational model of serving consumers based on internally focused silos, it’s the healthcare provider industry. But perhaps a business model called “customer centricity,” outlined in the book Angel Customers & Demon Customers, by Larry Selden and Geoffrey Colvin, might provide some help. While the book itself doesn’t mention the healthcare industry, the book provides many insights that could be applied to help improve the experience patients and their families receive at many healthcare organizations. (more…)