How to Use Your Hospital Newsletter for Healthcare Marketing

Many healthcare organizations publish newsletters to share announcements and health tips with patients and the community. While this is a great way to get information to the public, a hospital newsletter can also play a role in your healthcare marketing strategy. Whether you publish a newsletter monthly, quarterly or on some other schedule, use each issue as an opportunity to enforce your brand, connect with patients, and attract new and repeat patients.

Brand Recognition: Don’t think of your hospital newsletter as separate from your other healthcare marketing pieces. It can also be an important part of your hospital branding strategy. Although you should be focusing the content of your articles on hospital news and health information, rather than outright “selling” your services, you should still make sure the overall look and feel of your newsletter reflects your hospital’s brand. Remember, your brand is not just the colors or design you use, but also the promises you make and the mission statement you follow. Show how you are living up to those promises and the steps you are taking to further your mission in the articles featured in your healthcare newsletter.

Make the Connection: As a healthcare marketer, you know how important it is to be able to reach your audience in a way they can understand. Using technical terms and your hospital’s “lingo” in your healthcare newsletter articles will only make readers feel confused and alienated. Instead, make sure the language you use is easy to understand for people who don’t have a background in medicine. Engage and inspire your audience with topics that are relevant to them – seasonal trends, community health concerns, or even healthcare and politics. Connect emotionally with your audience by sharing patient success stories, which also inspire positive attitudes towards your hospital. Pair these articles with promotions for services you provide to have even more healthcare marketing success. Patients and potential patients will be looking for expert information and advice they can understand and trust, as well as a place they can turn to for more information.

Draw Them In: Ultimately, your healthcare marketing goal is to bring new and repeat patients through your doors. Your healthcare newsletter is a perfect avenue for increasing patient traffic – and your revenue. Just like your traditional healthcare marketing pieces, the main goal of your articles should be to inspire readers to take some kind of action, whether that is to schedule an appointment, visit your website, offer feedback or seek out more information. Your hospital newsletter will keep patients coming back to you, as the valuable information you provide will keep you in the front of their minds when they need trustworthy medical care. However, don’t just have your newsletter sit in your waiting rooms – reach a broad base of the community with a good mailing list to attract new patients.

Produce your newsletter on a consistent basis, follow these tips and see what a difference a good hospital newsletter can make on your healthcare marketing efforts.

About image.works Since 1995, image.works’ innovative marketing materials have been helping financial institutions and healthcare organizations across the country build their brand and enhance their success. With products ranging from newsletters and annual reports to direct mail pieces, brochures and more, image.works consistently produces big-time results while providing all the personal attention of a small company. Experience the image.works difference today by calling 800.777.1663 or exploring www.imageworksdirect.com.

Marketing for Hospital Success

Marketing for hospitals can be tricky. Today, the healthcare market is extremely competitive—a variety of options, providers and services are available to patients. And more so than ever, the average patient is a value-conscious consumer that makes educated choices based on their options.

In order to stand out from the competition, it is extremely important to craft a clear and innovative strategy. A successful hospital needs a successful marketing plan. A combination of direct and electronic mail, as well as social media is your best bet to wrangle in more patients and to keep them coming back. Studies have shown that depending on age and gender, all three are necessary to successfully connect with a broad target population.

Okay, first things first. Let’s start with direct mail, a tried and true approach to getting your hospital name in the hands of potential patients. Remember, consistent touches are the key to success. Wow them with colorful images of your facilities and services. Or showcase friendly pictures of your medical staff—this adds a personalized and intimate touch to your hospital brand. If done correctly, direct mail can be the best, most reliable strategy for marketing for hospitals.

But let’s not forget about electronic mail, an equally effective approach for marketing for hospitals. In this day and age, where almost everybody has a computer, patients expect fast results. Young people, in particular, utilize their computer as their main source of information. So it makes perfect sense to leverage electronic communication as part of your marketing strategy. Immediately connect with patients through email blasts and eNewsletters.

Last but not least, social media is emerging as an influential communication platform for marketing for hospitals. Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay, and if you are open, it can be utilized as a powerful tool to generate buzz about your hospital brand. Depending on your level of interest and commitment, try creating a Facebook or Twitter account—both are effective ways of reaching your patients directly. Address any concerns they may have, answer questions, or simply post fun photos, informational updates, and health advice.

Admittedly, there is no perfect formula for marketing for hospitals, but if you craft a plan that incorporates direct mail, electronic mail, and social media, you are on your way to marketing success! Remember, patients can’t frequent a facility that they don’t know exists! So it is your job, as a healthcare marketer, to make them know how great your hospital really is.

About image.works 

Since 1995, image.works’ innovative marketing materials have been helping financial institutions and healthcare organizations across the country build their brand and enhance their success. With products ranging from newsletters and annual reports to direct mail pieces, brochures and more, image.works consistently produces big-time results while providing all the personal attention of a small company. Experience the image.works difference today by calling 800.777.1663 or exploring www.imageworksdirect.com.

Marketing Must-Have: Hospital Branding Booklet

Guidelines for Effective Hospital Branding and Healthcare Marketing 
 
Today’s average consumer is exposed to a stunning amount of marketing messages each and every day. From commercials and billboards to newspaper ads and product logos, it seems advertising has permeated almost every aspect of our lives. In fact, some studies proclaim that the marketing messages we see on a daily basis number in the thousands.

So if you’re a healthcare marketing director, what can you do to make sure your advertising efforts get noticed? How can you cut through the clutter and truly reach your target market? Where do you even begin?

The answer is surprisingly simple: Effective healthcare marketing always starts with a hospital branding booklet. A hospital branding booklet is crucial to any healthcare organization’s marketing efforts as it:

• Sets the stage for a consistent identity.
• Aids in consumer recognition.
• Provides a starting point for your healthcare marketing campaigns.

In other words, if you don’t have a hospital branding booklet, beware that your advertising efforts run the risk of appearing disorganized and disconnected. Watch out for a lack of consistency that will make it difficult for consumers (who are already overwhelmed with marketing messages) to recognize your brand. And know that when it comes time to create a marketing campaign, you’ll likely waste time trying to pinpoint even the most basic factors – such as the tone of your content and the general design.

Avoid these all-too-common problems by starting your hospital branding booklet today. Keep in mind the goal is to develop an image that is simple, consistent and – most importantly – memorable. Wondering what to include in your hospital branding booklet? Here are some recommendations:
• General brand details, such as your history, an explanation of who you are and what you do, your overall mission as a healthcare organization, etc.
 • Information on the language and tone you want to convey in all your marketing pieces.
 • Do’s and don’ts regarding your visual identity. Be sure to think beyond your logo and cover guidelines for typefaces, images and colors.

Before you get too far on your hospital branding booklet, ask for feedback from other members of your healthcare organization. While the bulk of the project will likely fall on the marketing department’s shoulders, the influences of such a fundamental and impactful piece will reach far beyond just the marketing team. For that reason, it’s important to gather insight from all areas of your healthcare organization to ensure everyone is on board with the brand you are creating.

So there you have it – everything you need to know to create an effective hospital branding booklet for your healthcare organization. Put yours into practice now and experience marketing success for years to come!

About image.works Since 1995, image.works’ innovative marketing materials have been helping financial institutions and healthcare organizations across the country build their brand and enhance their success. With products ranging from newsletters and annual reports to direct mail pieces, brochures and more, image.works consistently produces big-time results while providing all the personal attention of a small company. Experience the image.works difference today by calling 800.777.1663 or exploring www.imageworksdirect.com.

The Importance of Hospital Marketing

It should come as no surprise that people’s preference in hospitals is not at the top of their list of concerns. Most people don’t sit around pondering where they’d like to go if they had a heart attack or needed knee surgery. But when people do have health problems that need treatment, you absolutely want your hospital to be – and stay – at the top of their minds.

Especially now that we’re in the age of Patient Empowerment, hospital marketing has never been more important. Because when health-related issues do rear their ugly head, people are making informed decisions about where they go, who they see and who they’re willing to trust with their health, not to mention that of their children and loved ones.

However, during economic dips like the one we’re currently facing, many hospitals are choosing to cut their hospital marketing budget. In fact, that’s often the first thing to go when finances are tight. This could prove to be a huge mistake. By doing away with marketing efforts, hospitals may lose current patients, new patients and even referrals. Patients who count on appointment reminders via phone call or direct mail may simply forget about their appointment altogether or even question the hospital’s or their doctor’s status. People new to the area who could be potential patients may not even know your hospital exists if you don’t advertise your hospital or abandon your website. Also, referring physicians and other colleagues may stop passing referrals your way if you’ve stopped communicating with them.

Here is an overview of smart hospital marketing practices:

• People form opinions about local hospitals based on stories from their friends, family and coworkers. Therefore, your current patients are an important and valuable hospital marketing tool. So be sure to maintain positive relationships with your current patients because they play a major role in recommending friends and family to your hospital, further boosting your revenue.

• Your colleague and physician relationships are also vital, as a referral or good recommendation from another healthcare professional will serve as yet another marketing tool that will only keep more people walking through your doors.

• People rely on the internet as a standard source of information. If your hospital does not have a website, your hospital basically does not exist. If that’s the case for you, make it a main priority immediately because you are missing out on patients and losing money. A website will make your hospital visible at all times, and add credibility in the minds of patients and colleagues alike.

• Harness the marketing power of health information. Hospital newsletters get results by educating your patients, establishing credibility and inspiring your readers to take action.

 • Electronic newsletters and email communications can deliver your message to thousands of people in a matter of seconds. They’re a simple and cost-effective way to reach your target without incurring any printing or mailing costs. You can communicate on any schedule – monthly, quarterly, alerts or whenever you need! Plus, your e-communications can link to your website where people can learn more about your hospital.

• Print advertising and the visual power to convince an audience to take action are essential in today's society. From newspaper ads to magazine ads to other visual communications, it’s important to produce messages that inform, messages that generate response, messages that people remember.

 • Rack cards are a convenient, versatile and affordable healthcare marketing tool that patients or hospital visitors can grab quickly to take with them. Rack cards can be placed just about anywhere in your hospital. They can provide information such as doctor bios, basic facts about a medical procedure, features of a new type of technology and equipment, or frequently asked questions for patients.

 • Patient reminder systems are very beneficial for your patients and your hospital. Patient reminders can be as simple as a postcard, phone call, email or a text message. You can get software to streamline this process and ease the burden on your staff from doing it manually.

About image.works Since 1995, image.works’ innovative marketing materials have been helping financial institutions and healthcare organizations across the country build their brand and enhance their success. With products ranging from newsletters and annual reports to direct mail pieces, brochures and more, image.works consistently produces big-time results while providing all the personal attention of a small company. Experience the image.works difference today by calling 800.777.1663 or exploring www.imageworksdirect.com.