Recently, I have been seeing a large amount of advertising directing individuals to come to a hospital or physicians office, clinic etc., at a specific date and time, usually at the physicians or clinicians convenience, for a health and wellness program.
That is so 1990s.
In this day and age, with internet savvy audiences and patients who are networked to the web, social media, information and such, it seems silly that most healthcare providers would continue to offer only one way for individuals to access health and wellness programs. If you're not using webinars, then you're not meeting your customers needs.
And it's pretty easy to do.
Using WebEx, Talk Ready, Go To Meeting for example, a 30-45 minute health and wellness seminar can be given on a day and tme more convenient for your audience. They can be recorded and archived on your web site for consumer play back at anytime of their choosing. You now begin to build up a library of self-generated health information that is branded to your organization, contains your key messages and promotes a specific service line or targeted capability.
Think about the possibilities for reaching out to employers this way as well. A webinar directed at Human Resource professionals in local companies.
For Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), a way to keep in constant contact with your members providing targeted health information.
For hospital physician relationships a way to hold a department meetings or offer CEU program that can be more convenient.
For the media and local press, a way to hold a press conference or announce a new service or technological application when they say their not coming on site.
The possibilities really are endless. Your imagination is your only limit here.
Okay, you can't do wellness screens this way, but it could be used to drive volume to the screens as a follow-up to the webinar.
Return on Marketing Investment
This strategy and tactic is designed to capture downstream volume and revenue. Let's face it, initially there is little return on a webinar. It's the post webinar relationship management and communication activities that bring the return. By capturing a webinars attendees information, you now have actionable data on which to design more effective marketing and communication programs. Mass marketing that is individualized. You can create a relationship that is more meaningful because it is based on their needs. You're building a customer database for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and loyalty programs.
So, its 2010 and change in healthcare is accelerating and will only continue to do so. Time to expand your arsenal of strategy, tactics, tools and techniques to build relationships, loyalty, volume and revenue.
You can continue the conversation with me on:
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/krivich0707
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mkrivich
Michael Krivich is a senior healthcare marketing executive and internationally followed healthcare marketing blogger read daily in over 20 countries around the world. A Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives as well as a Professional Certified Marketer, American Marketing Association, he can be reached at michael@themichaeljgroup.com or 815-293-1471 for hiring as your senior marketing executive , for interim assignments in all aspects of healthcare marketing whether it be strategic or tactical market planning, rebuilding and revitalizing your existing marketing operation, integration of sales and marketing teams, media relations or service line revitalizations. Huthwaite SPIN selling trained and a Miller Heiman Strategic Selling alumni, both highly respected and successful international sales training organizations , I can lead your organization though the challenge of integrating sales and marketing.
Showing posts with label Volume. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Volume. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Driving Volume and Revenue in a Recessionary or Slow Growth Economy
"It's the economy stupid", to quote a now famous phrase.
Revenue in hospitals, clinics and physician offices are down. Looming Medicare cuts. Slow pay or no pay from Medicaid programs across the country. Increased self-pays. Lowered insurance reimbursements.
As much as we like to believe otherwise, healthcare is not a discretionary purchase. And, there is little if any differentiation between medical providers. With so many individuals out of work, consumer confidence eroding and wage earners fearful of losing jobs, healthcare, whether doctors visits, medication purchases, or hospitalizations, are the last thing on peoples' minds.
What is a healthcare provider to do?
We all know the drill. Cut costs, lay-off staff, hiring freeze, decrease marketing. etc. All retrenchment strategies to "weather the storm." In most cases necessary steps. All fatal to the healthcare organization. When recovery ensues, which it will, you can't take advantage of new opportunities that present themselves because you are trying to recapture what you lost. Focusing your resources and efforts to make back the revenue and market share that you lost.
You can drive volume and revenue is a recessionary or slow growth economy. Here's how:
Step One: Recognize that healthcare is a purely a discretionary purchase. No one wants to get sick. No one plans to get sick. No one thinks about what health provider they will go to when they get sick.
In recessionary or slow growth economy here is the paradigm: ( I am not saying its right to do, but it is what people do.)
I get sick » self diagnose and try over the counter medications » doesn't work » consider retail clinic yes/no » call primary care physician yes/no » go to hospital ER.
Hospitals are last on the list, and individuals decisions in the economy are driven purely by price. What is going to cost me in co-pay or out of pocket if no insurance and what is the cheapest price?
Realize too that there is little if any differentiation among providers. You all look and feel the same. Market and "walk the talk" about value and price, not about image.
Step Two: Focus on physician and patient experience. Understand every touch point that a doctor or patient comes in contact with you from the first moment that they learn about your brand, to the medical services, to leaving is an opportunity to create a lasting positive impression and repeat business. Complete a patient experience map and a physician experience map. Find the issues and fix them now.
Step Three: Focus on the core. That's right, focus on your core services that pay the bills. No wild fancy flights of new services that are consumer or physician discretionary or elective in nature. People won't buy them in this economy. So don't waste the time and energy, except for planning for those new service lines when the economy turns around. But not now.
Create pricing and service specials for your existing outpatient lab services such as schedule, test and results in two days (STaR2).
Step Four: Crank up the media relations. Press releases, statements, white papers, outcomes studies, anything that puts you in a positive light and keep you in the media. Consider a steady stream of health and wellness tips etc. Drive people to your web site and don't forget to use social media efficiently and effectively. Patient and physician success stories are needed as well.
Step Five: Constantly measure and evaluate. Change on the fly. Don't stop. Be consistent in your brand messaging.
The opportunity is now.
Michael Krivich is Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives and a Professional Certified Marketer, American Marketing Association and can be reached at michael@themichaeljgroup.com or 815-293-1471 for consulting services in strategic marketing, media relations and interim marketing executive leadership assignments. Huthwaite SPIN selling trained and a Miller Heiman Strategic Selling alumni, both highly respected and successful international sales training organizations , I can lead your organization though the challenge of integrating sales and marketing.
Revenue in hospitals, clinics and physician offices are down. Looming Medicare cuts. Slow pay or no pay from Medicaid programs across the country. Increased self-pays. Lowered insurance reimbursements.
As much as we like to believe otherwise, healthcare is not a discretionary purchase. And, there is little if any differentiation between medical providers. With so many individuals out of work, consumer confidence eroding and wage earners fearful of losing jobs, healthcare, whether doctors visits, medication purchases, or hospitalizations, are the last thing on peoples' minds.
What is a healthcare provider to do?
We all know the drill. Cut costs, lay-off staff, hiring freeze, decrease marketing. etc. All retrenchment strategies to "weather the storm." In most cases necessary steps. All fatal to the healthcare organization. When recovery ensues, which it will, you can't take advantage of new opportunities that present themselves because you are trying to recapture what you lost. Focusing your resources and efforts to make back the revenue and market share that you lost.
You can drive volume and revenue is a recessionary or slow growth economy. Here's how:
Step One: Recognize that healthcare is a purely a discretionary purchase. No one wants to get sick. No one plans to get sick. No one thinks about what health provider they will go to when they get sick.
In recessionary or slow growth economy here is the paradigm: ( I am not saying its right to do, but it is what people do.)
I get sick » self diagnose and try over the counter medications » doesn't work » consider retail clinic yes/no » call primary care physician yes/no » go to hospital ER.
Hospitals are last on the list, and individuals decisions in the economy are driven purely by price. What is going to cost me in co-pay or out of pocket if no insurance and what is the cheapest price?
Realize too that there is little if any differentiation among providers. You all look and feel the same. Market and "walk the talk" about value and price, not about image.
Step Two: Focus on physician and patient experience. Understand every touch point that a doctor or patient comes in contact with you from the first moment that they learn about your brand, to the medical services, to leaving is an opportunity to create a lasting positive impression and repeat business. Complete a patient experience map and a physician experience map. Find the issues and fix them now.
Step Three: Focus on the core. That's right, focus on your core services that pay the bills. No wild fancy flights of new services that are consumer or physician discretionary or elective in nature. People won't buy them in this economy. So don't waste the time and energy, except for planning for those new service lines when the economy turns around. But not now.
Create pricing and service specials for your existing outpatient lab services such as schedule, test and results in two days (STaR2).
Step Four: Crank up the media relations. Press releases, statements, white papers, outcomes studies, anything that puts you in a positive light and keep you in the media. Consider a steady stream of health and wellness tips etc. Drive people to your web site and don't forget to use social media efficiently and effectively. Patient and physician success stories are needed as well.
Step Five: Constantly measure and evaluate. Change on the fly. Don't stop. Be consistent in your brand messaging.
The opportunity is now.
Michael Krivich is Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives and a Professional Certified Marketer, American Marketing Association and can be reached at michael@themichaeljgroup.com or 815-293-1471 for consulting services in strategic marketing, media relations and interim marketing executive leadership assignments. Huthwaite SPIN selling trained and a Miller Heiman Strategic Selling alumni, both highly respected and successful international sales training organizations , I can lead your organization though the challenge of integrating sales and marketing.
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