I have been around health care organizations long enough to have witnessed more than a few transformations. I am not talking about clinical care, either. Early in my health care career, many hospitals had public relations departments, development offices, even planning functions but very few had marketing or business development departments. Those roles were defined by those of us who broke into that new territory. We were often quiet about saying the word, “marketing” for fear it would be too off putting preferring the less offensive “outreach” to imply our intent.
Time moved forward and the focus of marketing became PROMOTION. Hospitals and provider organizations worked to promote their organizations by advertising and more advertising. Websites developed that were static vehicles for messaging – they were not interactive and only a few organizations developed a community within their on-line presence.
Today we have many choices to promote the work we do. A thoughtful marketing plan will integrate varied tools to disseminate the message. Recently I heard David Plouffe, chief campaign manager for President Obama’s presidential campaign discuss the success of their endeavors. He said the campaign cared deeply about their message but were more relaxed about the vehicle in which it was conveyed. They allowed innovation to take place in the delivery of that message. Whether it was Twitter, blogging, YouTube, email, texting, door to door contact or phone calling, they employed whatever vehicle had people on the receiving end.
They didn’t stop with innovative tools. They measured everything so they could see what was working and where. While they cared about their message, they did not try to script anyone. They determined that an individual’s “authentic” voice carried them more meaningfully. They supported vibrant innovation, tried new things and were open minded about how the message got out. They were swift to act if the message somehow became altered.
How can we apply the success of this political campaign to our organizations? Here are five tenants to consider for your own marketing-communications endeavors:
1. develop your message for your audience and stick to it
2. don’t be afraid to try new vehicles but don’t have an either/or approach. It is okay to use a variety of tools
3. measure everything you do so you can see what works and build upon your successes
4. keep it real – tell stories about real people or have them tell their own stories in their own natural voices
5. monitor the market and if something is being said about your organization that is not right, act swiftly to clear confusion and error.
Tags: health care marketing communications, hospital marketing, promotion, tactics
