What drives people into your medical practice? Into your hospital? A traditional response might say it is how well known our service is or our brand reputation. Yes, that is correct but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Your brand is your promise to your patients. It is as valuable as your ability to deliver on that promise.
But how does that promise begin? Certainly the service you provide is the number one element in brand development and in defining your reputation. Historically, this brand was promoted by advertising. A new doctor comes to town and up goes the newspaper ad with his/her announcement along with the yellow pages ad.
The new family who has just moved to town isn’t going to go to that new doctor because they see the advertisement. While it might help keep the name in the forefront of the mind, there usually is more to it when someone is seeking a health care provider.
Lee Aase, manager of Syndication and Social Media for Mayo Clinic recently presented a talk on marketing and social media elements. In his presentation, he provided the following list as the top sources of influence for patients choosing to use the Mayo Clinic.
- Word-of-mouth 84
- Stories in media 57
- MD recommendation 44
- Advertising 27
- Internet/website 26
- Personal experience 24
- Mailings to home 18
Sources of Influence at the Mayo Clinic – the higher the number, the more often considered the most significant source of influence in helping a person select the Mayo Clinic.
Again, this information doesn’t mean advertising is not useful but it does show that word-of-mouth and compelling patient stories will influence that new family faster and with greater impact than what your website says or that advertisement in the newspaper. Think about it!
