Hospital Marketing Techniques to try out in 2021

Hospitals and healthcare are a hot topic right now, and for good reason. However, despite current trends, hospital marketing can take advantage of a few mainstays that have proven the test of time. Let’s go over a few things that patients want and need from a hospital stay.

Highlight Your Hospital’s Training and Technology

Today, people have a keen interest in the latest medical advances. Highlighting the fact that your hospital uses the latest advances in medical science is not only interesting, but it’s also reassuring.

For example, if your hospital offers non-invasive, nuclear medicine imaging, let them know. This low-cost option can detect disease at a very early stage. Early detection means more successful treatment.

Telehealth and telemedicine are hot trends right now; if your hospital offers these services, advertise them. Driving patients to telemedicine options not only saves the patient time and money but also relieves the workload of your hospital staff.

Also, let potential patients know that your doctors, nurses, and other medical staff are up-to-date on all of the latest trends in medicine. Your marketing could detail some of the in-house training provided to your staff.

Your advertisements could feature bios of your board-certified specialists; this brings a human face to your hospital care. Not only will this highlight the qualifications of your doctors, but also bring some personality to what your hospital has to offer.

Compassion is King

A hospital stay is nearly always a frightening thing, instilling a sense of apprehension in the patient. They want to be assured that their life is in good hands. Assuring potential patients that your hospital’s staff are not only well-trained but also kind and compassionate goes a long way.

Hospital marketing efforts should feature attractive, smiling faces, of both nurses and doctors. While current wisdom seems to imply that masked faces reassure patients of a safe environment, it can be alienating. Humans are hard-wired to respond positively to smiling faces, not to masks. Masks imply danger and disease, not health.

If any of your hospital staff have won awards, such as nurse of the year, feature them in your advertising. Also, be sure to acknowledge and award your outstanding staff members. This not only can be used in marketing but also bolsters staff morale. A happy hospital workforce is naturally more inclined to show kindness and compassion.

The element of sincere, genuine compassion cannot be overstated when it comes to healthcare. Foster compassion and kindness in your hospital’s environment.

Network with Local Magazines and Review Sites

People often rely on their friends and family to suggest a good hospital. They also will look at online review sites and local magazine sites.

For example, if your hospital is in or around Chicago, you could have your marketing department submit an article to a site like Cool Things Chicago. Local news magazines are a particularly good outlet for “human interest” stories, such as when any of your hospital staff receive an award. These articles not only put an objective, positive spin on your hospital staff and operations, they also provide valuable backlinks.

National healthcare magazines, like Health Care Weekly, should also be notified of your hospital’s newsworthy events. National news outlets are especially appropriate when it comes to trends in technology and innovation. Also, if your hospital has participated in a ground-breaking study, it deserves national and international attention.

So, whenever something positive and newsworthy happens at your hospital, make sure to get a press release out to the media.

Online review sites like Yelp can be more challenging. The best way to get good reviews on sites like this is to provide an excellent patient experience. And don’t forget to treat your patient’s friends and family with kindness and compassion too. If they feel their concerns have been rejected in any way, they’ll post their experience online for all to see.

Think Like a Patient

All too often, the focus is on hospitals, related industries, and government agencies, not on the patient. If you want your hospital marketing to be successful, it needs to appeal to real people, not industry insiders. Unfortunately, it’s easy for hospital executives to forget that they are in a service industry, not simply on the receiving end of government and insurance dollars.

In essence, successful hospital marketing boils down to providing good service from a staff of compassionate, qualified professionals. Having all of the latest equipment helps, but medicine is a people-oriented business. If you want your hospital marketing to be successful, never forget that.