Mar. 1, 2010 at 4:19pm

To engage, or not engage – is that really the question?

Posted by Guest Blogger in Care Line Marketing, Community Relations, Planning and Strategy
No comments

©iStockphoto.com/webphotographeer
 

(Debra Carnes is a senior advisor at JayRay Ads & PR)

If hospitals are still determining whether to play in the social media sandbox, my suggestion would be to get your bucket and shovel, and join in.

Dec. 15, 2009 at 9:55am

What will people find when they search for you on Google maps?

Five reasons to update your Google Local Business Listing

Posted by Kacie McKinney in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Measurement
No comments

©iStockphoto.com/geopaul
 

Chances are that you are already listed on Google Maps. But you may not know that you have the opportunity to add more to your listing (and it’s free!).

Jan. 21, 2009 at 8:34am

Electronic conversion or confusion?

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Care Line Marketing, Community Relations, Internal Communications, Publications
No comments

Think it’s time to ditch your paper newsletter for an electronic version? We’re hearing that more and more. We’re also hearing that sometimes losing the paper is a mistake. Here are some of the arguments for and against electronic newsletters:

Dec. 31, 2008 at 9:13am

Lessons from Oprah and Middle Sister Rebel Red

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Special Events
No comments

It’s no secret that I like red wine. But my husband would tell you I enjoy selecting a great wine bottle label as much as I enjoy sipping the contents. Read more

Sep. 22, 2008 at 8:46am

Are we overlooking families?

Posted by Guest Blogger in Care Line Marketing, Practice Management
No comments

Until recently, I didn’t know that what I’ve been doing had a name: patient advocate. In the last few years, I have spent lots of time accompanying my family to hospitals, doctors’ offices and testing facilities. The providers are patient-focused, as they should be.

But are hospitals and clinics overlooking the importance of family and friends who accompany the patients? We are emotionally engaged with the patient. We watch intently as care is administered. We listen as employees talk to each other and our loved ones. We get lost in the hallways and sometimes don’t understand a test, procedure or treatment process.

Sep. 5, 2008 at 8:50am

Make your claim matter

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Planning and Strategy
Comments (1)

So what?

That was my initial response to a health care ad I glanced at this morning that claimed, “ … we have some of the fastest ER times in the state.”

Aug. 8, 2008 at 11:06am

Safety, experience lure boomers

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Planning and Strategy
No comments

Consumers become more risk averse as they age, observes Peter Francese in Ad Age July 7, 2008. Francese is founder of American Demographics magazine and demographic trend analyst at Ogilvy Mather. So, we should appeal to aging boomers with messages of safety, experience and service guarantees.

And we should do it carefully, especially among the boomers I know – and you probably do, too – who seem to get more pig-headed with age. “Resolutely opinionated consumers don’t want to admit their minds are closed, and they resent it when anyone suggests they are not willing to consider a new idea,” Francese writes.

May. 28, 2008 at 2:17pm

Orthopedics, pediatrics, semantics - Oh my!

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Care Line Marketing
Comments (1)

“Don’t overestimate the intelligence of your audience” may be sage advice. Yet overestimating their knowledge can be foolhardy or downright dangerous. The last 18 hours presented two telling examples:

Last night my husband and I caught a TV commercial that started with a grandfather playing with his grandson. It also had images of fancy technology and caring providers. The voiceover mentioned orthopedic services several times.

Apr. 29, 2008 at 2:22pm

Service made easy

Posted by Shari Campbell in Care Line Marketing, Internal Communications, Planning and Strategy
No comments

Just over a week ago, my daughters and I watched my husband cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon. What an amazing event! More amazing still: the easy, simple ways we experienced stellar customer service on our vacation.

Here are a few examples:

Apr. 11, 2008 at 2:26pm

Dumb it down, please

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Practice Management
No comments

“I haven’t been in a Cath Lab since I was in medical school,” confessed a well-respected family practice physician during a recent dinner meeting.

Always curious, I was quizzing her about what newsletters she reads, what she knows about sophisticated medical procedures and how she makes decisions about where to refer patients.

It was an eye-opening discussion.

Feb. 15, 2008 at 2:33pm

Coffee and a colonoscopy

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Planning and Strategy
No comments

Last week’s episode of “Dance War: Bruno versus Carrie Ann” provided surprising inspiration for one of the key elements of branding: differentiation.

For those of you who missed the show, country sensation Taylor Swift made a guest appearance and offered advice to the dance teams. ”When I was 11-years-old,“ the now 18-year-old recalled, “I knocked on the door of dozens of record companies. Now I don’t know if I’d advise you to do that, but I learned one thing from that experience: figure out how you’re different and stick to it.”

Jan. 31, 2008 at 2:38pm

Made to stick

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Planning and Strategy
No comments

Sorting through a week’s worth of mail from my post office box got me thinking about this week’s blog post.

Consider all the junk mail you get. If you’re like me, you quickly locate the bills and the rest is dumped into recycle. But early this morning, well before the first few ounces of caffeine had reached my brain, a random piece of mail caught my attention. In red type, the envelope screamed:

Dec. 27, 2007 at 2:44pm

Story training

Posted by Shari Campbell in Care Line Marketing, Media Relations
No comments

Your clinic gets a new MRI. An occupational therapist garners a special certification. A physician calls you with exciting news that your hospital will be the first and only facility in the state to perform robotic surgery.

What’s news? And what’s not?