People are talking about your brand. They could be telling each other glowing stories about their experiences, or complaining about the substandard service that they received. Your audience is building a brand narrative, with or without you—so if you want to help shape the story arc, you must participate in the dialogue. Read more »

Our experience in healthcare marketing tells us that health audiences are generally open and willing to embrace conversations about heart care and joint care. Cancer services, however, is still a taboo topic, which means health audiences are more likely to close the door on the conversation before our advertising and other communications strategies can break through. In "Buyology" Martin Lindstrom, explains that "...emotions are the way in which Read more »

Consumer trend-spotters are noticing several behavior patterns influencing retail-sectors, and healthcare marketers should take note. These trends are bound to affect how consumers search for and use healthcare.1. Maturialism:Health audiences want frank and open conversations with brands about how they can get well and be well. Traditional branding efforts should evoke honest dialogue: more real life instead of make-believe. Health systems Read more »

Are you busy October 24th? We hope not! Stephen Moegling will be presenting a free webinar for the Virginia Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (VSHMPR).The webinar,  "Selling the Sizzle, Not the Seal: Effectively Promoting Quality Ratings", will focus on marketing quality awards and how to communicate their value to consumers. Attendees will learn how to choose the best rating service for them, how consumers respond to Read more »

In the next few months, the best and brightest of Franklin Street will be presenting advanced healthcare marketing trends and best practices at regional conferences.The Kentucky Society for Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing (KSHPRM) will host its Fall Educational Conference and Thoroughbred Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, November 13 in Louisville, KY.Stephen Moegling, Executive VP of Account Planning, will be presenting at the conference. Read more »

Curious about your healthcare brand's web strategy? You're in luck. Our own Stephen Moegling, Executive VP of Account Planning, recently wrote an article on the subject that is featured in this month's Healthcare Marketing Report.In the article, Stephen identifies some important points about developing web strategy:Make sure your web presence is part of a larger marketing campaign. Web sites that are created in a vacuum, separate from Read more »

In healthcare marketing, we have to balance the accuracy of clinical terms with the need to use language our health audiences – most of whom try to spend as little time in a hospital as possible – will understand. We also want to use words that evoke positive associations. The Council of Accountable Physician Practices(CAPP) conducted focus groups around the country to test commonly used language surrounding ACOs. Toyomi Igus, the Communications Read more »

It’s been a power-packed day and a half for healthcare planning and marketing “phanatics” at the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) conference in Philadelphia.Given the upcoming election, political satire group The Capitol Steps and former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer kicked things off, followed by roundtable discussions and on-point learning workshops.If you couldn’t make SHSMD 2012 (or all the concurrent Read more »

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are a hot topic these days. But chances are, you're quite busy and not in the mood to research them yourself. Well, you're in luck. We've put together a few answers to frequently asked questions about the newest healthcare model:Q: When I market an ACO, what am I marketing? A: An Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is a coordinated care program aimed at creating intangible and tangible benefits for participating Read more »