We spend a lot of time talking about good branding and what it means in healthcare. But even the great branding efforts will fall flat if it’s not executed consistently across all media—including signage. After all, the best ad campaigns in the world won’t help you if people can’t find their way around. And since patient satisfaction and feedback also affects government reimbursement, good signage is more important than ever. Read more »

Our business is built on helping our clients get on TV and in the newspaper, but sometimes our agency makes headlines. Franklin Street was featured in a Richmond Times-Dispatch article about its rebranding efforts for HCA Virginia. HCA Virginia is the healthcare leader in Central Virginia. The rebranding helps health audiences to learn more about the hospitals that comprise the system, and why more people trust their heart care, cancer treatment, Read more »

Ah, the joys in branding large health systems.First, consensus building. Multiple hospitals, administrators, board members, physicians and service line directors with different interests and points of view. And, if you're branding a newly formed system of formerly competing hospitals, you have even more opportunities to show off your stellar diplomacy skills.Then there's the positioning. Stand-alone hospitals often elect to brand via service Read more »

Franklin Street, a strategic healthcare marketing firm located in Richmond, Virginia, announces its newest teammate, Arielle Blais, who  joins the firm's production department.Arielle is responsible for departmental workflow, communications with the firm's vendor partners, and overall ensuring on time, on budget campaign execution for Franklin Street's growing client base.Despite the down economy, Franklin Street has achieved double-digit Read more »

And we’re back! (Miss the first half? Check out our first post with Dr. Ryan.) Here’s your chance to get some insight from an MD with an eye for social media. Franklin Street’s Kenya Gibson poses a few more question for RVA’s own @RichmondDoc.KG: How do you see healthcare and social media evolving in the next five years?MR: One trend is that patients are consistently ahead of medical professionals on this.  Already we have some examples Read more »

At Franklin Street, we love social media. We also happen to love our hometown and headquarters, Richmond, Virginia.Add the two together and you get one of today’s #aficionados, Mark Ryan, MD.Dr. Ryan is the Assistant Clinical Professor at VCU’s Department of Family Medicine. Those outside of Richmond might know him from his digital prowess as @RichmondDoc on Twitter, his curatorial touch at Minutiae and Detritus on Tumblr, his social Read more »

The Virginia Society for Healthcare Marketing and PR (VSHMPR) held its spring conference in Richmond at the gorgeous Jefferson Hotel. Great sessions and people!

Some of our top takeaways:

Healthcare Reform

• Bob Holsworth kicked off with a talk on the politics behind healthcare reform and ACOs (Another great synopsis here.)
• Bob noted healthcare reform has been so politicized, the more often than not, party lines determine your opinions about whether it will be beneficial or not.
• His healthcare bill is about same as his mortgage. (Whoa!) but he's not alarmed. Bob believes in the costs associated with having access the highest quality care.

Read more »

March Madness has lived up to its name this year! Thankfully, the disappointment we felt when all of our brackets fell apart has been replaced by excitement for our hometown team - Virginia Commonwealth University. Plus, who doesn’t love a great underdog story? With about one-third of Franklin Street’s team being VCU alums (and the rest of us claiming to be Rams by association), the office has been glued to this year’s NCAA tournament. Read more »