What sets Lyft apart from Uber? Home Depot from Lowe’s? What’s more, what sets your service line apart from your competitor across town? Both build on excellent patient care, both employ award-winning physicians, and both are nationally recognized. It’s a challenge most hospital marketers face.
Last week, we looked at how to get hospital administrators on board with service line marketing initiatives. This week, we’ll look at three specific approaches to promote your service lines.
1 - Create rich content.
Leverage national health initiatives such as Stroke Awareness Month in May or Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Jumping on a particular month’s health focus is a great way to start a healthy dialogue with potential patients. Consider publishing blog posts on that month’s topic, offering free classes and workshops, publishing videos of success stories, and providing risk assessments and risk calculators.
2 - Pump up your SEM.
Use paid search to extend and promote your content related to health observances. If one of your key service lines is bariatrics, launch a campaign leading up to New Year’s and run it throughout the month of January. That’s when millions of Americans commit to shedding pounds.
Make the most of organic search increases on topics like “women’s health” during Breast Cancer Awareness Month or “healthy heart diet” during Stroke Awareness Month. Take advantage of the buzz from these health month topics by generating long-tail keywords. Remember, consumers are looking for expert information on specific procedures that physicians at your hospital perform.
3 - Get social.
Both large and small service lines should be the “belles of the ball” on your hospital’s social media channels. Create hashtags for campaigns to use on Twitter and Instagram. Give physicians opportunities to answer questions and engage with followers on Facebook. Tie in retail-style pricing and bundling such as a Girls Day Out mammogram special or a heart-screening promotion for couples in February.
Need help making the most of your service line marketing budget? We’d love to help you meet your ultimate goals – more patients, higher bottom-line revenue and increased brand trust.