Immediate Release

Childbirth 2.0: How does your hospital deliver?

Skype, Facebook, and Twitter are changing the way many people experience childbirth. Recently, a woman gave birth at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital and shared the experience via Skype, using her laptop computer on a bedside table. Her husband, an Army sergeant serving in Afghanistan, was able to be a part of the birth experience and see his newborn baby using this technology. Is your hospital using Skype in the delivery room?

Read more here.

Unleashing the power of marketing

Innovative marketers use unique marketplace insights to come up with products, services, or solutions based on untested ideas. Consumer-facing companies take that broad view of innovation, but it has been slow to develop at traditionally business-focused companies like General Electric. For the first time, GE is treating marketing as a critical function. GE’s story is relevant for marketing teams anywhere, because it shows how a team can challenge expectations and perceived limitations.

Read the full article from the Harvard Business Review.

Involve Physicians in Campaign Strategy

Health care marketers can't do their jobs without physicians. At many organizations, that means featuring physicians in video testimonials and in print ads that feature a cheery group of clinicians in brightly colored scrubs. But some hospitals are beginning to realize the value of involving service line directors and other doctors in the strategic marketing planning process.

Read more here.

Does your hospital have an e-scrapbook? Take a page from Orlando Health

You don’t have to limit your scrapbooking hobby to the craft store. Orlando Health recently launched an integrated communications campaign that contains an engaging, innovative e-scrapbook. Compiled much like a hardbound scrapbook, this colorfully branded piece contains photos, quotes, and personal notes. Read more to learn why this campaign has received a lot of positive feedback.

Read more here. 

Patient-Centric is More than Buzz

Why all of this focus on patient-centricity of late? First of all, health information seekers have increasingly high expectations of the Web. As a result, health care websites are evolving. No longer are patients satisfied with pages of static content.

Now they expect the ability to interact with providers and with other patients in personalized and meaningful ways. Second of all, health seekers are searching not only for information to manage their own health; the likelihood is that the site visitor is searching for information for aging parents, young children, or a spouse. So the site needs to be robust, easy to use, logically organized, relevant, and interactive. That’s a lot to ask!

Ben Dillon, Geonetric's vice president & eHealth evangelist, has published an article on the topic in the July/August issue of Spectrum, the newsletter from SHSMD. Ben will also be presenting Connecting with Patients on the Go at our Society's annual meeting in November.     

27 brilliant ideas from hospital marketing conferences

There’s nothing like coming home from a conference brimming with inspiration and ideas. But sometimes there are too many to keep track of. Fortunately, this blog lists the highlights from two big health care marketing conferences this summer. 

How consumers obtain information about hospitals (graph)

 

One part of the Pew Internet & American Life research project (in partnership with the California HealthCare Foundation) looked at how consumers obtain information about Hospitals and Medical Facilities.

3 Reasons to Market Your ED Wait Times

The trend of marketing ED wait times began years ago, but has recently increased momentum with the availability of customizable smartphone apps. Chances are if you aren't marketing your wait times already, you're planning to or at least thinking about it. But is it a worthwhile marketing tactic? Yes. Here are three reasons why.

10 Mobile Statistics Health Care Marketers Need to Know Now

As a health care marketer, you know about the increasing saturation of mobile technology, but your boss is still having e-mails printed and delivered by a secretary. So how do you convince this old dinosaur to allocate budget dollars to something his kids use to text rather than call their friends?

Read more here.

(And don't miss the session on mobile marketing at the 2010 annual meeting!)