Community Interaction: Marketing That Works by Tracy Senat

When you think of “marketing,” you may think of newspaper advertising or a brochure. You may not realize that some of the most effective marketing you can do happens at places like your annual blood pressure screening or even your local walk-a-thon.

Marketing a health care facility is quite different from marketing a widget for sale. Hospitals offer an intimately personal service. People choose their provider based on their perception of the quality of care they will receive.

However, people don’t use the hospital every day or every month or even every year. Their perceptions often come from people they are in contact with on a regular basis, who also may not be familiar with your hospital or who had a bad experience 20 years ago and never forgot it.
This is why hospitals must interact with residents in their communities on a regular basis. Community residents need up-to-date information not only about health care, but about their local hospital, the services provided there, and (perhaps most importantly) who is providing those services. People need to trust those who might stick them with a needle, give them medication or collect confidential information.

Don’t be misled into thinking an ad or brochure can accomplish this. The essential ingredient is regular face-to-face communication between members of the community and people who work at the hospital. Residents develop trust (and become patients) through positive experiences with those who will be providing their care.

The best way to ensure your hospital is providing these opportunities on a regular basis is to develop a “community interaction plan.”

These plans are not difficult to create and probably include things you are already doing. The plan simply provides organization and direction to your efforts and shows you where your interaction “gaps” might be. The goal is to create as many “interaction opportunities” with residents as you can, given your staff and resources.

Your plan could include any of the following:
• community health fairs and/or screenings,
• sponsorships of community events, preferably those that provide for personal interaction (not just a check and a logo),
• community educational sessions, both at the hospital and at other locations, and
• community ‘speakers bureau’ (this includes speaking engagements for the CEO, as well as other staff members).

You should use these in tandem with any marketing plans you are currently implementing. For example, if you are marketing home health, be sure to include a home health topic in your educational offerings or in your speaking engagements.
Who should be used from your staff? As many people as possible! Many of your staff members are well trained in their areas and have knowledge that many people need. It gives them a professional development opportunity and a chance to participate in educating the community not only on a clinical topic but also about the hospital. Be prepared to offer speaker training if needed.
In addition, include your physicians in these plans. Educational sessions sponsored by the hospital can be great marketing tools for their practices. And don’t forget your allied health staff and non-clinical staff. Many of these staff members have specialized knowledge that residents need and would find interesting.

Here are a few additional tips as you consider your plan:
1) Don’t do so many things that your people get burned out. Set a reasonable goal and spread the fun around to different people.
2) Use only those people who want to volunteer. Your event will backfire if it’s staffed by people who really don’t want to be there.
3) Offer incentives for those who participate, such as a free meal in the cafeteria or a free hospital T-shirt so volunteers will feel appreciated.
4) Spread your events throughout the year, or align them with events such as national awareness months.

At the end of each year, evaluate your plan based on the number of “positive interactions” you have created, and set a goal to increase that number each year. Using this plan, you will be more in control of community perception about your hospital by using those closest to the hospital to help market it.

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