Turning Stigma into Success
March 26, 2018
Bureaucracy. Managing expectations. Budget. There are some healthcare marketing topics that are just easier to sweep under the rug — but, sometimes, it’s the tough conversations that yield the greatest results. In our latest episode of The 19: Healthcare, Orange Label CEO Wes Phillips and Account Supervisor Michelle Torr shed light on these issues-that-shall-not-be-named and explain best practices for turning stigma into success.
This is The 19. In 19 minutes or less, game-changing insights in healthcare from Orange Label, the leading response marketing agency for established brands that are driven by a fearless entrepreneurial mindset.
Hi, this is Michelle Torr, Account Supervisor at Orange Label, and I’m here with our CEO Wes Phillips to have a conversation about the tough conversations your healthcare brand is probably avoiding right at this very second.
Okay, now before you jump to conclusions or switch over to another podcast, let me explain. Wes and I have been doing healthcare response marketing for a while now. We’ve helped healthcare brands fulfill all kinds of marketing needs. Whether it’s a brand refresh, promoting a new service line or implementing a full-on integrated marketing strategy. And over the years, we’ve noticed something. Or rather, a lack of something. We realize that there are just some topics healthcare brands do not want to address. The elephant in the emergency room, if you will. And when these issues are swept under the rug, it creates a ripple effect that slows down approval processes, it stifles creative, and makes its response marketing goals that much more difficult to achieve.
So today, we’re having an open conversation to shed light on these issues, and turn stigma into success. If you finish this podcast with a little more confidence and insight into response marketing, then we’ll consider it a job well done. And with that, let’s jump into it.
Michelle: Our first topic is bureaucracy. And Wes, you’re here with me. What do you think about that?
Wes: It’s always a challenge when it comes to bureaucracy. We find that many people actually buy into the fact that there’s gonna be levels of approval, and just many people that have to get involved. And what we’ve noticed over the years is that it does slow momentum if you buy into the fact that you have to follow all of the systems and all of the steps. Go through all the layers of approval. What we find is that what happens is there’s misalignment that comes out immediately. So, with bureaucracy, it’s important to recognize that it’s there, it’s important that it has to be managed. And almost anyone can manage it if they recognize that there’s actually an opportunity. And the opportunity is to disrupt the status quo, and create alignment by identifying the most important person within the organization that has to buy in. If that person is identified, and then they are enrolled into the process, their power within the organization can add velocity to everything. Decision making, approvals, budget – it all can happen faster if someone is willing to take on bureaucracy, which is: find the most important person. Is it the CEO? Is it the VP of marketing? Is it a certain group of physicians? It’s usually an individual, and once they’re identified, involve them. Then all the layers will fall in line.
Michelle: One of the words you just used was “enrollment.” I think that’s a good word here, because usually in a bureaucratic type of a process or system, everybody’s kind of up to their own thing and a lot of the times it’s making themselves look better. When people are enrolled in something bigger than themselves, it’s about achieving that big outcome. When people can really buy into that at a bigger level, that’s when response marketing can achieve its goals and objectives. And disrupting the status quo, that’s what you said too. That’s what you really have to do.
Wes: So, with bureaucracy, they’re systems, but when it comes to communications, when it comes to marketing, when it comes to getting response, it requires that there be a focused message, and it requires that the key people are involved up front. There’s also another group that sometimes has to be involved, and I know you’ve had a lot of experience with this, and that’s the role of the physicians when it comes to marketing messages and response marketing. What’s your insight into that?
Michelle: So I’ve seen physicians, and their role in marketing, be taken on in two totally different extremes. In one, they’re ignored. Because physicians have opinions. And they have strong opinions a lot of the time, and sometimes people in administration or marketing, they don’t want to hear them. Just for the sake that they can slow down the process and add another voice into the room. On the complete other end of the spectrum, I’ve seen marketing occur solely as a reason or added value, something to put into a contract, to get a physician to sign on. And in that instant, that role of the marketing campaign isn’t necessary to generate new patients. I mean it is, but at the end of the day, it’s just there to make that doctor happy. And in my experience, somewhere in the middle of that is the right place to be.
Wes: So, what do you recommend? What approach works best if the real goal is to create marketing messages that produce the desired result as it relates to the role of the physician?
Michelle: The physician, in reality, is huge. Because in a response marketing campaign in a healthcare setting, the physicians have the ability to bring in patients way faster. Because there’s the issue of insurance and timing, and all other things that go into a major healthcare decision. But physicians have the power to bring in a patient today. And a happy doctor, who has bought into the hospital healthcare system, who feels connected to the campaign and the message, they’re more likely to bring more patients in to talk about that campaign and the message with their patients, and bring more awareness into the community. So from that standpoint, having them involved up front again. And this I’m talking about your existing physicians really. Having them up front in that bureaucratic process we just talked about, having them connected to what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, and allowing their voice to be heard in the creative process and the appropriate setting, that can produce real results.
Wes: And I guess a final thing that I’ve experienced on this with physicians is that they’re busy. They’re difficult to pin down. They are so difficult to schedule. I have found that when they’re part of the process, they actually go out of their way to make themselves available, they will adjust things around even when there’s an emergency. They stay in communication. And instead of things having to be postponed, which can be costly, they will show up, they will participate, and they’re energetic, and they actually contribute to the creative process. I find that when they’re involved up front, it just makes things happen faster, and it also makes people in the C suite happier, when the physicians are happy.
Michelle: It does. And there are things like regulations, stark policies, things like that, that do prevent physicians from being involved in a certain way, so we totally get that, and we realize that, but whether it’s their voice being heard up front or being featured in something, I think Wes makes an awesome point. Their availability is probably the hardest part of this, and so getting them excited keeps them involved.
Wes: So in looking at the next step in the process, we’ve got bureaucracy, we’ve got the physicians, then there’s the expectations that everybody has. So Michelle, when you work with all these individuals, and they get excited, and they’re involved, and they’re actually making things happen, they have expectations. How have you seen managing those expectations become important? Or what are the techniques that can be used to manage expectations?
Michelle: That first step, that buy-in up front, that bureaucratic breakthrough where everyone’s talking together as a team, that’s really the first step. Getting everyone on the same page about what it is that we’re intending to produce. Not just in a very vague, global setting, but really when it comes down to specifics. Are there a specific number of surgeries that need to be performed for some type of ROI? Is it bigger picture where you want to be the health system of choice for specific or multiple service lines? Again, that’s pretty vague, but putting as many parameters around is as you can, and then the big part, making that objective realistic, based on the time, budget, and the presence in the market that you’ve had to date.
Wes: What I have found over the years in my experience working with the C suite, and particularly in the world of healthcare, is that there is a reality of controlling budget. Controlling expenses. What happens though, is individuals in key decision making positions want to avoid overspending. And that’s completely appropriate. Because if you overspend, that can create other pressures that are just too difficult to deal with. On the other hand, underspending actually produces the same type of problem. Because you’ve taken resources, but not enough of them. And the resources don’t achieve what they’re intended to achieve because they were underestimated. So the key thing to remember is that you can overspend, but you can also underspend. And work with the outside resources or with your internal marketing department, to determine what is the amount of money that should be spent to achieve the results. Some people within the organization actually believe that if we just get the message out there, people are gonna respond. And I have found that that’s unrealistic. But what have you seen happen in marketplaces or in certain situations?
Michelle: The only time where immediate response is realistic is when you’re talking about something like a specific clinic, a workshop, an event. And in that case, direct response marketing actually has a role. Really, when we’re talking about healthcare response marketing, it’s so much bigger. You know the credibility of a healthcare organization, how they’re viewed and how they’re accessed, it’s complex. It takes time, and it takes so many things behind the scenes for someone to show up and receive care from a facility. So the weight, the significance of what we’re asking people to do, that’s the weight and significance that needs to go into the response marketing strategy. And I said budget and I’ll say budget again. Because that competition standpoint, especially if you’re in a market like Southern California, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, you name it, you’re competing with people who have been spending big bucks for a long time, and so as you enter for the first time, or if you’re re-entering with a brand new look and feel, that too takes some time to get noticed. So setting some longterm goals, having check-ins on a monthly basis but looking three, six, nine, twelve, really eighteen to thirty-six months out, that’s the type of time frame we’re really looking at to make a difference.
Wes: What I’ve found is that it’s important that people understand if this is at the front end of campaigns, managing the expectations on the results in the short-term, mid-term, long-term, is extremely important. And also, here’s the reality. Healthcare changes all the time. Therefore, with the messaging, there has to be immediate adjustment of messaging in some cases. But the reality for ongoing results – the long term is what has to be kept in mind from our perspective. It’s where we’ve seen the best results. And when that’s fully expressed and there’s a robust strategy, that actually goes back to disrupting the status quo. It helps with maneuvering through the bureaucracy, it helps with relationships with physicians, and it helps with the impact that the campaign will have in a local marketplace. And if someone thinks that if we build it they will come, that works in movies. But in real life, it actually works differently. There’s a commitment that’s important. And it’s that commitment that has to be factored into the expectations. When that is there, it seems to create momentum and really that’s an important thing for a marketing department to achieve.
Michelle: Yeah, the other part I’d say is word of mouth is the best possible marketing. When someone asks for a referral from a friend or family member about a physician or a facility, that person’s recommendation will be stronger than any other. And to have that type of word of mouth occur, the experience in the facility has to reflect what people see in the marketing. There has to be a connection between the real world experience and the message and the look and the feel that people are responding to. When they’re disjointed and promises aren’t fulfilled, that stays with people in a really strong way. Whether it’s the paint on your walls, and the tile on your floor, the way your nurses and physicians treat your staff, the type of follow-up you have. Whether its phone or email communication, and all of those steps. Those also play a very significant role in the immediate response and the long-term response too.
Wes: We’ve talked quite a bit about how to create momentum in our conversation as it relates to response marketing, and how we can maneuver through the bureaucracy and the different constituencies making everyone happy and then managing expectations. But there’s one area, maybe this is the fourth and final area we can touch on, and that has to do with the digital footprint. So in the past there was a lot of traditional media, and in the past there were these different campaigns, but now there is an additional way to impact the community that has to do with the digital footprint. What have you seen either get missed or taken advantage of that’s made a difference in a positive way for healthcare systems?
Michelle: When people see digital as not just as a have to have, but a strategic and powerful communications, customer service and patient experience tool, digital can have a profound effect on a healthcare system result in the short and long term. And what I mean by footprint isn’t just a website. It’s absolutely a website. A website is so important for a healthcare facility. It basically is a healthcare facility. It just happens to sit online. So in reality, when people are making healthcare decisions, they’re not physically driving in there car and walking somewhere, they’re going online, and they’re Googling, they’re looking at websites and online materials. So when you’re navigating that process, just be aware that it’s occurring online whether you do something about it or not. If you choose to take on that digital footprint, the opportunity that you have is to guide an individual through their healthcare decision making without them even realizing it. It’s also, though, social media presence. It’s where you show up in the search engines when someone searches for orthopedic surgeons in a specific location. It’s the way banner ads operate. It’s the way that you email and communicate with your customers, whether it’s ongoing newsletters or direct communication. All of those pieces come together, and they’re the virtual representation of how healthcare systems function face to face. When people view it as equal to that face to face component, really incredible things can happen.
Wes: The digital footprint, to me, is important. It’s integrated in, and it works great. When it’s added on, and it’s tacked on, it seems to not produce the way everyone intends it to produce. So if we recognize that the elephant in the emergency room, the digital footprint can be underestimated, underappreciated, or not integrated, it’s an important conversation. And it can be challenging, but the challenge is actually for the people that are in the marketing department. Because candidly, some people that are upstream don’t fully appreciate the power that a digital footprint has. But also, they sometimes underappreciate the amount of time, energy, and resources that are required to make it happen. So, my recommendation, when I have the opportunity to be with the C Suite – you listen to that part of the marketing department, and make the time and resources and budget available to make it happen in a robust way.
Michelle: Yeah, and one of the missteps that I’ve seen several times is an assumption that, well our patients are primarily 55+, 65+, they’re an older generation, and they’re not on digital. And to an extent that’s true, what that misses when you only focus on that specific audience is at the very next layer, the adult children who are caring for their older parents. Beneath that, the up and coming millennial generation who has actually stepped into motherhood, who has stepped into having significant buying power, who is that next wave of patients who will be really significantly impacting the healthcare community, and there are healthcare systems who have taken really strong leadership in having that digital presence, not just in it being there, but being willing to interact with patients. You know, a lot of individuals in a certain age demographic, they don’t wanna make phone calls and they don’t wanna receive letters. They want to message a healthcare provider on Facebook and get a response immediately. And the healthcare systems that are seeing that and are being ahead of the game and taking advantage of that, that’s where that generation will choose to receive healthcare.
Wes: I agree with that. Of all the four areas we touched on, this area of digital footprint is just the most fascinating. What I have found is, that there is so much possibility, and there’s just so much confusion. When it’s embraced, and tackled, and taken on, it makes a huge positive difference.
Michelle: Yeah, for sure. I mean, this is the biggest elephant in the emergency room, and I think if people can bring that elephant to the light of day, they’ll see way greater response and way faster.
Wes: So Michelle, we’ve touched on four very important areas. Maybe unusual to the listener, because they were not tips or techniques, but important nevertheless. However, as you just take a look and sum everything up, what is the big takeaway from your point of view?
Michelle: For me, the big takeaway is to be fearless. These topics are big, and they’re scary, and that’s one of the reasons they’re often avoided. The obstacles that occur for each of these, they’re not small things to face. There’s a lot of big conversations. There’s a lot of resources. There’s budget in certain instances. But when someone’s willing to put the topic on the table, that’s really the first step. And for me, that’s the takeaway here.
Wes: In all these four areas, it requires somebody to take the lead and then act and speak in a way that involves the key people. So start as far up to the top as you can, and then when those individuals see what’s possible, they have the responsibility, but they also have the authority, and they can make things happen faster for everyone. And, more importantly, they are excited. And so the takeaway for me is, speak in a way that enrolls people in what’s possible, and just have the willingness to take the lead.
Thank you for listening to The 19: Healthcare – Turning Stigma into Success. If you have any additional thoughts on this topic, please share them with us. Visit our website,orangelabelmarketing.com, and contact us. Be sure to subscribe to The 19 on iTunes and Google Play. And if you like what you heard today, leave us a review. And be sure to tune in for our next episode of The 19: Healthcare, which will cover the do’s and don’ts of healthcare infographics.
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