Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Focus on messages that prove beyond doubt that the doctors and nurses (particularly the doctors) care enough to listen to their patients, that patients have treatments explained to them in terms that are easy to understand and that an extra effort is made by the medical staff to treat the whole person, not the condition or the disease.

Who clearly benefits from the new technology? Why? When?
If there's a strong component of prevention offered, then bring people to the hospital (and bring the hospital to them).
If there's a clearly more efficient process between arrival & checkout, then highlight that.
If it's clearly a better hospital (as measured by a 3rd party for performance, quality, and/or re-admissions), highlight that.
If there's a serious of stories of how the hospital has mattered in the community, share these.

Rather than just advertising look at events. A medical conference, seminar, workshop for referring doctors. Practical things like injury prevention and treatment for local sports clubs - if you're a private hospital you might consider wealthier sports like sailing or horse riding. Community involvement programs like music from local orchestra on the wards, or art competition for local children. Get some local political bigwigs involved in a debate about health care. Some charity or benevolent work to support deserving patients. Recruit some high profile consultant doctors. Invite the great and the good to sit on the hospital's board and ethical committee.

Who is your primary target audience, Sunil? If this is for prospective patients, how do they select a hospital? Don't they just ask the physician where he or she prefers to deliver the services? If so, then shouldn't the physicians be the primary target audience? What am I missing? Do you need separate campaigns for each audience?

Good morning, Sunil.

When you say "attracting good specialist-doctors and patients (individuals and empaneled corporates) that appreciates the quality treatment" - if you're going to have a top-class campaign, you need to find out what your hospital does best. Not all businesses are prepared to get specific on these kinds of things, only there's no harm in being the best. It'll mean that people will see them as providing quality.

The other side of this is who's looking and what do they need - and doctors and patients will have very different needs, so two campaigns are essential. Speaking to these needs in a way that demonstrates the qualities of your hospital will make for an extremely effective campaign. It does take courage to be seen as being different though - but boy, does it work!

Once you've honed your online campaigns is the time to find out what's effective and what's not - and where. This info is crucial to running an off-line campaign.

I wish you a tremendous 2014!