Why Healthcare Marketing Matters to Me
As a healthcare marketing professional, I am often asked what drives me—why I am passionate about healthcare marketing and why I think it is so important. The answer is simple: I care about my health and the future of our healthcare system, and I want to make a difference in people’s lives.
Like many healthcare consumers, I want access to information, products and providers that help me maintain my well-being—and I want it when I need it. Moreover, I want to know that if/when I have children someday, they will be able to find resources to meet their health and wellness needs. Healthcare marketing makes that possible.
Digital media, in particular, allows me to access health information and make healthcare decisions in real-time. As a millennial, I constantly search for data online. In fact, when I first moved to Kansas City and was looking for a new OB/GYN, I turned to the Internet. I narrowed my search based on my location and insurance carrier. From there, I was able to read reviews about local gynecologists and pick the one with the best online reputation, professional background and academic credentials. Fortunately, the provider I selected allowed me to schedule an appointment with a single click of my mouse—and I have been going there regularly ever since.
Aside from making it easier for consumers like me to access health information, healthcare marketing connects professional health service organizations, suppliers and medical manufacturers with customers and, ultimately, encourages people to choose their healthcare brands based on personal needs and preferences.
Take, for example, our award-winning 2014 campaign, Megan’s Journal, which we created to generate awareness that Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) offers comprehensive, multidisciplinary expertise for patients fighting cancer. The campaign showed cancer patients in Lawrence that they do not need to travel outside their community for the care they need, and it convinced people to choose LMH instead of out-migrating to other hospitals in nearby cities.
Similarly, as the digital partner for Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedics, we manage the practice’s social media presence (including production of online videos highlighting each physician’s area of expertise) and search engine marketing, and develop physician referral strategies to reach and resonate with target audiences. Through benefit-oriented key messages, we guide prospective patients to the appropriate specialists.
You see, for us, it’s not about the awards—it’s about connecting people to providers, products and information that empowers them to make more informed decisions about their health. That’s why I decided to pursue a career in healthcare marketing—and it’s why I work at Dobies Health Marketing. As healthcare marketing experts, we forge connections that help save and improve lives. We may not directly provide the services or products that make individuals healthy, but we show people how to get there, and that’s what healthcare marketing is all about.
