The Best Marketing Practice You’re Probably Doing Wrong

May 08, 2012 by Steve Smith

In the realm of best marketing practices in medical imaging, one may assume that the most successful enterprises are doing everything – or almost everything – right. “Successful,” though, is a relative term. Volume is no longer equated with profitability and even those facilities, whether an IDTF or a regional or national chain, with appropriate investments in marketing are finding that the going is getting tougher.

It is a wonder, then, why the simplest of marketing efforts still has not taken root in medical imaging the way it has in almost every other profession or industry.

The...

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What if Empowering Patients Increases Imaging Use?

April 13, 2012 by Lena Kauffman

Health policy experts understand that reducing waste and overutilization of health care is critical in making our health care system sustainable. They also understand that to do this ethically, patients must be part of the process.

Informed patients who can work together with their doctors to make smart decisions about their care and avoid costly tests and procedures that will not help them get better is the goal behind efforts like Choosing Wisely. However, as patients are empowered with more information about their health and the medical...

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Ready for Patients Who Shop Around?

April 06, 2012 by Steve Smith

Once upon a time, your patient went to his primary care physician and if medical imaging services were ordered, he went wherever the doctor’s office told him to go. Sometimes that meant driving extra miles or taking an appointment at inconvenient hours, all because that is what the doctor told him to do and the doctor knew best.

That was then, this is now: Welcome to websites and other technology that are helping your patient drive his own care – and perhaps even drive him away from you.

The technology, however, is just a tool....

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Is Hospital Customer Relationship Marketing a Threat?

March 05, 2012 by Steve Smith

You get the pitches everyday. Someone, somewhere, has determined that you are interested in knowing about hotels in Belize, or that the specific size of tire on your car is on sale at a franchise tire shop in your area. The offer even has your name on it.

In marketing, a finely-tuned attempt to attract a specific customer used to be called a “rifle” approach, as opposed to a “shotgun” method, in which a broad message is sent to a broad audience, many of whom are not ready to buy. Today, the rifle method is called “Customer...

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Want to Survive Hard Times? Learn from Morgan and McCracken

February 08, 2012 by Steve Smith

There is a tendency by those working in any profession, whether it is accounting, the law, or healthcare, to gather information from familiar sources. In medical imaging, we read the books, visit the websites and attend the conferences that are steeped in medical jargon and are created by people whose backgrounds qualify them to offer that particular information.

There’s nothing wrong with that, for ongoing education and continuous improvement should be part of our daily routine.

The challenge arises when we fail to recognize the sources outside of medical imaging that may have as...

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Marketing Analytics, Part 1: If You Can’t Measure It, It Didn’t Happen

June 14, 2011 by Christine Boehm Hawkins

My first exposure to comprehensive marketing analysis was in the mid ’90s when I worked in the marketing department for one of the country’s largest optical retail chains.  The head of our department had a phrase he would often say, “If you can’t measure it, it didn’t happen.”  The discipline to measure every marketing/advertising dollar spent is something I have carried with me throughout my career, even to small or early...

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The Ah-Ha Moment: There Are Six, and Only Six, Ways to Market Your Imaging Center

April 19, 2011 by Lonnie Hirsch

Marketing and advertising for a radiology practice or imaging center can appear to be complex, confusing and daunting. We’ve met physicians and imaging industry executives who lose business opportunities because they hold back on their marketing potential.  But we also see clients relax with an understanding that the road to marketing success is grounded in only six fundamental building blocks.

We think of it as an “ah-ha moment.” It’s that highly gratifying instant...

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Seven Key Reasons to Harness Video Power Now, Ahead of Your Imaging Competition

April 05, 2011 by Lonnie Hirsch

Many, if not most, of the top imaging business websites fall short on their revenue building potential—far short. And they waste precious marketing resources in the process.

In our survey of the websites of the 60 top imaging centers and radiology practices in the US, Healthcare Success Senior Consultant Steve Smith reports good news and bad news from a marketing perspective.

We could rate only a couple of these websites as “excellent” and a...

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The Image of Imaging: Creating a Powerful, Distinguishing Brand

March 14, 2011 by Lonnie Hirsch

The good news is that, in health care marketing, there is no need to be a commodity. The bad news is that imaging centers and radiology practices are doomed to remain invisible if they don’t differentiate. Without a meaningful message of difference and distinction, referring physicians, self-referred patients and the general public will see you as a commodity. You’re “vanilla,” if they see you at all.

Over the years we’ve spoken to thousands...

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Training: The Portal Success Insurance Policy

March 07, 2011 by Christine Boehm Hawkins

The third of a three-part post on ensuring a smooth transition for your referring clinician customer base to a new radiology portal.

When it’s time to train your referring clinicians and their staff on your new portal you have several options. You have to think about the right method based on your clinician. You could do a training session on site, or over the phone, or an online meeting. You could develop a short...

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