Marketing’s Role Amid COVID-19
- When COVID-19 first hit, the first thing we did was focus on the safety of our staff and community.
- All of our messaging both internal and external informed people of safety measures to take, the seriousness of the virus, etc.
- Once the cases started to go down the first time, we were one of the first areas to reopen.
- Our message changed to “it’s safe to come back to the hospital” and “Don’t delay your needed care.”
- We also pushed for virtual visits.
- Today, it’s a combination of the two messages as numbers have gone up again.
- The message is, “Be safe, but don’t delay your needed care.”
- Truly, it’s a lot of trial and error.
- We recognized that we would fail throughout this, but we must fail fast and keep moving forward.
- While the situation is horrible, these times have caused us to scrap everything and start new.
- This time has allowed us the opportunity to show leadership our effort’s connection to direct revenue.
- It’s a clean slate to test marketing efforts and show why marketing is important for not only times like this, but in all times.
- Hospital leaders are now turning to marketing to help fill volumes and revenue.
- This is our chance to show people what we can do.
Leveraging Data and Tools
- We’ve leveraged Salesforce capabilities like other leading brands in other industries I’ve worked in, which is not typical to a health system or hospital.
- We’ve created lead lists for physicians, implemented lead scoring, and leveraged email, in-person visits, and local executives across different campuses.
- We have a weekly survey that goes out to patients to get real-time and location-relevant patient sentiment about how the public feels about returning to the hospital.
- They use this data not only to adjust messaging, but to show their physicians so that they can be aware of how to approach each visit in a way that matches the consumer sentiment.
Proving Value
- The Piedmont marketing team has leaned into the idea and have proven we are a revenue-generating function, not a cost center or service partner.
- Now more than ever, if you aren’t showing that you drive volumes and revenue, you will only ever be viewed as a cost center.
- In all other places I’ve worked (i.e. Southwest), marketing is seen as revenue drivers.
- In hospitals and health systems, marketing typically looks like a cost center that spits out bio cards and newsletters.
- But in reality, that’s not why we exist. I’m showing our executives what marketing is doing to bring in money.
- It’s rewriting the story of our role. It should be tied to the numbers, not the bio cards (which we’ll still get done, but it’s not what we are known for).
Tying Efforts to Dollars
- Because COVID-19 caused a complete stop on all of our prior marketing efforts, we were given a blank slate to tie our efforts to dollars.
- We have nothing else out in the market. So when we send an email, and there’s a drastic jump in volume behavior, we can tie it straight to that.
- We’re in a unique time where we did nothing else that day other than that email, so we know it is what caused the jump in appointments.
- And if you can prove it multiple times, there’s less questioning beyond that and, therefore, more ability to do more without question moving forward.
- We also share data all the time — so leadership knows what works, but also what doesn’t work.
Maintaining Focus
- Right now, we have to be solely focused on things that bring in volume and revenue.
- We cut 170+ sponsorship deals due to COVID-19. But not one person complained about it. They understood.
- We have to be good stewards of our patient’s money.
