Nicholas Copernicus suggested the revolutionary idea that the Earth circled the sun in 1543. His contemporaries quickly rejected the theory. It took 57 more years for scientists to begin to seriously consider the heliocentric view. What changed during that time?
Data.
Galileo’s innovative telescope made it possible to prove Copernicus’ theory in 1610. Through careful observation, he was able to offer scientific evidence to support the theory that today we accept as indisputable fact.
Getting hospital boards to adopt marketing changes at a quicker pace
Hospital personnel are motivated by faith in science and facts. They understand that changes within a system as complex as American healthcare must be undertaken with forethought and with a strategic plan in place.
Yes. Even changes in marketing.
Every penny counts in a hospital’s budget. When marketing is undertaken haphazardly with no guidance from data, money is wasted. That leaves a bad taste in the mouths of board members and consumers because it pulls funding from the hospital’s primary mission: improving the health conditions of Americans.
The problem with conventional marketing wisdom
For hospital marketers seeking to gain consensus from their board, it’s critical to think like a scientist. We need to harness technologies that enable accurate audience analysis. We need to offer data that empowers hospital board members to embrace change and invest in it.
When a patient comes to a hospital presenting certain symptoms, her doctor or nurse may be fairly confident in making an initial diagnosis based solely on education, experiences, and conventional wisdom. As a general rule, however, they follow that diagnosis with a series of tests. The data from those tests offers more concrete, confident guidance for the patient’s treatment.
By comparison, hospital marketers may have an idea about a target audience that’s based on common sense. For example, we might assume that a campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer should target men.
Data shows otherwise.
A 1996 study conducted by the UC-San Diego school of Medicine found men were 2.7 times more likely to be influenced by a woman to seek medical care than the other way around. If a hospital marketer wanted to make the most of the campaign’s budget, she’ll use that data to target the actual decision-makers rather than the perceived decision-makers.
Using data analytics to gain hospital board consensus on marketing campaigns
When we want to convince a hospital board that a marketing campaign has been/is/will be effective, we need to give them data that proves it. We need to show the board members the audience analytics that allow us to make informed targeting decisions. We need to demonstrate the patterns and trends that support our advertising strategies.
It doesn’t take half a century for conventions to change anymore. They’re changing daily, and healthcare advertising has to change with it. That sort of agility requires constant, accurate advertising analytics.
Fortunately, we don’t have to wait around for someone to invent a tool to help us make smarter marketing decisions. At Morgan & Co., our data-driven advertising campaigns already rely on the latest in cutting-edge audience analytics. Our twenty year track record of executing insightful, successful media strategy for health care systems, hospitals and other wellness organizations is based on more than speculation and conventional marketing wisdom.
It’s based on data.
How are you using data analytics to build buy in with your hospital board?
