How Agile is the Hospital's Marketing Budget in 2021 for Meeting a Crisis?

 

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

If the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic taught us in 2020, hospital marketers need to be agile and pivot on a dime. How have you allocated the hospital marketing spend for 2021? Can the hospital quickly change tactical direction by moving dollars to where they are needed?  Can one change messaging quickly to leverage a new opportunity brought about by the unknown?

Now, I am not making light of a bad situation with the pandemic, as there is an opportunity to be leveraged. The leverage is not driving revenue, but as your community's source leader with credible, reliable information and care in combating the viral community spread. The influence is also being able to engage your patients on a meaningful level so that when the pandemic eventually comes under some measure of control, the patient would return to you because the hospital established trust.

Enter 2021

Much of the allocations assigned to the strategies and tactics in the marketing plan are based on the hospital's strategic, operational, and financial plan.  Be that as it may, the question now is have you evaluated how swiftly you can change messages and tactics to meet the unexpected?

An important question.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Healthcare has transformed lightyears from where it was at the beginning of 2020 in digital health, telemedicine, and distributive care delivery. That transformation will continue at breakneck speed, which will not slow down or stop anytime soon.  The resulting changes require the ability to be agile, changing marketing tactics and budget allocations to reach patients where they are, with the messaging they need, not where you want them to be.

Today's marketing by hospitals should focus on value, engagement, and experience to give patients, physicians, or the community a reason for selecting you.  A new messaging mindset and execution are needed and tactics that meet the need and reach the audiences.  In responding to the patient and community's needs, appropriate utilization, revenue, and growth will occur, even in a pandemic.  It is a pretty simple straight line to brand and revenue growth.

Now answer how the hospital or multi-hospital system builds trust after upheaval and adds value to someone's life? The hospital can't do that if the marketing allocation and spend follow the past practice.

Everyone's budgets are different, so here are some recommendations in the new age of digital and distributive hospital care for your direct marketing spend and the percentage of dollars. 

·         Social Media, content, influencer, and inbound marketing - 60 percent allocation: Content creation, social media, SEO, website, mobile, blogging, thought leadership, emails, experience, engagement. 

·        Public Relation/Media Relations- 15 percent allocation: Press relations print and electronic, speakers and events. 

·         Patient engagement and experience research allocation: 10 percent. 

·         Outbound interruption marketing- 5 percent allocation: Sponsorships, advertisements, direct mail. 

·         Marketing systems-   10 percent allocation: CRM, marketing automation, marketing analytics, ROI measurement

Image by Willi Heidelbach from Pixabay

The task is for hospital marketers to build agility into the marketing budget for unforeseen changes in the healthcare ecosystem and not be cut as an unnecessary expense during a transition or crisis. 

Michael is a healthcare business, marketing, communications strategist, and thought leader. As an internationally followed healthcare strategy blogger, his blog, Healthcare Marketing Matters, is read in 52 countries and is listed on the 100 Top Healthcare Marketing Blogs & Websites ranked at No. 3 on the list by Feedspot.com. Michael is a Life Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives. An influencer in healthcare marketing strategy, communications, digital marketing, and social media, Michael is in the top 10 percent of social media experts nationwide. For inquiries regarding strategic consulting engagements, you can email me at michael@themichaeljgroup.com. 

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The opinions expressed are my own.