In today’s digital world, everyone has a voice and everyone has an opinion.

While some of your social media followers may praise or thank you for the services you provide, there are always those consumers who will have something not so nice to say about you. For healthcare providers, poor reviews can be especially impactful, as 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

And in the health industry, those negative reviews can have a ripple effect. As a marketing and PR team there are a variety of actions you can take to help overcome these criticisms, even if they aren’t accurate.

1. Rise above it. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to change every person’s mind. Keep a positive attitude and resist the urge to argue.

2. Stay data focused. If you do decide to pursue a conversation, always be professional and stick with the facts. A fair and factual response will resonate with most others reading the review and comments.

3. Remain diplomatic. In most cases, the person making the comments is not talking about your organization as a whole but someone on your team. Remain neutral by taking the emotions out of the discussion. By following this diplomatic approach, you will hopefully shift their mindset – which in many circumstances can help rectify the situation.

For additional tips and best practices on how your healthcare facility or hospital should handle criticism on social media, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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Numerous studies over the years have proven that our brains are far more engaged not by facts but by storytelling.

Our brains love stories. In reality, we spend about a third of our lives daydreaming and the only times we stop dreaming are when good stories are in front of us. According to Onespot, 92 percent of U.S. consumers want ads that read like a story.

It’s time you give the public what they want. In the world of healthcare marketing, there’s an emphasis on facts and credentials to gain trust with consumers. What a lot of marketers miss is that telling an emotional story can be even more effective than traditional communications. In other words, a compelling story to the right audience can potentially turn prospects into real patients.

Why? Because it’s relatable. Everyone knows someone who was or currently is sick. While a health article with some bullet points may grab someone’s attention, actually hearing a real life success story will more likely reap results. Not only will you grab your audience’s attention, but also there’s now a good chance they will take action. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but in the near future.

It is important that storytelling in healthcare not just involve any story. It needs to be real. It needs to be dramatic and it needs to be motivating. Without these elements, your story may fall flat.

While the world of healthcare is obligated to provide factual data, there’s no reason why this data can’t be expanded upon and told within a story. Maybe it is a success story from a previous patient or a heart-warming video of charity and donations that lead to a new treatment.

Humans have a soft side to them. They just need them to be opened up. Stories can help do that.

For more information on storytelling marketing and how it can help make your healthcare facility successful, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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When looking for new patients, healthcare facilities are using a variety of marketing tactics such as an optimized website, blog, direct mail and social media.

While all of these avenues have the potential to get you new prospects, there’s only one way to find out if they’re working for you: data.

Clicks, views and other data can help put to rest any questions you have on your campaign’s effectiveness. Unfortunately, such data can quickly become overwhelming.

In order to help you make better marketing decisions, this data needs to be translated into something simple to understand for your organization. That’s why you need a data strategy.

If you don’t already have a data strategy in place, begin by gathering the right internal decision makers to formulate a plan. Capturing the right data is key, so you’ll need a solid objective before you get started.

Are you looking to lower your cost per acquisition? Maybe you are looking to increase the number of patients visiting your outpatient or urgent care centers? Objectives are key.

Many healthcare facilities have already shown huge success with this data-driven approach. Penn Medicine, for example, was able to cut cost per acquisitions by 46 percent. How? By applying digital findings into their marketing strategy.

Another example: Texas Health Physicians Group. Through data marketing, the organization was able to answer questions intelligently on how to best allocate its marketing budget across 250 clinics.

Data marketing in healthcare shouldn’t just be about generating reports and handing them to leadership. This data needs sufficient time to be looked through and analyzed. It is also important that data-driven marketers constantly test new products, programs and campaigns to validate and confirm assumptions. Remember, it is okay to try something new and then refine the strategy.

Healthcare is constantly evolving and changing. If you don’t adjust your marketing with the times, it can – and will – become stale and out-of-date. Data will help you adapt and evolve your organization’s marketing.

For more information on storytelling marketing and how it can help make your healthcare facility successful, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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In the world of healthcare marketing, sincerity and trust are essential. Sadly, when it comes to digital and social media, sometimes we respond so quickly that we neglect the specific written words used in our messages — and the effect they may have on our audience.

Without the intonations that can be heard during speech, a simple written message can come across very differently when communicated via email. Many of us have been guilty of writing emails containing trigger words that stretch the truth. While these words may look formal and sincere, they in fact can give an impression of insincerity.

So what are some of the trigger words to avoid when corresponding with a patient or potential patient via email? Here are some examples:

• Unfortunately is a negative term in all senses of the word. It means something undesirable is happening, such as “unfortunately, we don’t have an appointment available for you.” Instead, use phrases that provide a solution to the problem such as “here are the dates and times when we can see you.” This positive communication will prevent a patient from getting frustrated.

• This very popular signature line word has become meaningless. Are we really becoming sincere by the email we are sending? Yes, the email information you are sending may be important but — more than likely — it isn’t being sent with sincerity. Instead, use phrases such as “hope to hear from you soon” or simply “thank you”.

• The word “regret” is meant for a deep feeling of sadness. It’s a synonym for despondent. When people use the word “regrettably” in their correspondence, they are being dismissive. It’s much better to just get to the point and state the problem without including the qualifying word.

In many situations, the words we use don’t make a big difference. However, there will be times when they do. Being as transparent as possible can make a huge difference in how a patient will correspond and do business with you.

If you’d like to learn more about how Wax Custom Communications can assist you with your email marketing campaigns, call us at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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Should your call-to-action Make An Appointment button be on the top of your page or the bottom? Should it be positioned on the left side of the screen or the right side? In the world of marketing, testing can help determine best practices through hard data.

In the past, marketers and businesses focused solely on split testing, also known as A/B testing. Today, though, with the web and digital media, multivariate testing is available to analyze countless combinations of marketing tactics.

When launching a website or landing page, many businesses – including those in healthcare – are often hesitant about testing. They are set on their style and want to stick with it. They also don’t understand the difference between A/B and multivariate test. Are you one of them? Here’s a quick rundown:

A/B Testing

If your site currently has a low volume of search traffic, A/B testing is the better option for your organization; multivariable tests require a lot of traffic to return viable results. A/B tests are also extremely useful when competing page designs are up for debate.

Using A/B testing can tell you what is resonating with your audience. Keep in mind that A/B testing can be more than just having two variations of a website. In fact, an A/B/C/D test is a still an A/B test.

Multivariate Testing

In contrast, a multivariate test attempts to validate individual elements or combinations of elements on a page rather than the entire page. As mentioned earlier, it requires a page with much higher search traffic and much more user input.

In multivariate situations, the page elements are swapped around instead of changed completely. That means, for example, one version may have a graphic on the bottom and a call-to-action on the top right, while another involves the call-to-action on the bottom left and the photo in the top center.

The overall wire-frame layout of the page, though, will remain static from one version to the other. This method of testing is much more complex and analytical but can drive much more accurate and in-depth data.

Both A/B and multivariate testing are great methods for identifying what resonates with your audiences. For more information on both these testing methods, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.
 

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The Internet produces a ton of content. Whether it’s unique text, images or video, content is being passed around the web quicker than we can blink. But what makes some content go viral and other content fall to the wayside? Is there a special algorithm involved?

The bad news is that there isn’t one magic button. The good news is that anyone can make content go viral – even with the tiniest of marketing budgets.

Although there are some parts of viral content you can’t control, here are a few ideas to help you create popular blogs.

• Encourage Sharing: A blog with no social share buttons will make it very difficult for any content to go viral. Use tools such as ShareThis to promote shares. Make sure these share buttons are in a very visible place within your blog, so that readers won’t overlook them.

• Offer a Unique Prospective on Trending Information: Every major social media website offers trending content that is happening real-time. Don’t just share that same content like everyone else. Use it in a way that provides a unique perspective on the topic. If someone is talking about the Ebola crisis, don’t just jump on the bandwagon and say people are getting sick from it. Instead, provide more information on how Ebola is spread and treated.

• Create Content With Lists: Blog posts with bullet points (just like this one) attract readers because they’re easy to read; people have extremely short attention spans. Make your post as simple to read and understand as possible. Long, text-heavy paragraphs might be good for textbooks, but they aren’t good for blog posts. By creating a list within the blog post, you get to the point quickly ­­– something your reader will appreciate.

Keep in mind that your content can take a while to go viral. Patience is definitely a must. For help with creating great content, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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Today’s healthcare consumer is a complicated audience. Gone are the days when we, as marketers, could simply target women between the ages of 35 and 64, who have traditionally been the primary decision maker.

Consumer engagement through digital media now requires us to think beyond demographics to understand the lifestyle behaviors that impact healthcare-related decisions. The good news is that the data and information we need is at our fingertips.

Who are they? One way to get that consumer information is with data and listening. At first, you will look at your current consumers and base your marketing decisions off of that. But that doesn’t mean that they are the only audience you should be targeting.

You need to continue to gather data throughout your campaigns; look at history and listen to what consumers are telling you. Whether that’s done online via social media or offline via surveys and focus groups, this data will assist in perfecting your campaign.

Where they are? Next, you need to determine “where” they are. We, as healthcare marketers, need to connect and engage with audiences not in sales-y ways but interesting, relevant ways.

One way to do that is with social media. Twitter and Facebook are great avenues for engaging users who are talking about you or talking about things that can relate to your facility.

What do they want? Now that you have determined who your consumer is and where they can be found, it is now the time to learn what they want and what you can offer to them.

One common misconception many marketers have is that you can simply push your products and services to your audience once you’ve identified them. In reality, you can’t. Instead of talking to your audience, you need to talk with them.

Consumers in 2016 are looking for a partner – not a salesman. By connecting with consumers in a regular, conversational way and providing useful information that is also relevant to them, you will not only acquire new customers and retain existing customers but also turn these people into brand and referral machines.

Helping people understand their health and making individualized recommendations is critical for obtaining and understanding your consumer. The more you know them, the more you can help them.

For more information on this topic, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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In today’s digital world, everyone is producing content. After all, content is the way to get found. But while content is great for Google and SEO purposes, how much of that content is actually being read?

In reality, probably not much. It could be that your headline isn’t attention grabbing. Or, that you content simply isn’t that interesting. Or, that a good majority of website visitors will only look at content that is visually enticing – like photos or videos.

To make matters worse, it’s common for people to share articles they don’t actually read from beginning to end. Instead, a lot of people just read the headline and the conclusion.

So how can you keep readers engaged with your content? Here are a few tips:

• Determine your audience before you spend resources on content. By identifying and understanding your audience ahead of time, you can produce better content.

• Once you determine your audience, create content that meets their deepest needs and desires. For example, if your target is a professional in healthcare, create content that will help a person in healthcare solve a problem. People are always looking to achieve success in life; if you can provide them with an avenue to do so, they will continue to crave what you have to say, as well as learn from it.

• Grab your audience’s attention in the headline with an astounding statistic and tease them throughout the copy until the end. People like facts and data. They also like stories. If you can hook them at the beginning, they will likely read more as they will feel they are now getting valuable information.

• Finally, consider adding a video or infographic that provides quick and easy ways to digest snippets of information.

The key to content marketing isn’t about specific words read or skimmed. It is about successfully connecting with the right prospects.

For additional tips on how to get top prospects reading all your content, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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The word “blog” has been a buzzword for years. Many use it as a noun, and others as a verb. No matter how you use the term, though, one thing is for sure: a blog is essential for any business in 2016.

Here are just a few reasons why blogging is so important:

The Authority Factor

Every company, including your competitors, probably touts that they are experts on this and experts on that. In today’s digital age, people look right through those empty words. A blog, though, backs up that expertise.

In addition, if you’re consistently creating content that’s helpful and/or educational to your customer (or potential customer), it will establish your business as an authority on that specific topic or industry. A blog is a great source for providing information that these same customers could be looking for. If you can solve their problem, you’ll not only gain credibility with them, but word of mouth will spread.

The Search Engine Factor

When you build your website, you create a homepage, an about us page and a contact page at the minimum. For the most part, that information stays completely static until it is time to build a new website. Google, Bing and Yahoo, though, are always hungry for fresh content to index on the search engines.

A blog provides the search engines with exactly that. The more blog posts you publish, the more indexed pages you have for Google and the like. This means more opportunities to get found when someone does a search for the content you are putting out.

So now that you know why to blog, what type of content should you blog about? A good rule of thumb is start with simple content that is easy for a reader to comprehend. For example, start by providing a solution to a common problem.

Another idea is to do a thorough audit of existing content or internal communications. In many of these situations, you can take something that was published internally and update it without the proprietary info. This can help showcase the inside of the brand and philosophy of the company.

Remember a blog doesn’t have to just be text. A photo or infographic are great items to include as well as a native video or audio file.

A blog is a long-term marketing asset that has the ability to bring traffic and leads to your business. Don’t neglect it.

For help with getting your company’s blog noticed, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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As healthcare marketers, we’re often faced with the dilemma of deciding which medium to use for our efforts.

A lot of companies opt for digital communications – pay per click, social media, email and the like. While there’s nothing wrong with choosing these tried-and-true avenues, your competition is likely doing the same.

Why not adopt an old – and proven — approach? Why not try direct mail? Direct mail can result in significant returns for your facility. Here’s why:

• In many instances, people are looking for a local doctor, dentist or other type of healthcare provider. This is especially true for people new to the area; these individuals would like someone reputable but also someone convenient. Although a local, targeted email campaign can reach the masses quickly, your message is likelier to get ignored – especially when many people are getting an average of 121 emails per day.

• Although consumption is much lower than it used to be, snail mail is not dead. People are still getting magazines and bills, meaning they are checking their mailboxes. On that same day when they are receiving 121 emails, they may get three pieces of postal mail. Your direct mail piece has a better chance of getting noticed than your email blast.

• Direct mail can quickly tell a story and visually show readers who you are and what your practice is all about. This is very important in the world of healthcare, as choosing healthcare providers is a very personal decision; a prospect is likelier to use your services if they feel comfortable beforehand.

• Direct mail is tangible. Unlike email that usually goes in the “trash bin” or is missed altogether, direct mail is something you can see and touch. This means it has a higher probability of eliciting a response. Also, it has the potential of being seen by other people in the household before being thrown out. In contrast, email is personal and usually only read by the recipient.

While direct mail may not be the best solution for all demographics, a recent survey reveals that young professionals ages 18 to 35 and people 65 and up respond very well to this method of communication. If your target market includes these people, you may want to give direct mail a chance.

For additional information on how to best use direct mail for your healthcare marketing campaign, contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.

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