their future ones. You are not interrupting
your audience but inviting them and then
sharing solutions and comfort.
Transformational ideas can generate from
challenges. The modus operandi has shifted
and what we are witnessing is our new
normal. Hospitals must fully digitize their
processes to support customer marketing.
Is it time for the Chief Marketing Officer
(CMO) to report to the Chief Patient
(Customer) Experience Officer? Walmart
seems to think so; the new CMO is not
reporting to the Chief Executive Officer,
but to the Chief Customer Officer. The
Healthcare curve runs a few years behind
the retail club, but that time lag is growing
smaller by the season.
The silver lining about all this digitization
is that as the hospitals increase engagement
on the digital platforms, they will be able
to mine data that can be used to formulate
more effective strategies and resource
allocation.
On the flip side it is interesting to note
that not all the big hospitals have gone
out of their way to communicate their
Covid-19 ready status. This may be an
omission or they are managing how many
of these patients they receive. I can only
speculate the reasons.
Some key Do’s and Don’ts
Do not take or appear to take advantage
of the pandemic. Your choice of words,
phrases and timings have never been more
important.
Do get the organization to genuinely assist.
The best way to achieve this is through
partnerships with relevant groups that
are fighting the pandemic from different
fronts, for example, the Government,
NGO’s and even your competitors. This
is the time to come together to fight a
common enemy. Your patients, customers
and suppliers will take note of these kinds
of acts and will want to associate with you
for the long haul.
Do not stop marketing. Of course, change
the way you approach your marketing
both in style and budget. This is where
content marketing is king. Covid-19 may
have taken the centre stage but remember
you also have patients with other medical
needs. Most casualty rooms, in both public
and private hospitals, are reporting very
low patient numbers. What is keeping
patients away during this pandemic? Fear
of the unknown? What is the marketing
team doing to create awareness? Remind
your audience you are open to meet their
other needs in a safe and comfortable
environment.
Do not forget your employees both
clinical and non-clinical, are part of the
community. Show them that the hospital
cares for their wellbeing and that of their
families. If possible, have a team fully
focused inwardly.
Last but not least, either a vaccine for
the virus will be found or we will be
forced to learn to live with it in our
ecosystem. Do you have a team getting
ready for a paradigm shift in the market
place and within the hospital? Is there
representation in the C-Suit? Fortune
favours the prepared!
Tom Simba is an experienced Customer
Marketer specializing in Healthcare.
You can commune with him on this or
related matters via email at: Tmsimba@
gmail.com.