Raise your hand if your healthcare marketing team has ever had trouble wrangling a doctor for a quote, a blog post, or a news interview.
No matter how much you stalked and begged, you got no response. Or when you finally did get a response, it was too late. So, you end up:
- Writing the quote or blog post yourself and asking him to approve it (only to have him rip it apart).
- Missing out on the opportunity to promote the physician and your healthcare organization—again.
- Begging another doc, only to repeat this whole process.
Here’s a way to make your life easier:
I know that sounds odd, especially since your rock star docs are a huge reason why patients choose your healthcare organization over others. But, if you’re having trouble getting doctors to cooperate, there are other clinicians in your healthcare organization who are touching patients’ lives just as much, if not more.
Here are 6 other healthcare providers who love your patients and deserve a little love from marketing:
Nurses and Physician Assistants:
This really should be a no brainer. An awesome nursing team can make a patient’s stay a great experience. Not only do they have a ton of clinical knowledge to share, they may have just as much if not more info about the patient’s experience. They are there for your patients’ every need from turning them over in the bed to talking with visiting loved ones. And I’m sure these hardworking folks would love a little more appreciation. Physician assistants also tend to coordinate follow-up care for patients when they leave the hospital. Tons of information to tap there.
Social Workers:
If your trying to get away from disease 101 content and help patients navigate the non-medical aspects of a condition, talk to the social workers. They know about the psychological, social and financial questions and challenges patients have with certain medical conditions. And their job is to share that info, right? So help them out a little. Put them in a blog post or on a landing page.
Clinical Educators:
The great thing about your nutritionists, diabetes educators and others is that they know all the most frequently asked questions patients and family members have. And they can rattle off coherent, quotable answers like it’s nothing. They don’t have to look anything up because they probably just shared that information at a recent community event. Why not keep the community engaged with them before and after events by including them in blog posts?
Chaplains:
Talk about people who get to know the nooks and crannies of serious health conditions. These people are attuned to your patients’ innermost fears and emotional needs. They also have more to say to patients with serious health conditions beyond just stats and generic advice to “talk to your doctor.” They can offer an encouraging word that makes all the difference.
Physical therapists and trainers:
These folks know a lot about anatomy and physiology, plus they usually step in after the worst of the medical condition has happened. That means they have a lot of insight on helping patients transition back to a normal life.
Lab techs and pharmacists:
Their conversations with patients may be short, but for those conditions that require regular testing and medications, these clinicians tend to know a lot of the ins and outs of managing health conditions.
Do not use docs in your healthcare marketing content if:
They are not employees of your healthcare organization
Contracted docs who can also practice at competing hospitals should not be highlighted in your marketing content. Patients might pay more attention to the doctor than to the location, and go find that doctor somewhere else.
They have any outstanding professional drama
This could mean malpractice suits or out-of-date certifications. I know he’s nice guy and all, but your reputation is at stake.
They have mediocre—or horrible—Yelp reviews
Please, check Yelp first. If the yelp reviews are a stream of rants about long wait times, bad attitudes and other issues, think twice before putting this doc in your healthcare marketing content. Better yet, Google the doc and see everything that pops up. No one likes a bad recommendation.
