So, Your Advertising Budget Has Been Cut, Now What?
by Wayne Adams

In an earlier article, Recession: Problem or Opportunity?, I discussed why hospitals should maintain or even increase advertising during a recession. I offered several studies going as far back as the Great Depression proving that aggressive marketers gain in an economic downturn while the timid lose.

Unfortunately, although 80+ years of research is clear about the advantages of maintaining advertising investment, all too many hospital executives have already turned to the short-term fix of cutting advertising budgets.

If you’re one of those now attempting to plan your marketing with fewer dollars, what do you do? Just how can you accomplish what’s needed with less money? Here are a few tips to get the most out of every marketing dollar:

Tighten your strategic focus
You never want waste in your marketing budget, but if ever there’s a time you must wring out anything that isn’t absolutely necessary, it’s now. You start with strategy. Tighten your strategy and you will automatically simplify your tactics. With limited funds, it’s always more effective to do fewer things and do them better.

Do not make cuts across the board
Across-the-board cuts are a recipe for mediocrity. Be strategic. Focus on fewer service lines that generate both bottom line results and build the brand.

Sharpen your positioning
All too many hospitals have soft or very common positioning for their brands. There is little differentiation to distinguish them from the competition. In tough economic times, people are looking for a firm understanding of what you are and how it benefits them. So, you may need to tighten your positioning. What is really the one thing that distinguishes you from your competitors? (Note: it isn’t because you’re close by. Proximity alone is not a market share builder. Insured consumers drive past their closest hospital every day to get what they perceive to be better care elsewhere.)

Aggressively assume the mantle of community leadership
Is your hospital aggressively driving health and wellness issues in your community? This may seem like a elementary question, but the operative phrase here is aggressively driving. I’m not talking about being the one people come to for treatment. This is about driving the health and wellness discussion. Does your community see your facility as a progressive force in improving their well-being or just the place to take care of illness? You can get a lot of mileage from thought leadership in times like this. Work to create that forum in your community.

Be more targeted in your efforts
You’ve got to get the message to the right people. Every hospital should be doing more direct marketing, but it’s not just that. You can still include mass media. In many cases, traditional media is a must to accomplish your goals. But even there you can target your messages more succinctly. Targeting is also about tightening the audience for a given message or campaign. Who really are the most likely users of the particular service you’re promoting?
Page 2 >

<< BACK