5 Brilliant Marketing Campaigns in Healthcare and What You Can Learn From Them

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Marketing in the healthcare space can be difficult. For one, healthcare can be very technical and jargon-heavy, which is off-putting to the layman. It’s also not as flashy as other industries and tends to address issues people like to avoid. However, when done properly, healthcare marketing can be successful and potentially life saving. Here are five of the best healthcare marketing campaigns and takeaways that can be applied in a variety of situations.

· Stachie Facebook Contest. Men around the country participate in Movember or No Shave November each year, but Anne Arundel’s Medical Center in Maryland turned the month-long event into a fun way for everyone to learn about men’s health issues. The center used Facebook to encourage people to post their best “stachie,” or a selfie with a real or fake mustache. The submissions rolled in and were a hit on social media, with entries from adults, kids of all ages, and even pets. The contest also drove traffic to the center’s website on men’s health for more information and resources. The contest goes to show that using humor and creativity can be an effective gateway to sharing valuable health information.

· Sharing Mayo Clinic Blog. The Mayo Clinic is known for seeing a wide array of patients on a daily basis. In an effort to connect patients and share stories, the clinic created the Sharing Mayo Clinic blog that highlights stories from patients, families, and staff around the world. The blog has been incredibly successful at building a global community and building on the Mayo Clinic’s reputation for caring about its patients and providing them with the best possible care. Sometimes, the most effective marketing is to put a face to the story and showcase the more human aspects of healthcare in a way that is relatable to other people.

· We Dare You. Many healthcare providers encourage members to adopt healthy habits, but UnitedHealthcare took it a step further by moving the effort online and into a game of sorts. Each month, the company challenges members to complete a dare and post about it on social media. Participating in the contest and accompanying quizzes can lead to prizes. The successful campaign motivated people to start healthy habits and also led to more interaction between members and UnitedHealthcare, which helped the company create a more user-friendly experience. Even healthcare companies can tap into brand loyalists and create a strong, interactive online community.

· Yes, Mamm. More than five years ago, Virginia’s Carilion Clinic set out to address a common problem: not enough women were getting mammograms and understanding the need for early detection of breast cancer. The clinic created the catching #YESMAMM hashtag and added it to everything surrounding their campaign, including Twitterchats to address common breast cancer questions and other social media outreach to drive traffic to its website. The campaign shows the effect a clever hashtag can have when used properly and across multiple channels and how using social media can be an effective way to encourage a commonly avoided health practice, like mammograms.

· Infographics. Most people won’t sit down to read a long article about current healthcare issues and tips, but they are much more likely to look through an eye-catching infographic. Banner Health took advantage of that fact by creating a series of infographics on topics ranging from sugar content to flu myths. The infographics were easily accessible and shareable on social media, plus an effective way to address health topics that can possibly be complicated or controversial. Banner Health’s approach shows that health information can be disseminated in a variety of ways and often needs to be broken down into more manageable, smaller pieces to be absorbed by patients.

Healthcare marketing is unlike selling any other type of product or lifestyle. A marketing degree and creative mindset can help build successful campaigns, as can BLS certification or training from medical billing and coding classes online to provide a fuller view of the healthcare space. By thinking strategically and creatively and reaching out to patients in a way that resonates with them, healthcare providers, clinics, and companies can have great marketing success.

Rick Delgado
Freelance Writer
I've been blessed to have a successful career and have recently taken a step back to pursue my passion of writing. I've started doing freelance writing and I love to write about new technologies and how it can help us and our planet. I also occasionally write for tech companies like Dell.

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