Why branding still matters in healthcare

Positioning and identity help healthcare providers compete

In today’s highly competitive healthcare environment, hospitals and physicians practices strive for every advantage to move their organization above the rest. Many invest in new facilities, expanded services and high-priced advertising campaigns. But marketing data suggests only a few invest in the more subtle but surprisingly powerful strategy of brand building.

“Brand” is often defined as what people think about an organization; the public perception of a hospital or practice. Yet, according to an estimate by Chris Bevolo, author of The Marketer’s Guide to Brand Strategy, less than 20% of U.S. hospitals are guided by an active brand strategy. That’s only one-fifth of the more than 6,000 hospitals nationwide that are proactively cultivating their brand.

How can an industry that, according to The New York Times, spent more than $700 billion on advertising in 2011 overlook the importance of brand strategy?

Four reasons branding SHOULD remain a priority for hospital marketers, including:

• Strong healthcare brands control their own destinies;
• A clear brand position aligns physicians and staff;
• Brand tools ensure consistent communications; and
• Branding supports multichannel and social media initiatives.

Learn more in our white paper, Four Reasons to Invest in Hospital Branding.