by Mike Dowd, Account Executive
While working on a white paper about hospital and physician marketing, this analogy popped into my head. Now, I’m not trying to play to anyone’s ego here, but this comparison really does lend some insight to positioning your facility in a competitive market.
Living here in Raleigh, North Carolina, there is rarely a day that I don’t drive past the RBC Center. For those of you who are not familiar with it, let me share a few facts:
- It has called Raleigh home since 1999
- It houses over 770,000 square feet of entertainment and sports space
- It seats up to 19,500 fans and has 66 luxury suites
- It has 8,000 parking spaces and is easily accessible from any direction
- It can transform from hardwood court to ice rink in under 6 hours
- It has hosted numerous events from Rodeo to Rock and Roll
- It is home to both the NC State Men’s Basketball team & the Carolina Hurricanes
These are just a few of the things that make the RBC Center a great venue. Unfortunately, none of these things are remotely of interest to the majority of people who descend upon this location each and every week. Well, with the exception of the last two.
It’s not the features of the RBC Center that bring in the crowds. It’s the rock stars, the rodeo riders, the on-ice excitement, and the buzzer beating three point shots that pack this stadium. People come for the events and they come to engage with their idols. They want to be part of the very best doing what they do best. Hmmm…sounds a little bit like the expectations of selecting a hospital.
As healthcare consumers we appreciate convenient locations and ample parking. We appreciate the beautiful façade of the building. We appreciate all the life improving technology that is housed inside. But, what really draws us there is the need to see our own type of rock star, the highly skilled medical provider that is going to make whatever ailment we have better. We are here to engage with a physician.
Keep this most important fact top of mind when developing your presence. Align the strengths of your facility with the skills of your physicians. Make them both inseparable to your community. Insure when someone is searching for either a facility or a physician in your area, both of those searches lead to your front door with a unified message.
While we do appreciate all the features you have to offer, what will really bring us in is the talent. Specialties are great, but we connect with the specialist. If you want your “venue” to stand out from all the others, focus on the connection between the physicians and your facility. Promote the talent within!
I would love to hear your feedback on this.