Whether you’re working in a small healthcare practice or a large hospital – public relations matters. In the last year, with COVID-19 dominating the news, your communication to the public matters even more.
1. Don’t Leave It To Chance
Part of the challenge of communicating your brand to the public is convincing top management that this boosts public confidence. When you grow goodwill and serve your community, you’ll be in a stronger position. As you build goodwill, your practice will be in a better position to navigate turbulent and unprecedented conditions.
Many organizations, especially smaller ones, are on tighter budgets. This may inspire you to try to do pr and marketing, in-house. Some organizations rely on interns, who have no experience, just because it reduces expenses. This kind of shortsighted thinking can leave you short.
Savvy organizations know that it’s a smart investment to take charge of public relations. They know it’s important to have the skills, expertise, and experience in your field. This is why choosing a healthcare public relations firm makes the most sense. You’ll be working with professionals who understand the ins and outs of your legal policies, legislation, and professional standards. You won’t leave this critical dimension of your practice up to chance.
2. Reputation Is A Top Priority
In health, beauty, fitness, healthcare, and medical practices, your reputation is a top priority. Even at an executive level, the public is watching how CEOs respond in challenging times. You may have noticed an increase in reputation management, including the hiring of CROs, Chief Reputation Officers. All businesses falling under the umbrella of the FDA, LegitScript, or laws around the life sciences such as genomics need to have their white papers, privacy policy, and company website written perfectly. There are tools from companies like Legal Zoom or other technical writing software that can help fullfill all these requirements.
As a smart leader, managing the reputation of your C-suite officers and your organization is a top-level concern.
3. Visibility Counts
Do people in your community know about your practice? Is your name a household word in the areas that you serve?
Making sure that your brand has local visibility is key to ongoing success. It’s not just managing the numbers of mentions on social media. Don’t let the SEO metrics lead you astray. Naturally social media, reviews, and influencer articles are important. But they don’t tell the whole story.
Your visibility is also a result of the positive actions you’re taking within your community. Are you doing great work and serving people with quality care? Telling your story in ways that your community can see is vitally important.
4. Personal Stories Matter
How are you sharing personal stories with the public? In many cases, healthcare and medical practices find that the personal stories are helping to build understanding for current and potential patients.
Hospital CEOs are sharing their stories and helping shine a light on the beneficial actions of hospital staff, community, and caregivers. Individuals are sharing their stories about their rights to choose carefully and make end-of-life decisions.
Nurses, doctors, medical staff, and front-line workers have been and continue to be our everyday heroes. People have responded to the COVID-19 crisis in ways that no one anticipated. Communities joined together to provide food to front-line workers, share laptops so patients could communicate with loved ones, and helped neighbors in times of need.
As these personal stories continue to inspire medical staff and communities, it’s important to continue to communicate the many ways this pandemic has brought us closer to our human values.
5. Media Influences Opinions
Your healthcare providers and medical professionals are doing exceptional work. Yet, the media is the source for the public and is influencing opinions.
A media feature about your practice influences public opinion. Knowing how to communicate your story helps to show your effectiveness in responding to a crisis.
6. Values Drive Your Brand
An organization’s values are a lot like your brand’s immune system. When your values are strong, your brand is healthy and functioning in optimal ways.
The public is looking for your organization’s commitment to core values. They are making decisions based on supporting organizations, which emphasize health and safety, support the environment, and provide care to underserved communities.
As a healthcare or medical provider, it’s vitally important to share your core values in ways that the public sees, hears, and feels. Tell your story and share what matters with your community.
Sum Up
We are adapting to the new normal in healthcare and health care PR. As we strive to share human values, we are continuing to find effective ways to communicate in today’s complex media environment. That’s why it is so helpful to identify your key messages, live your core values, and work with PR experts to share your unique story.