Don’t be a copycat

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: As the saying goes. “If I had a nickel” for every time I’ve heard “X competitor just did X. Why aren’t we doing it?” I’d be retired by now. It’s basic marketing to do your own research. Just because X put out a beautiful commercial/billlboard/brochure, etc., doesn’t … Continue reading Don’t be a copycat

Hope is our foundation

For those of us who work in healthcare delivery, we know it’s particularly tough right now, and it will get worse before it gets any better. In one of his April LinkedIn posts, David Jarrard makes a great case for maintaining hope right now. As he mentions, “It’s so easy to be cynical about the … Continue reading Hope is our foundation

EM Dash and Elipses- Oh, My!

I wore a body suit and tights to 8th grade gym class one day because we were going to be doing aerobics. Everyone else wore the gym uniform. It was a bit embarrassing, but I turned out okay. Although I didn’t wear the bodysuit to gym again, I kept dressing differently than the ‘norm.’There seems … Continue reading EM Dash and Elipses- Oh, My!

The Healthcare Marketing Team as Strategy Partner

There is a common scenario playing out in many healthcare systems right now: initiatives abound, staffing is tight, and silos remain. For healthcare marketers in this scenario, tactical requests often pile in and marketing is frequently told about projects or initiatives after they’re already being implemented. In today’s healthcare environment, where outcomes matter more than ever, it’s imperative that as a leader, you position your team as strategy partners. For those of you who are fielding tactical requests more often than you are being asked to weigh in on strategic problems, I offer some advice on moving in a different direction.

Dear Leader: Where are You Going, and How Will You Get There?

When I first started as a leader, it was as a manager of a restaurant. This was a fantastic experience for me, and I found that I took to the role naturally, although I didn’t know at the time that leadership was what I was doing. It would be many years before I would understand … Continue reading Dear Leader: Where are You Going, and How Will You Get There?

Eight Ways Healthcare Marketers Can Support Growth

No longer can we rely on passively advertising our services to the captive audience that is our service area. Healthcare marketers are now responsible for actually supporting volume and revenue growth, and that takes a more sophisticated approach.

Scenario Planning for the Leadership Journey

Author and former GE Vice Chair Beth Comstock (of whom I am a huge fan), recently shared a post on LinkedIn that talked about how she channels her anxiety into scenario planning. That post really resonated with me, because this is what I have been training myself to do as well. In business terms, scenario planning is … Continue reading Scenario Planning for the Leadership Journey