Implement Vascular Marketing

The final step is to take all the research conducted with current vascular patients as well as potential vascular patients and implement a vascular marketing campaign that raises awareness about your hospital’s services. Furthermore the campaign should educate patients and providers about your program while simultaneously informing potential patients about risk factors and building brand loyalty.

Following is a tactical strategy to implement a vascular marketing campaign.

Save the people closest to you.

Tell the people inside – employees, physicians, leaders, and volunteers - how great your vascular program is by using:

• Self-scoring heart and vascular tests;
• Face-to-face meeting with leadership;
• Internal publications/PR;
• Wall art;
• Employee Web site (intranet);
• Team building activities; and
• Videos.

People that work in the hospital can be the best advocates or worst ambassadors. You want to make sure your employees are helping enhance your vascular program’s reputation when they talk with their co-workers, family members or friends.

Take your message outside.

Tell people outside – community members, community leaders, and potential patients - how great your vascular program is by using:

• Television advertising;
• Radio advertising;
• Print advertising;
• Outdoor;
• Internet; and
• Wall art.

People outside of your hospital can become patients and fans of your hospital. You want the marketing efforts to be timely and appropriate to meet their needs. Make them feel as if the hospital is a community member that cares about their needs. Then really do that. Support local health programs. Educate community members. Provide them with exceptional service if or when they do have an experience at your hospital.

Partner with physician groups.

Tell providers in your geographic area about your program. Make them ambassadors for your services as well as referrers of your services. Give them tools to help them educate their patients as well. You can do this by:

• Strengthening relationships with providers; and
• Helping them educate the community about vascular disease.

Physicians are seen as leaders in their communities. They can become part of the educational plan by going out into their neighborhoods and giving talks about vascular disease risk factors. When sponsored by the hospital, this increases physician prominence in the community and builds trust for the hospital.