Many would describe the last five months as a whirlwind, chaotic and stressful. But amid all of that, we’ve also seen beauty and kindness and an appreciation of our communities and frontline workers. During this time, digital technology has been propelled forward and accelerated the need for different strategic communications priorities. It’s changed how we market to customers.
We are living through the middle of a transformation and, as marketers, we need to meet the challenge by elevating our thinking and proactively embracing a new role — one with strategic communications at the center. MERGE recently had a virtual sit down with Cynthia Schmidt, Director of Marketing at VCU Health — a leading academic medical center in central Virginia — to discuss just this. Check out her thoughts and insights below on how to embrace change and drive marketing transformation in a COVID-19 world.
Jess (MERGE): What are the top marketing challenges VCU Health has faced since COVID-19 surged in March 2020, and how have those evolved with the recent uptick?
Cynthia (VCU Health): When the initial surge started in March, one of our biggest challenges was the lack of information — it was incomplete; we just didn’t have enough. As an academic medical center, it was our responsibility to disseminate information to the public. We’re a “unique pathogen” hospital. We are trained for unforeseen situations, and we have physicians with valuable knowledge, causing people to really look at us for guidance. This made our approach to communications different from the beginning. We had to grab every resource possible, comb through data, use our subject matter experts, and share what was most pertinent to our audience — quickly and in abundance.
Like so many others in the beginning, we looked to New York to determine our plan for preparedness without knowing how bad the situation could become in Virginia. Like many, we stopped planned elective procedures to have the appropriate capacity for sick COVID-19 patients. We not only kicked patient communications into overdrive, but we ramped up internal communications in a way we’ve never had to before. Protocols were put in place and we went into action to communicate to our team members and frontline workers what was being done to keep them safe. The pace of communications was a challenge, but it was a core component of our plan and top priority.
Currently, as we prepare for an uptick in cases, we’re looking back at our initial plans and truly realize how little information we had initially. Today we are more informed and are “prepared” for the next surge as much as possible. We found that our news-centric approach to communications worked for the public because we had the data to back it up through analytics. Understanding that people are thirsty for more information we’ve continued to use data to shape our strategy.
Jess (MERGE): How is VCU Health shifting its messaging as we continue down a path of a new normal?
Cynthia (VCU Health): We've moved the role of communications from an “interpreter” — connecting with our patients and the community — to an “encourager” — reassuring and empowering patients to take the necessary steps forward in their care. We understand that everyone reacts differently, and we tailor our communications to each of our audience personas with this in mind. Our marketing efforts are showing patients we are here for what they need. Whether they are ready for elective procedures or not, we’re showing them how to be safe, communicating that we are safe, and meeting everyone where they are — no matter where they fall in the spectrum of healthcare today. We continue to curate content at a phenomenal pace, showing the public what we’re doing to support COVID-19 efforts.
As an organization, we’ve shifted our strategy in a couple ways. Our telehealth offering has moved lightyears ahead in the past five months, and we’re able to provide so much more to our patients so they can get care in the safest and most comfortable way possible.
We’ve shifted our strategy to accommodate the overwhelming number of people in our community who want to give back. There is a whole different set of preparations and precautions when food donations are coming in by the truckload. We’ve gotten creative to show the ways our community can give back. For example, creating a digital gallery wall of thank yous, in addition to accepting monetary and food donations.
We’ve collaborated with other organizations to work together and learn more about how to service the community, and to help provide information to those that may not receive it otherwise. We all have to buckle down and do the hard work to get through this time together. At the end of the day, there can never be too much communication.
Jess (MERGE): A recent study showed 41% of Medicare patients lacked access to the internet for virtual doctor visits and 41% had no mobile internet access at all. In addition, 38% of all older adults in the U.S. were not prepared for video visits at all, mostly due to inexperience with technology. What is VCU Health doing to accommodate this segment of its population and the safety net philosophy you have as a part of your mission to serve the community as a whole?
Cynthia (VCU Health): For certain parts of our community, we are formulating strategies to provide more at home support in a safe manner through participating providers. For example, homecare providers would have access to specialists via virtual conference platforms to provide additional care to those at home without the physician needing to be physically present. This is an evolving approach that we’ve prioritized as an area of focus to move forward and meet the need.
Internet access is fundamentally changing and is generally understood to be a necessity — similar to water and power. We anticipate the current landscape will drive this movement forward more rapidly. As we’ve seen with telehealth, it’s still a little cumbersome and we have a ways to go, but things are changing quickly because we have all had to adapt.
Jess (MERGE): How do you think marketing and digital marketing specifically can drive change during a time like this when complete organizational strategies are changing?
Cynthia (VCU Health): Research continues to show that many patients are delaying care out of caution. It’s our duty as marketers to reassure them. It’s important that our communications nurture trust. Our communications must be authentic and acknowledge where we are, what’s ahead, and respect the fear that people feel. We should take this opportunity to better prepare our patients and community.
COVID-19 has brought an unexpected opportunity to change how the public views healthcare as an industry. We were going down a path of bureaucracy, high cost concerns, and lack of access to care. With the right approach, we have an opportunity to elevate healthcare as an industry and help position it with a greater understanding and acceptance in the community. Now is the time for us to address access issues, improve cost transparency, and better understand the patient as a consumer. We will have much more data from what we’re going through to leverage for good. It’s a time for healthcare to step up and be better.
Right now, tangibly speaking, we’re looking at different ways to get patients into the funnel more creatively. It may not be as traditional as an appointment, so marketing metrics will need to adjust. For example, a video or assessment that drives engagement. It’s about communicating and being there for our patients in a way they need it most.
Jess (MERGE): What is one piece of advice you can provide other healthcare marketing professionals?
Cynthia (VCU Health): Bring your entire team around the table as you strategize and plan for the road ahead. Great ideas come from everywhere, so provide a way for your entire team to be a part of the solution — both internally and with your vendor partners. Everyone thinks differently and brings something unique to the table; it’s simple, multiple heads are better than one.
Cynthia raises some important points about how we can reposition our thinking as marketers and seek to elevate our role within the community at a time when we’re all leaning on one another for support. It comes down to three core elements:
- Implement a data-driven strategy. Our digital world is literally putting data at our fingertips. Make sense of it and use it to make your marketing and communications efforts meet the consumer where they are with what they need.
- Understand and empathize with your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. After all, we’re all going through the same pandemic. Create personas with this mindset and cater to their needs. You’ll be able to provide a stronger connection to the service or solution you’re providing.
- Think beyond your four walls. Take advantage of your network and community. Seek insight and ideas with resources outside of your box to reach consumers, positioning you differently and helping you stand out among the clutter.
COVID-19 may be rewriting history, but it’s also given marketers an opportunity to rewrite their role in healthcare. It’s time for marketing and communications professionals to embrace the need to reassure, inform and encourage in our digitally transformed world.
Sources:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2768772