Events News

Practical Marketing in Tough Times – A HITMC Virtual Event

How do we market & communicate during this COVID-19 crisis and what can we do now to be ready for the rebound?

We’ve all managed through crisis before – hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, wars and even terrorist attacks – but none of us have ever been through something that has affected the entire globe and ground business to halt. We are in unique times and as healthcare marketers, we are facing challenges that are completely new.

On the one hand, patients are expecting constant updates, hunting for reliable coronavirus information and desperately wanting to speak to someone about their situation – cancelled elective surgeries, inquiries about loved ones, questions about where to donate, etc. The standard crisis communication handbook doesn’t have a chapter for a global pandemic so what is the right call here?

From a Health IT perspective, healthcare organizations have shut down most of their non-essential IT projects while simultaneously stomping on the gas pedal for others (ie: telehealth, remote working,
ICU infrastructure). Is there a way for a vendor to cut through this? and would it even be appropriate to try?

None of us individually have all the answers, but collectively we probably do – and that’s why we decided to host a Virtual HITMC Event on May 12th and 13th (the original dates of the in-person HITMC20 conference). We’re hosting this virtual event to help members of the HITMC Community develop strategies to navigate in this time of crisis and tactics for the day this crisis ends.

From 12-5pm EDT (9am-2pm PDT) each day, we will have panel discussions and presentations from peers who have relevant expertise and experiences to share. The goal is not to teach (or preach) but to provide nuggets of insight and information that you can use to create your own effective COVID-19 marketing plans.

Plus we’re planning something extra special – something that attendees at our in-person conference have all raved about – we are going to hold virtual unconference sessions! We’re going to divide into small groups (virtually) and have a facilitated discussion in four key areas:

  • PR + Media
  • Content + Content Marketing
  • Lead Generation
  • Provider Marketing + PR

On May 12th these unconference sessions will focus on how to best manage during a crisis. On May 13th these same unconference sessions will focus on how to best manager after a crisis.

For the full agenda, check out our program page: https://www.healthitmarketingconference.com/program

We hope you can join us for this special event. It’s the first in what we hope will be a new series of virtual HITMC Events.

You can register for the Virtual HITMC Event here: https://www.healthitmarketingconference.com/espresso-events/2020-healthcare-and-it-marketing-virtual-conference

*All proceeds will go towards paying for scholarships to the in-person HITMC20 event.

**There is no cost for anyone who was already registered for HITMC20. You should have received an email with instructions on how to RSVP for the sessions. If you haven’t please reach out via our Contact Us page.

About the author

Colin Hung

Colin Hung is an award-winning Marketing Executive with more than 15yrs of healthcare and HealthIT experience. He co-founded one of the most popular healthcare chats on Twitter, #hcldr and he has been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Healthcare IT Influencers”. Colin’s work has been published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, American Society for Healthcare Risk Managers, and Infection Control Today. He writes regularly for Healthcare Scene and here at HITMC.com. Colin is a member of #pinksock #TheWalkingGallery and is proudly HITMC. His Twitter handle is: @Colin_Hung.

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