The following is a guest article by Melanie Hilliard, Sr. Marketing Consultant, Clarity Quest Marketing
Reaching healthcare C-suite executives is challenging; but you already know that. They’re strapped for time, and with the time they do have, they’re tasked with making thoughtful, educated decisions that have a huge impact on their health systems. On top of that, they’re constantly inundated with marketing campaigns about the latest healthcare trends and innovations.
So, how can you stand out and get in front of these C-suite executives overwhelmed by marketing emails and calls? The truth is, you can’t be marketing without doing a little public relations and you can’t do PR without a little marketing. No matter the size of your organization, you can use earned media to generate visibility and credibility and reach your goals.
Whether you’re trying to reach a chief information officer or a chief medical officer, there are strategic ways to cut through the noise and be heard.
1. Know your audience.
Misplaced content is not only a waste of your time, it’s a wasted opportunity to reach your target audiences. Taking the time to research where AND how C-suite executives in healthcare get their information will allow you to place content with more intention. Also, ensure that your content is readily available and not gated, i.e. requiring someone’s email address to continue. While this was once thought to be a great way to capture contact information and demographics, from a user perspective, it’s just another barrier to the information they’re seeking.
It can be equally helpful to analyze if there are any notable knowledge gaps that you and your company can fill. One way of doing this is by finding trade publications or journals that target your desired audiences. Most publications break down their audiences by profession so you can be sure you’re reaching the right executives.
2. Offer timely solutions.
People want answers to their problems and challenges. That means all your content, whether it’s a contributed article or a social media post, should strive to meet the needs and ease the worries of healthcare executives.
Remember filling the gaps in the previous point? Know those gaps and fill them by providing a new product, new information, or a new approach to a common issue.
3. Show your credibility.
Achieving credibility requires taking a close look at your products and services and asking: what do we know that no one else knows? Where are we the thought leaders? Who can vouch for our credibility?
Credibility doesn’t happen overnight, but taking the time to hone in on what you’ve done well, what you do well, and how it’s different is a central pillar to how you should write your content.
A great place to start this practice is by auditing your company’s social media profiles and your website – is everything consistent? Do you have enough information about how you differentiate from competitors?
Take the time to nurture your site and social profiles to enhance your credibility even further.
4. Get to the point.
The military famously coined the term “bottom line up front” or “BLUF” for a reason. It’s pretty simple; you put the most important details first. It was designed for speed and clarity so commanders can quickly get through orders and reports.
In journalism, we typically refer to this as the “inverted triangle,” where we put the essential information of a story at the beginning. And much like military commanders, healthcare executives with patient health and safety top of mind need to make decisions quickly and effectively.
So, whether you’re making a pitch over the phone, or sending a LinkedIn InMail message, get to the point.
5. Keep it concise.
Write so that your information can be shared verbatim.
Let’s think of a scenario where your services get the attention of a chief medical officer; what would you write so that the CMO can relay information back to their CEO without added explanation? If the CMO has to go back to you for clarification, you may have lost an opportunity.
6. Write simply.
While you may be writing to reach highly educated MDs and MBAs, everyone appreciates simplicity. Cutting down the jargon can get you to the point faster. It’s okay to take more time to write a shorter article, blog post, or social media post so that your point is obvious.
7. Be adaptable.
If you’re noticing greater engagement from your targeted audiences by using certain words, phrases, or calls to action (CTA), make a note of those, and adapt your content accordingly. Adjust your strategy regularly based on any direct or indirect feedback you receive.
8. Get the toolbox.
While a thoughtful PR strategy fuels your content and campaigns, knowing when to leverage marketing tools, like automated marketing or email campaigns within your strategy adds a level of cohesiveness to reach your audiences in a holistic and consistent way. Additionally, with any PR win (like a mention or an award) or content placement, use that as an opportunity for self-promotion by announcing it throughout your social media networks or in your regular communications like emails or newsletters.
Getting the attention of healthcare executives in the C-suite isn’t impossible, but it does require a level of persistence and intentionality. With that in mind, knowing your audience and what they care about will get you through to helping them meet their needs and goals.
About the Author:
Melanie is a Sr. Marketing Consultant at Clarity Quest Marketing. She is an accomplished marketing professional with 20+ years of experience, the last 12 of which have been spent in the health IT industry with CHIME, HL7, and NextGate. Having lived the day-to-day, she is well-versed in corporate branding, marketing strategy, content development, trade show planning, sales enablement and more. She also teaches courses on blogging, email marketing, the rise of content marketing and the use of images on social media for the social media and e-marketing certificate programs at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Melanie earned a BS in communication studies from Northwestern University and an MA in communication studies from California State University Northridge
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
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