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Comprehensive, Multi-Channel Beaumont Health Campaign Focuses on Showing, Not Telling, Consumers It’s Safe to Return

By The SHSMD Team posted 08-04-2020 02:58 PM

  
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Beaumont Health in Southfield, Michigan, designed a multi-channel campaign to inform the public and its patients that it is safe to return to the hospital for routine services and vital not to postpone needed care. To ensure that the health system reached as many people as possible and communicated trustworthiness and safety, the marketing team included:

  • Television and radio advertising that has a public service announcement-like feel.
  • Social media pushes.
  • Outreach to patients who had used its emergency centers.
  • Direct mailings, which Beaumont hadn’t used for a long time.

Head of marketing Jennifer Carbary described the campaign: “We tried to strike a tone that is emotional, recognizing that people are uncertain about coming to a hospital. We want them to trust that we’re a leader in the market when caring for COVID patients and that we will continue to be a leader in providing the other necessary care that the community needs.”  

Like most others across the globe, the eight-hospital system had seen massive drops in patient volume since the start of the crisis — particularly in surgery, its catheterization labs and emergency care. But just a few weeks into the ambitious campaign, Beaumont Health was already beginning to see a rebound. For example, the health system recovered about 40 percent of surgery volumes. “Our goal is 100 percent, but we’re on track and seeing that number increase,” Carbary said.  

Rocky Ramp Up

Although Beaumont Health is beginning to make a dent, Carbary admitted the ramp up was rocky at first. The organization has focused on physicians and has put its infectious disease specialist — who has served as a spokesperson during the pandemic — front and center.

“We’ve looked to include a significant physician communication component after some docs expressed concern that we weren’t quite as ready as the ad campaign conveyed. We got a little too far out ahead of them and had to dial that message back a little bit and reach out to our surgeons, in particular, to reassure them that we were ready for them so that they could be ready for their patients,” she said.

The health system has also quickly learned the importance of “showing” consumers that their campuses are safe, rather than just “telling” them. That included incorporating patient stories from individuals who visited for delayed care and had a positive experience. 



SHSMD members can read the full article from the most recent edition of Spectrum, including details on how Beaumont used patient stories, measured the impact of the campaign and maintained a consistent brand. Nonmembers, learn more about SHSMD here and join. SHSMD members can also share resources, ideas and questions with peers in the MySHSMD community.

For more on responding to COVID-19, visit the SHSMD collection of COVID-19 resources, including links to AHA resources, the SHSMD podcast series COVID-19 Conversations and materials for crisis communications during COVID-19.

Looking to enhance your skills and network with peers? Sign up for updates on SHSMD Connections Bytes, a virtual conference coming up in October. Registration includes on demand access to Navigating a New Reality Virtual Conference and #MayoSHSMD Advanced Social Media and Digital Marketing in Health Care Virtual Conference.
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