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Successful Hospice Growth in an Increasingly Competitive Market
Successful Hospice Growth in an Increasingly CompetitiveMarket
9/25/2019
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Successful Hospice Growth in an Increasingly Competitive MarketLisa Novak, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Illinois Hospice
Stan Massey, Lead Consultant, Transcend Strategy Group
The Lay of the Land
Why Northern Illinois Hospice needed to step up their marketing efforts
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The Lay of the Land
The situation
36-year-old hospice care agency
First provider in the region, one of the first 50 in the U.S.
Outdated brand imagery and messaging
Highly competitive service area
New players entering market
Organizational drift
The Lay of the Land
The brutal facts
Experienced provider
10 years of advertising – TV, radio, billboards
Expansive volunteer network
Decades of partnerships
Not the clear choice
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The Lay of the Land
Evaluating the brand
Organizational discernment
Is rebranding a wish or need?
Marketing ROI
The elephant in the room
The benefit of marketing
Which is better: referral or strategic marketing?
The Lay of the Land
What is a brand?
A brand is shorthand for what a company, product or service stands for
A promise
Emotional
Personal
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The Lay of the Land
Brand transformation
The Lay of the Land
The process
Identify differentiators
Develop meaningful key messages
Market your brand
Be prepared for success
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Distinguish yourself
What differentiates you from competitors?
Distinguish Yourself
What sets you apart?
Conduct research in your market to get a pulse on consumer.
Most consumers don’t know they have a choice in hospice providers.
Few consumers can correctly name a single provider of hospice care in their community.
Even if they know multiple hospices serve the community, very few can name a difference between providers.
Can you guess what is cited most as a differentiating attribute?
Hint: It has nothing to do with tax status or the care provided.
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Distinguish Yourself
What matters most to patients and families?
I am going to read some benefits that hospice care typically provides. Please tell me which benefit would be the most valuable to you if you were caring for a family member at the end of their life.
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
All/can't decide
Providing spiritual support
Teaching you as a caregiverhow to provide the best care
Being available 24/7for assistance
Helping the patientbe more comfortable
3%
6%
13%
39%
39%
Develop meaningful messages
Draw upon your differentiators
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Develop Meaningful Messages
Tailor your efforts to your audience
Family healthcare decision makers
What do family healthcare decision makers want?
Go back to what research revealed.
Professional healthcare referrers
Make it easy for them to make the decision and make the referral.
Use data to back up your claims.
Your internal team
Help them understand the “why.”
Develop Meaningful Messages
What’s in it for them?
Messaging should focus on the benefit to patients and families
Instead of this … Say this …
Oldest Most experienced
Our hospice does this …. What are your needs?
We are available 24/7 You can call us anytime day or night
Focusing on end of life Focus on goals for living
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Market your brand
Best practices to reach key audiences
Market Your Brand
You are marketing a service no one wants!
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Market Your Brand
Decision maker’s journey
Market Your Brand
Reaching family healthcare decision makers
Maximize your message
Research shows that an audience needs to hear/see a new message a minimum of nine times before it begins to sink in.
“Numbers game” of hitting maximum of target audience so when need arises, you’re top-of-mind.
Multimedia
Traditional media vehicles to build awareness.
Highly targeted digital media to deliver information when family needs it.
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Market Your Brand
For patients – a focus on living
Market Your Brand
For caregivers – unsurpassed support
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Market Your Brand
Professional healthcare referrers
Integrated referral marketing strategy
Use data to back up your claims
Improve outcomes
Reduce readmissions
Increase performance scores
Make sure “brand” is always recognizable– in all communications and interactions
Market Your Brand
Your internal team
Your greatest brand ambassadors
Not just staff, volunteers too
Help them understand the “why”
External and internal brand elements work in tandem
What do they need to know to live the brand? Everything we do supports or detracts from our brand promise.
Every touch, every employee plays a part.
Give examples of how they make an impact in their role.
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Be prepared for success
Addressing operational considerations
Be Prepared for Success
What would you want to represent your brand?
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Be Prepared for Success
Refine processes
Staffing Model Processes(admissions, telephone, intake, etc.)
Decision Making
Be Prepared for Success
Agency readiness
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Be Prepared for Success
Professional healthcare referrers
430 477 555 509
60
78
113 114
0
40
80
120
0
200
400
600
2015 2016 2017 2018
AD
C
REFE
RRA
LSReferrals ADC
Referrals up 18%
ADC up 90%
Be Prepared for Success
Outcomes
31% increase in patients served
89% increase in patient days
306 385 427 402
21,891
28,893
41,152 41,359
0
15,000
30,000
45,000
2015 2016 2017 20180
150
300
450
PATIE
NT
DA
YS
PATIE
NTS
SER
VED
Patients Served Patient Days
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Be Prepared for Success
Current Situation
Even more competitors
Some transferring their “history” to our market
Processes continue to be reviewed and refined
What works for an ADC of 100 may not work for 150
Ongoing commitment to alignment organization-wide
Be Prepared for Success
Your brand is the unique combination of your culture, your operations and your communications.
Make sure each is focused on exceptional care for patients … and you’ll stand out in the crowd.
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Lisa Novak CEO Northern Illinois [email protected]
Stan MasseyLead ConsultantTranscend Strategy [email protected]
Questions?
