Circle Social
Elevating Organizations through Patient-Centered Marketing

An old adage in marketing is to stop talking about yourself and start talking about what interests your customers. This is as true for communications with patients in healthcare as it is for other businesses.

The plethora of healthcare solutions today is often overwhelming and confusing for patients. Should they go to the hospital, their PCP, a private clinic, or a franchised location? With so many providers in every city offering the same services, why choose one over the other?

Marketing is more than bringing patients into your program or facility; it needs to be core to one’s mission as a healthcare provider. Marketing’s job is to help patients navigate the complex world of healthcare so they can find the right treatment for them.

Too often, healthcare providers fall into the trap of talking about themselves or promoting vanilla solutions. “Do you have a health issue? Well, we have got treatment for that!” That’s like your core marketing message being, “Are you hungry? We serve food!” Not only is this not a compelling message, but it also does not educate, inform, or help potential patients navigate the healthcare space— much less understand why they should choose your organization over the 30 other providers in the community that meet the exact needs.

Speaking with Nick Jaworski, CEO of Circle Social Inc. and who’s a recent recipient of the Patient-Centered Marketing Award in Indiana, he states,

“Too much marketing in healthcare is bland, uninspired, and, frankly, not overly helpful to the patient or family. Our most successful campaigns are the result of deep collaboration with our clients. We analyze the competitive environment and then center campaigns around the core differentiators that help our clients stand out from the sea of sameness often evident in competitor campaigns. Designing marketing campaigns that put patient education and support first results in the patients growing to trust our client more than competitors, ultimately choosing them for their care.”

As an example, Nick cited a recent campaign Circle Social had done for Recovery Centers of America (RCA). The organization had been promoting its “evidence-based care,” but, as Nick pointed out, this is a common buzzword found on almost every healthcare provider’s website these days. The team at Circle Social took the time to engage with RCA’s clinical team and facility leadership to understand exactly how they implemented evidence-based practices.

The result was a multipronged campaign across digital, traditional, and in-person channels that educated community partners and residents on what made RCA unique. Within three months of launching the campaigns, the census grew by 36 percent, and several new large health systems—with which RCA had struggled to build relationships—began to refer to the program.

When organizations put themselves in the shoes of their patients and think strategically about how they position themselves within the sea of healthcare solutions, they are able to accurately and effectively target audiences, tailor messages, and achieve results across marketing efforts.