The Do’s and Don’ts of Hospital branding

What is the first thing that you remember while you think of purchasing a chocolate…more than 70 percent of people think of Cadbury. What comes to your mind when thinking of photocopying …it may be Xerox? This is the power of branding. These companies have successfully branded their products or services so well that the consumer thinks of their brands every time he/ she wants to make a purchase.

The same philosophy is true of hospital branding. In today’s highly competitive healthcare scenario, where new players enter the market every year…it is necessary that you trumpet your presence loud and clear. It is not just enough to have the most advanced systems and technology, to recruit the most eminent medical professionals, to ensure excellence in services from start to finish…it is equally important to create a brand identity for your healthcare facility. Gone are the days when a patient relied only on the advice of a doctor close to his residence. Today, tech-savvy patients are ready to browse through a myriad maze of data before finally deciding on their medical destination, hence it is essential that your healthcare facility should have a prominent and consistent brand identity. This can be achieved through a well-planned Hospital Branding exercise.

Do’s

1. Create a strong Brand message

Brainstorm with your core members to understand what are all the attributes that should personify your brand. Gather both qualitative and quantitative data to understand what your current patients, your workforce, your associates and your consultants consider to be your best focus points. Out of the ten possible points, pick up one or two to highlight and construct a Brand Image around them.

E.g., If your analysis reveals that your Healthcare facility has top-notch physicians on its panel, you can construct the foundation of your Brand Image on this.

2. Make yourself different

In today’s era of fierce competition, differentiation that is the art of positioning your brand as unique and making it stand apart from others is the only thing that can help you captivate your potential customers. Ask yourself “What makes my hospital or healthcare facility different?”. Understand why your patients choose you over others and build your brand story around this. Make an effort to understand the key components of your hospital or healthcare facility’s unique value proposition and then use this USP in your brand messaging.

3. Know both your customers and competitors

Before concretization of your hospital’s brand story, you should do a thorough analysis of your customers. This should include a deep analysis into your potential patients’ needs, their expectations and the trends that influence their choices. E.g., The social media -savvy customers of today show the preference to be linked with causes that are close to their hearts. So, if your healthcare facility is carrying out any community-aid activities like free Healthcare camps for the underprivileged etc., you should weave these stories in your hospital branding exercise. At the same time, you should also keep tabs on the campaigns and communications that are being carried out by your competitors.

Don’ts

1. Don’t make false promises

Your Healthcare facility’s branding story should be built around attributes that are creditable and deliverable. If you claim that your patients will have access to the most advanced technology, you should be in a position to deliver this. Your words should be in sync with your actions. You should also be able to support your Healthcare facility’s branding story with tenable accreditation, awards or recognitions.

2. Don’t give mixed signals

All the branding inputs of your hospital or healthcare facility including your logos, your taglines, your visual elements, your promotions, your content all should seem unified and reflect the same look, feel and message.

3. Don’t associate with negative content

Many healthcare brands make the mistake of trying to capture attention through morbid images of diseases and suffering people. This can create a wrong association. Instead of focusing on the illness part, focus on positive elements like compassion, support, wellness, hope, cure and healing. This can make a better impact on your potential customers. Use inspiring and life-changing testimonials of your successes to boost your healthcare branding.

To summarize, your Hospital’s Brand Identity is one of your biggest assets and can play a make-or-break role in your healthcare facility’s long-term success. Through proper healthcare branding, you can craft the brand image you want to project for your Healthcare facility. Your hospital brand image is a cumulative representation of your vision, your accomplishments, your USP, your promises and your commitment. Use these tips to curate a workable brand strategy for your healthcare facility. If you need any help in this regard, please get in touch with Hospertz, a professional hospital consultancy firm with more than two decades of experience.

Blog has been written by Dr. Vishal Jadhav, a veteran in the field of hospital consultancy with a rich experience of more than 20 years and founder of the Healthcare Consultancy Firm, Hospertz.
Dr. Vishal Jadhav, Director
hospertz@gmail.com
+91 9867712705/ 9820833149