Do’s and Don’ts of Cause Related Marketing for Imaging Centers

Throughout the year, there are so many opportunities to develop a cause-related marketing campaigns for your imaging center aimed at spreading awareness. Encouraging your local medical community to get involved can be a challenge, but it seems like there is something to celebrate or spread awareness of each month. The key to getting engagement is having your radiology marketers develop strong, personal and emotional campaigns related to these causes.

List of Awareness Months:

January – Weight Loss Awareness Month

February – Black History Month & American Heart Month

March – National Nutrition Month & Women’s History Month

April – Autism Awareness Month

May – ALS Awareness Month

July – Sarcoma Awareness Month

September – National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month & Colon Cancer Awareness Month

November – Prostate Cancer/Men’s Health Awareness Month

>> Read On For More Awareness Months

Once you’ve built time into your annual marketing schedule and set aside a budget to promote your marketing campaigns, how do you make sure that you are ready for radiology marketing success?

Explore these do’s and don’ts of cause-related marketing campaigns:

• DO encourage action and engagement with your campaign as opposed to asking participants to just make a donation or purchase a product. Donating to these causes is of course important, but to make a lasting effect create an opportunity where people can truly get involved by volunteering time or attending an awareness event.
• DON’T pick a cause just because everyone else is jumping on the bandwagon. Your message will fall flat if you’re simply trying to copy others around you and it won’t have the impact you imagined.
• DO select a cause you and your staff feel passionate about. The more dedicated you are to the cause, the more effective your campaign will be because people will be inspired to get involved when they see how much it means to you.
• DON’T try to push your own agenda using the campaign as a vehicle for your own benefit. If you’re going to launch a cause-related marketing strategy it should be genuine and contribute to someone other than yourself.
• DO pick something to support that can reach people on a personal level and make it easy for people to participate. Launching a social media campaign would be a good start but give people various ways to get involved. If you only leave them with one option, it’s likely people won’t be as inclined to get involved.
• DON’T be afraid to go big with your campaign and think about how this can turn into an annual activity. Think long-term about how your actions can contribute to the cause you are supporting.

Why Your Radiology Practice Needs a Social Media Strategy

Many radiology groups think social media in the medical field is a waste of time, but we're here to tell you why that just isn't the case. Your practice needs a social media strategy for a number of reasons, but to excel in radiology marketing you don't even have to do much. Healthcare providers are accepting that health care social media is a necessity, but your competition may not yet be on board. 

Let's look at some reasons why your practice needs a social media strategy:

1.     Because it's the best way to reach consumer-driven patients…

Your mother might say, “if Johnny and everyone else was jumping off a bridge, would you do it too?” In this case, your answer should be a resounding, “YES MOM, I’M JUMPING AND I LEFT MY PARACHUTE AT HOME.” Doctors, hospitals and specialists all over the country are using their Facebook business pages to reach patients, so radiology practices must get on board. Patients are turning to Twitter as well, thanks to the Health Care Hashtag project brought to you by Symplur, making weekly tweet chats and hashtags trend within the industry.

2.     Because Search Engine Optimization is your key to success…

SEO practices help your website rank higher for patients searching certain keywords. Want to be the first website to show up when they search for “best doctor in Tampa?” Well, you’ll have to work for it.  New SEO practices have shown that more weight is being put on your social sites.  This means, if you have patients providing reviews and sharing your posts with their friends, you will be in a better position for patients looking online for practices like yours.

3.     Because older people are really into “The Facebook”…

My most active Facebook friend is 100% my Grandma. She “Likes” and shares every post I make, no matter what it is about. She “Likes” every local business she is a patron for, including her doctors.  Specialists like radiologists have a largely elderly patient population, but they assume they aren’t reliable for social engagement. That just couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when it comes to “The Facebook,” as my grandma calls it.

4.     Because you can use Twitter to reach the unreachable…

PR pros don’t tell you this secret openly, but Twitter is the most affordable and easiest way to reach your local media.  Industry leaders, community influencers and news reporters are all over Twitter. You can open lines of communication with them and then when they have the chance to highlight you or use you as a resource, you’ll be ready.

5. Because people like to complain…

People are much more inclined to share negative experiences than positive ones. Let’s face it, by nature, we like to whine and complain. Often, your disgruntled patients will turn to social sites like Facebook, Google Places or Yelp to air your dirty laundry.  If you don’t manage your pages, you can’t defend your practice, correct the situation and improve the patient’s impression of you. Care doesn’t end when your patients walk out the door; you need to be accessible to them.

Read More: What If My Practice Gets a Bad Review on Facebook