“Dumb down” marketing for vets?

Connecting with pet owners is essential.  To do this, practices have to speak their language – and make services and information meaningful and relevant to pet owners.
When I talk about this, the reaction I sometimes get is, “Oh, we have to 'dumb it down'.” My response:  “No. There is no party here that is dumber or smarter.  This is about UNDERSTANDING YOUR AUDIENCE and what will resonate with them.”
For example, as a marketing professional, I could say to practices:

• Would you like to try a market assessment today? 
• How about letting me conduct an external analysis followed by a content analysis of your front desk telephone interactions? 
• Or, I would like to conduct experiential study of your staff’s interaction with pet owners exercising a set of predetermined pet owner variables.

Ready to sign on?
Probably not.  Because the above list of marketing practices doesn't mean a thing to most practices.  But I would NEVER suggest that we need to “dumb down” marketing for veterinarians.  I wouldn't do this any more than I would suggest that we need to “dumb down” veterinary medicine for pet owners.
Instead, let’s be mindful that different disciplines have their own language and buzzwords.  The smart marketing pro and the smart veterinarian know that the first rule of any type of meaningful interaction is to KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE and ADAPT your MESSAGE to THEM.
Instead of “dumbing down”, let’s smarten UP – by reaching out to our audience in a way that they can understand us. 

To schedule your FREE one-hour marketing consultation, contact Linda Wasche at LindaW@LWmarketworks.com or 248-253-0300.

Do you have a particular marketing question or dilemma that you would to see addressed in  a future blog?  Email LindaW@LWmarketworks.com.

Human healthcare embraces patient-centered model

What are the applications to veterinary medicine?
I have been reading a lot about patient-centered healthcare – a concept actually developed more than a decade ago, but one that has taken years to be put into practice by many healthcare providers.  As a patient myself, I am seeing bits and pieces – practitioners who are embracing the new model full speed ahead – and others – including entire institutions -- that are lagging.
For those not yet familiar with the concept of patient centered care, it means – in a nutshell – focusing on the whole being and not just the illness, full disclosure of medical information, partnering with the patient for improved outcomes and patient empowerment through information / education.  The goal, of course, is to boost partner compliance and participation in preventive care and ultimately reduce human healthcare costs and medical errors.  If you are not already familiar with this concept, you might want to read Crossing the Quality Chasm:  A New Health System for the 21st Century (available from Amazon.com.)
As a patient, here's what I am seeing among those physicians embracing the concept:

• Continuous care --  via phone and email to answer questions and make me smarter about my health.
• Access to my full medical records information via online portals.
• Information sharing through emailed articles and booklets.
• Helping the patient prepare for appointments and tests with questionnaires, checklists and other such tools.
• Individualized care in which my health concerns are discussed openly, options given and it’s made clear that decision is mine.

During the past 4-5 months, I have “fired” 3 doctors who, for whatever reasons, chose not to follows these standards.  I have been interviewing new doctors based on these principles.  What am I finding?  The docs who embrace patient-centered medicine are doing it “gung ho” – finally.  And the changes are obvious and very valuable to someone who – in my case – appreciates -- and demands -- being an active part of her healthcare decisions.
What patients want from their healthcare providers is changing – and I believe that with this will come changes in what pet owners come to expect from their veterinarians.  In any case, patient-centered care is something that all veterinary practices should take a close look at – along with applications to their own client services.  As more pets are considered part of the family, it only makes sense that their humans will come to expect human-quality care.
Stayed tuned to this blog for more on patient-centered care.

To schedule your FREE one-hour marketing consultation, contact Linda Wasche at LindaW@LWmarketworks.com or 248-253-0300.

Do you have a particular marketing question or dilemma that you would to see addressed in  a future blog?  Email LindaW@LWmarketworks.com.