When you unveil new technology investment or add a new surgeon at your ASC, how will you let the community, your payers and referral sources know?
AskMariaTodd!

Maria Todd is a specialist marketing, branding and ASC business development. She brings you the ideas, strategies and tactics to deploy intense, focused campaigns designed to pull in as much exposure and recognition to your ASC and/or its surgeons and service line offerings in a very short period of time.

Typically, these very specific and focused marketing campaigns are geared toward ASCs that need to draw as much immediate attention as possible. Whether you’ve purchased robotic technologies for orthopedics, laser ophthalmology technology, no-opioid pain control, or other innovative equipment,  You need a road map and help to utilize a variety of mass media forms to activate an effective brand blitz. And that’s how Maria Todd can help.

How is a brand blitz different from the average marketing strategy?

While an overall marketing strategy for an ASC is traditionally built utilizing various forms of offline media such as brochures mailings, an increasing number of online digital and social approaches are becoming far more prominent. One reason is that certain channels cost less per month than print and other offline and online options.

When you commit to invest over $250,000 in  new technology in an ASC, you are desperate for utilization growth. But you may not have the financial, marketing expertise and staff resources to develop, deploy, and maintain year-long marketing campaigns. This is especially true in the multispecialty ASC setting. Utilizing the “Blitz” method is a fast, efficient solution for achieving immediate success that also sets up a base for long-term growth. 

The Theory Behind a Brand Blitz

Blitz campaigns connect local, regional, and bordering multi-state consumers, trading partners, health plans, employers, unions, and other stakeholders and referral sources with information about your ASC, a new procedure, or special events through the use of mass media.  Mass media is defined as the technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is the primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. The most common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet.

When Maria helps you development rich, local content based on the intricate details associated with your medical services and your unique community. This is where she leverages her experience and expertise in ASC business development. Drawing from her working knowledge of:

  • front office administrative and revenue management operations as a former ASC administrator
  • operations and procedure behind the red line as a former OR nurse
  • training and education in digital marketing certified by Google 
  • operations at the health plans and TPAs drawing upon deep payer-side knowledge about contracting and how health plan medical directors and case managers evaluate the value-based benefits and utilization of what’s available in their network; and
  • having led several ASC clients through their brand blitz campaigns with excellent outcomes and glowing references!

Maria helps ASC clients build brand blitz campaigns with content created to align with what search engines look for and promote on a local, state, regional and national level.In theory, when a blitz campaign is set up correctly, the ASC pushing the campaign quickly appears “everywhere” — on search engine listings through the use of search engine optimization, mobile marketing and advertising, magazine articles and AskTheExpert columns, mentions by influencers, billboards, social channels, and more. The brand blitz creates an experience that positions your ASC:

  • In favorable positions of search engine listings for popular key phrases
  • Surgically pushing online banner ads into geo-targeted, geo-fenced locations and prospects
  • Advertising on popular social media platforms
  • Pull-up lobby banners and signs, and on the television screens on your patient tracking screen and other screens in your lobby and discharge areas
  • Direct e-mailing and first class mailings to special prospects, stakeholders and trading partners
  • Sending press releases to various local media outlets and health beat reporters
  • Unveiling events for community VIPs, the media, and influencers
  • To be noticed by the public sector for the community enhancement, medical tourism and local health access previously or otherwise (through exclusive agreements with vendors) unavailable
  • Through TV and radio commercials, newspaper and other print publication advertisements and special offers
  • Through “lunch with a doc” educational lunch and learn events for consumers, and more.

The idea is that the brand will be spread over so many different spaces in a “blitz” that your ASC’s local population will be eager to learn more because of the relentless exposure to the business’s message.

Why Do It?

Developing a digital blitz strategy to compliment your on-going search optimization campaign is an excellent way to grow your ASC’s  exposure. Through the constant deployment of media, local residents quickly become aware of and interested in your ASC as an alternative to the prices charged by the hospital and other ASCs in the community. Blitz campaigns are excellent catalysts for attracting leads and driving immediate and future surgery bookings and are especially productive when associated with service line procedures that tend to trend seasonally or for new breakthrough procedures and surgical techniques offered by your staff surgeons.

Where does the money come from?

Some ASCs negotiate with community trading partners who will mutually benefit from the blitz to share in the costs. Others negotiate matching marketing funds from technology suppliers. Still others solicit sponsorships and co-opting by other trading partners for lunch and learn and event production costs. The ASC must also have a budget for marketing. None of this is without cost, lots of team effort and campaign specific budgets.  The budgets must also include allowances for consulting and creative expenses, SWAG, postage, catering, printing, and more. 

Contact AskMariaTodd™ today and get the advice you need for your facility and ask for references, too!

Maria Todd is an experienced ASC marketing and business development expert. She has developed complex, wide-scale healthcare marketing campaigns for providers in the USA, Canada, Mexico, South and Central America, Europe, CIS, Asia and in the Caribbean. A published author on various topics in healthcare administration and business development, she contributes to a number of recognized publications in the USA and abroad and speaks at select industry events both in the USA and internationally. 

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Promote New Technology

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You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries.
AskMariaTodd™ keeps you supplied with intelligence you need to create and deploy winning and sustainable strategies, create stronger organizations, healthier bottom lines, and beat the competition.

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(800) 727.4160

Email info@mercuryadvisorygroup.com

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