Remember that doctor who was having his small clinic in your area, where you have to patiently get in with trust on doctor as if he is god and come out taking all measures he suggests you for your wellness without any criticism. Right? That’s because you had faith, and since he was the only one in your area lead you to depend on him also. Good old days were keeping a personal touch with friend’s, relatives instead of techno touch, that always enhanced our knowledge about who is visiting which particular doctor in town? Where did they get treated or people suggesting where one shouldn’t visit, word of mouth was a trustworthy source of information.
Today in 2020, competition has got stiff, due to hectic lifestyles we hardly meet people and if we do prefer talking on generic things instead of focusing on medical aspects. People are comfortable sitting at their comfort zone, checking physician/surgeon reviews on sites or take part in faceless discussions on platforms such as www.practo.com.Dependence has increased from referrals, prior experience to Reviews and aggressive Research. We always have a specific image of each hospital in your surroundings, and that’s where branding plays an essential role. Does branding influence your perception in terms of which hospital to go? Why? What value is it offering?
What is Hospital Branding?
Branding in the Healthcare system revolves around trust and familiarity to create a distinct image from competitors. Along with core benefits such as quality service, world-class treatment, best physicians and medical equipment there are other crucial aspects which hospital should focus on branding elements such as hospital color, theme, positioning, and an identity which is directly connecting to human physiological behavior.
HOSPITAL BRANDING: IT’S ABOUT HEARTBEAT AND NOT CHEST BEAT
Brand design agency is connect emotionally about how you feel, hope, perform, dream about the hospital. It’s a promise to provide tangible as well as intangible benefits to you and interests always make our Heart Beat. Empathy also plays a vital role in the concept of Heartbeat. Doctor should make sure that he creates a mentally positive impact on the patient. while Chartbeat is described as branding first cousin “selling”, and this concept sucks over Heartbeat in the healthcare sector, for example, Levi’s is known for creating Heartbeat with the feeling of freedom and relaxation and not with thread count or fabric data. This way, branding engages with Heartbeat resulting in customer loyalty and chest beat involves with factual data resulting in the concept of selling.
STRATEGIES THAT MAKE HOSPITAL BRANDING SUCCESSFUL
1.BRAND RESEARCH
Even before you launch your brand, gathering of qualitative as well as quantitative data is must step as part of your brand strategy.
Competitive as well as health care sector research is mandated step to establish your brand.
2.BRAND POSITIONING
Brand positioning is an art, as well as a science.
Positioning in healthcare sector deals with the level of care, honesty, reliability the brand is in the eyes of customer .Brands distinct values than that of competitors make patients feel special and taken care of are worthwhile investments.
3.BRAND IDENTITY
Brand identity comprises a message that includes tones, word choice and visual elements such as logo, colors, a font that acts as the face of your brand.
Colors play a very crucial role in creating your brand image and some substantive commonality in the use of color:
Red – Color of passion, energy can be intimidating and hence associated with heart, blood pressure, Spine and motor.
Green – It is aseptic, the color of fertility and balance.
Blue – Associated with calming and relaxing. The Society of Critical Care Medicine recommends for such calming colors that promote rest in critical care units.
Violet – Purple or violet is associated with the head, nervous system and cerebral activity, also representing mental health and epilepsy worldwide.
Pink – Its more feminine and warm so representing breast cancer.
Gold – Hallmark of therapy
4.BRAND STORY, EXPERIENCE AND ACTIVATION
Achieving a strong brand story is possible by maintaining consistency. If you claim to value patients and hung up them on the phone for 10 minutes then definitely you are killing your brand.
It’s a brand strategy of collaborating your stakeholders, physicians, receptionist and every person who is representing the real expression of your brand. Total quality management concept includes tangible as well as intangible elements and plays a vital role in sustaining the quality of the brand.
Various external marketing campaigns can also help to enhance your brand for example
Mayo Clinic conducts past and current patients to be a “Mayo Clinic Champion.” which are their brand ambassadors and are encouraged to share their story and advocate for other patients.
Successful patient emotional stories also help to build a brand.
Cancer patients are brand ambassadors for successful stories for Tata cancer hospital Mumbai as they also create awareness and share their own motivational stories.
5.WAYFINDING SIGNAGES
Patients, family members, expected parents and new staff come to your space facing significant moments in their lives. Your brand should be there to receive a diverse public with care, reassurance and warmth. However, many times, floorplans of many hospitals are complicated and intimidating to visitors. That creates wayfinding challenges at times when people are already anxious and distracted.
So images in the healthcare sector should add a sense of professionalism, as it can lead to patient dissatisfaction where customers are frequently lost and disoriented
Seattle Children’s Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital Branding are great examples of innovative wayfinding.
They have created a meaningful relationship between the zones, based on the geography of the Pacific Northwest: Forest, River, Mountain, and Ocean.
Signage should truly enhance the experience of the patient
Wayfinding in healthcare if done right does more than just direct patients from point A to B: it’s a pillar of exceptional patient experience, the shift of frustrating ordeal into a fluent, engaging journey. A more unified experience between tech, the built environment, and the staff is critical to alleviating stress and maximizing efficiency.
CONCLUSION
Branding strategies in the healthcare industry is dependent and based on consumer satisfaction, recall of brand and create a visible position of the brand.
You might need help with this process. Reach out to BigBang Creations today as for healthcare Success; we have the experience to define and refine ideas and mould them into a compelling and unique brand.