Health system CEOs have a substantial undertaking. Given the current spirit of the holiday season, you might compare a CEO to a certain jolly fellow in the North Pole and the great responsibility that accompanies his role.
Of course, Santa’s advantage is that he has all those extra helpers. If you’ve ever seen Elf or a similar holiday movie, you know his elves are efficient, productive, and happy. To quote Will Ferrell’s character, “Smiling’s my favorite.” And, elves are always aligned in mission—something not always possible for hospital marketing and healthcare staffing departments, given their varying responsibilities.
To better sync up these two entities’ efforts, and realize growth as a result, it’s time to turn to targeted email.
Coming Together for a Shared Goal
The key is getting all departments to work together in communicating benefits to the target audience, and email is the best way to achieve that
Hospital marketing departments encounter plenty of challenges outside of staffing, such as stemming out-migration, increasing case volume, and expanding service lines. These internal departments may not be coordinating efforts with healthcare staffing professionals, whether those staffers are in-house or commissioned via external staffing firms. As the saying goes, the left hand may not know what the right hand is doing and vice versa—or, equally debilitating, what the right hand really has to offer.
For example, the elements of value discussed in this previous blog are great selling points for both attracting physician candidates and bolstering the health system as a whole. Features like career growth opportunities within the health system, top ratings or awards, and a positive community culture are all desirable assets health systems can leverage.
The key is getting all departments to work together in communicating benefits to the target audience, and email is the best way to achieve that.
Working Together, Elf Style
As most marketers know, a generic message to a broad audience is largely ineffective, as is using patient newsletters to disseminate physician information. A smarter strategy is to segment and target specific audiences based on interest and need.
For the purposes of this conversation—getting departments to combine and optimize efforts á la elf style—that might look like either of the following:
1) Developing an internal hospital campaign that invites current staff to share open positions with personal or professional contacts who may be interested in joining the health system. “People will trust other people over corporate channels,” said Shaunda Zilich, global talent brand manager for Qualtrics, in a RecruitingTrends.com article. Hospitals may even consider implementing a referral program, promoted by digital means, that rewards staff for bringing candidates to the table.
It’s imperative to be able to segment your database appropriately—an endeavor that’s only possible when using a high-quality email list
2) A “spotlight” on a specific department in a highly-targeted physician candidate campaign, highlighting open positions. The messaging could be something like, “If you join the cardiology department at North Pole Health System, you’ll be working with Dr. Dasher, Dr. Dancer, and Dr. Blitzen.” A brief bio would accompany each physician’s photo and the messaging would also include positive attributes about the specific department as well as overall hospital culture.
Securing the “Nice” List
Both strategies personalize outreach and foster a healthy peer-to-peer environment. But, for either to work, it’s imperative to be able to segment your database appropriately—an endeavor that’s only possible when using a high-quality email list that includes comprehensive physician profiles. You may not achieve the “all-knowing” level of the beloved Mr. Claus, but by partnering with a trusted email vendor, you can get close.
