Getting back to "normal"

OK, how many of you want to make this your email signature right now?

If getting back to normal means nothing more than less Zoom calls in your day, my guess is that most of us would do almost anything to "get back to normal."

Eventually we have to be serious about this, though. Humans crave stability. You, your patients, me, our clients - all of us need things to be "normal." It's part of our job as leaders, marketers and human beings to help society begin to feel just a little bit more stable however we can.

At this very moment, there is a near endless supply of webinars to attend talking about what to do in COVID-19 crisis mode and how you should be working toward the post-COVID new normal. But if we're all honest, getting back to normal just means executing with excellence on the universal principles we should have been operating from anyway.

Below are six of these principles that are particularly important right now along with a thought about how to execute them well. While I put a healthcare marketing spin on the application, the principles themselves apply to anyone.

Principle: Know your Audience. Current application: Start with Empathy.

There is without question pent up demand. Elective procedures and even those that were not elective but people held off on because of the risk haven't magically gone away. Heck, I'm one of them. I have a toe surgery that needs doing, but I'm waiting until we're past this crisis. Your community may not want to rush back into hospitals immediately. At the same time, hospitals are hurting financially and need the most profitable service line revenues to not only come back but to rush onto the scene fast and as large as possible. Starting your marketing messaging with empathy has always been important, but no more so. Help patients take the steps they are comfortable with. Let them know you're still here, seeing patients and providing care like you have for "x" years in the community. Give them a sense of continuity. For those who aren't ready to venture into your buildings again, let them know how you can help them get second opinions, how you can keep them informed with updated information (CRM), or learn about procedures and providers through offering webinars. These are things you can do right now. Doing so will help you channel as much of the demand as possible toward your organization.

Principle: Timely/relevant messaging. Current application: Emphasize Safety.

Helping patients know they are safe and feel safe is almost ridiculous to point out. (Captain obvious to the rescue!) However, being obvious doesn't always mean it is executed well. Get creative in helping people feel safety. Maybe interview some of your providers, operations teams, patient experience and facilities people on how they ensured safety in the worst of times and how they are pushing that even further now. Show videos of the buildings where you're providing care away from COVID patients that show separation, cleanliness, bright and cheerful environments while still maintaining safety protocols. Share with patients the digital options they have so they can receive care away from the buildings or limit human interactions. Maybe even get crazy and think of things like a restaurant system of receiving a text 5 minutes before the provider will be ready to see them. That could let patients not have to sit in the waiting room and only come inside when it is their turn.

Principle: Your brand is everything. Current application: People are your brand.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, fire fighters and police officers were rightly national heroes. After this crisis, healthcare workers are the new heroes. Everyday while we stay at home trying to not get sick and spread the disease, they willingly put their lives on the line for those who were unable to remain healthy. That kind of dedication and courage has left a lasting impression on the psyche of our country. Especially in healthcare, the people have always been the brand, have always been heroes. Now is the time to put your creative energies into leveraging this to help your community and patients truly see the people who make your organization great. Doctors, advance practice providers, mid-levels, staff/employees, affiliated providers, etc. Make sure that everywhere a patient looks for care or health information, they see how incredible your people are. Which ties into the next principle...

Principle: Choose the right medium. Current application: Online dominates our worlds.

The emergence of consumers and patients using the Internet for everything is far from new. However, most provider organizations allocate a fraction of the people and dollars needed to truly create a consumer-centric digital experience. This means everything from early stage discovery with content, CRM and a unified online presence for your physicians as well as later stages with your own Find a Doctor solution, online scheduling, telehealth, review management solutions and even post-visit follow-up and engagement via digital channels.

Principle: Create easy experiences. Current application: Convenience and telehealth.

The genie is out of the bottle on this one. The entire industry was forced into telehealth in some way over the course of weeks. Patients will now expect it. Corollary? Patients will now expect optimal convenience in all ways. They want control - because they've felt out of control in profound ways. Give it to them with published wait times, online scheduling, telehealth, easy ways to provide feedback, prescription refills online, etc.

As a healthcare marketer, you've no doubt heard healthcare is always 3-5 years behind everyone else and that healthcare just moves slowly. Right now you are at a juncture in time where suddenly you have not only the ability, but the organizational imperative, to move fast. Use this to build your infrastructure, processes, strategies and team to ensure your organization can win in the new normal.

Principle: Have a plan. Current application: Have a plan.

Sometimes it is nice to know that the principle and the application are one in the same. I've always loved this quote:

A plan is nothing, planning is everything. - Dwight Eisenhower

The key here is to go through the exercise of planning including scenario planning and use that process to build a strong common understanding of the mission in your organization. This way, as the situation evolves it doesn't require going back to scratch. You've let the process of planning prepare you to move quickly and stay on mission - which is getting to profitability.

Some of the questions are old staples. What service lines are your most profitable? Where are you most dominant with market share currently? Where do you have capacity? Where do you have a chance to gain more market share? In what locations or service lines do you provide the best patient experiences (so you can garner good reviews from the volume)? Focus on these. Have a plan for not just what you will do, but what you will say no to and how you'll justify the no. Because the no is likely to be to a physician leader or executive who will be able to leverage a strong amount of pressure to make you say yes.

It is imperative organizations stay highly focused on how they can win both the immediate latent demand from patients as well as the 2nd order effect of that wave. Like the adoption bell curve, there will be those who come out immediately and seek the care they want and need. But then there will be those of us who wait for a bit. The "early adopters" end up being influencers on the next group based on the experiences they have. That's why this group waits - to see how it works out for the first group.

Ultimately, we all have to ask ourselves how we're applying these principles and how we can incorporate them into helping patients and our team members feel "normal" again. Now let's get to work doing them - or our lives may turn into one long Zoom call!