Trends from #MASHSMD23: It all comes down to trust

Trust.

Internally and externally, how does your system build and maintain trust, or recognize when there are breakdowns? How does this manifest across your communications, events, and feedback?

That was the big through-thread of MASHSMD's annual conference this year. A pretty heady topic for a regional conference, but an important focal point that we sometimes lose sight of.?It's the undercurrent of every touchpoint you have with those who receive and give care in your communities.

Here's how it shows up:

In your communications.

Hi, yes, Captain Obvious here, but if we're talking about it, clearly we need a reminder. Being inclusive in your communications—in your campaigns, website, visuals, and language—is critical. Our audiences, what they expect, and how they see themselves is wildly different than it's ever been, and not being actively cognizant of that will cost you in patient acquisition as well as employee recruitment. Though several speakers touched on this in a variety of ways, Matt Caylor really drove the point home in his talk, "Design for Everyone," which really could have been expanded into an entire masterclass on empathy and accessibility. Likewise, Laila Waggoner and Dean Browell dug into consumer insights and how health systems are perceived in the wake of market disruptors, and this may surprise nobody but trust issues are a big thing systems are up against.

If our purpose is to connect with people when they need us the most, we must meet them where they are.

Takeaway: Be intentional. Ensure that diverse voices are at the table early and are heard throughout the process. Know that you're already on your back foot when it comes to trust, and operate as if you have to earn it back. Because you do.

In your policies.

Oh, boy is this a big one. Because policies can't be tomes on a shelf, they have to be integrated into your culture and that takes a lot of work and dedication. Stacy Haddock gave us a vulnerable look at the work she's done at Delaware Health Information Network to build their burgeoning DEI policies, which is doubly challenging at a small organization (as I can relate). It's a lot of work to make sure that it's being done with the right mindset, for the right reasons, and in the right-est* way.

And though she was speaking from an internal perspective, this is critical to patient acquisition, too. Consumers want to know that they're engaging with organizations that share their values,** and will actively reject brands that either miss the mark or ignore it completely. As Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman, "Big mistake. Huge."

Takeaway: Vulnerability and the commitment to continuing education, admitting that you don't have all the answers but you're seeking them, is hard but necessary.

In your practices.

Words and pictures are great (hi, it's what we do), but the rubber hits the road in how you show up. If your events and fundraising practices aren't in alignment with how you present, the mask will slip, and fast. We had two great panels on events and fundraising that touched on everything from strategy to rollout, but the cohesive takeaway was that we have got to give our communities what they actually want, not what we think they want. That was already changing before COVID, but the pandemic sped up the process.

Oh, and if this wasn't obvious: people will not show up to your events nor will they donate their hard-won dollars if they don't...what? Trust you. It's all a flywheel.

Takeaway: Get in alignment with your community. Ask them what they need, what they value, and then act on that. Old ways of doing have atrophied our muscles; build new ones.

But here's the thing: all of this? It's just the right thing to do. We shouldn't be doing it as a means to an end. It should just be. Stop. Think. Ask questions. Be curious. Don't be afraid to have the hard conversations. Keep pushing. Find allies who believe in it too and forge the path. This community has your back.

And a final thought, said best by my good friend Laila Waggoner: "Regional conferences are the lifeblood of this industry." These events are small and mighty***, put on by tight teams of passionate volunteers that believe in the collective mission of healthcare marketing. Go to your regional events and support those chapters. Get involved. It's going to take all of us to be successful.

*Right-est (adj.) — The closest approximation to the best way to do something; trying your hardest while admitting that you are still learning. Did I make this word up? Maybe. Language is fluid.

**As a B-Corp, we are beholden to certain standards to achieve and maintain our certification, but I can say that the payoff for these practices cannot be fully quantified. Doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do contributes to your business in profound ways that you really can't experience until you just do the thing.

***Officially calling for a moratorium on "small BUT mighty." Small teams that do a lot are badasses and this phrase undermines the grit we all have. Say it with me: small AND mighty.?