Maximize Growth with Targeted Strategy

As a business leader, you're tasked with the ever-evolving challenge of driving growth. Whether you're at the helm of a startup or leading an established organization, the opportunities for growth can feel endless. New markets, product or service lines, technologies, and partnerships all promise exciting prospects. But when there are too many opportunities, it’s easy to become overwhelmed, unsure of which direction to take. How do you navigate this sea of possibilities and make decisions that will actually drive growth?

The key is developing a focused target. Here's how you can take control of your growth strategy and make the decisions that will deliver real results.

1. Start with Your Core Goals

Before diving into any opportunity, ensure that every decision aligns with your company’s overarching goals. What are you trying to achieve? Is it expanding your market share? Introducing a new product or service line? Enhancing customer or patient loyalty? Focusing on the “why” behind your growth will help you evaluate opportunities more effectively.

If your team is unsure about the company's direction, it’s time to take a step back and clarify these goals before pursuing any new initiative.

I recently worked with a client whose product had potential applications across nearly every industry. It could serve both B2B and consumer markets, which is a very exciting opportunity. However, by trying to serve all audiences, they were effectively serving none. Their website was focused on the consumer market, even though their B2B customers had very different buying needs. Operationally, they were struggling with one-off consumer orders and direct shipping.

Together, we developed a prioritized target audience list, starting with the most engaged group—focusing on the B2B market first. With a long-term plan to reach other audiences, we were able to streamline their website and messaging to align with their core audience. This clarity resulted in an immediate increase in sales and a much more focused approach to their growth strategy.

2. Use a Structured Framework

To effectively narrow down priorities, apply a structured approach. At BE Total Solutions, we use a simple but powerful framework that involves:

• Market and Internal Analysis: Look at both external market dynamics and your internal capabilities. Are you in a position to take advantage of a particular opportunity, or are there gaps that need to be addressed first? What are the low hanging fruit and how can we capture them?

• Strategic Alignment: Evaluate how each potential opportunity aligns with your long-term strategy and KPIs. Is this move scalable? Does it contribute to your vision? If the answer is no, it's probably not worth pursuing.

• Impact vs. Effort: For each opportunity, consider the potential impact and the effort required. High-impact initiatives that require less effort should be prioritized over those that need significant resources but offer limited return.

This approach ensures you're investing your time and resources wisely, focusing on high-value opportunities that align with your goals.

3. Test and Learn

In our fast-paced world, perfect plans are rare. Once you’ve narrowed down your top priorities, test your assumptions. Start small, gather data, and iterate quickly. By learning as you go, you can adjust your strategy as new insights emerge.

How do you know if your new plan/product/service/etc will resonate with customers? The simplest and most effective way to find out is to ask them. Engaging with your audience in real time provides invaluable insights into what works and what doesn’t.

You don’t always need formal research—sometimes, just having a 1:1 conversation during your next meeting or sending a quick email can provide clarity. Social media is another great tool to gauge customer sentiment and feedback.

For more structured insights, consider implementing a Brand Ambassador or loyalty program. This initiative encourages customers to provide regular feedback, share their thoughts on new ideas, and even recommend improvements in exchange for perks like discounted products, early access to new releases, or exclusive insider information. This feedback loop helps you fine-tune your growth strategy based on real customer input, ensuring you're on the right track.

4. Decide: Is This Opportunity a ‘Go’ or ‘No Go’?

This is where the rubber meets the road. After weighing the potential impact, resources, and strategic alignment, you must make a decision. Sometimes, saying no to opportunities that don’t fit your strategy is just as important as saying yes to those that do.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with many startups that were eager to explore every possible idea, hoping something would work. However, much like my client who was targeting too many audiences, trying to do everything at once often results in nothing getting done. It's not about putting all your eggs in one basket, but about streamlining operations and aligning priorities to ensure everyone is pushing the ball in the same direction.

Even personally, as I build my business, I’ve had to say “no” to opportunities that didn’t align with my long-term vision. It’s not always easy to pass on potentially great ideas, but it’s crucial to stay focused on your ultimate goals. Saying “no” sometimes is the best way to ensure you’re not spreading yourself too thin and can fully commit to the opportunities that will drive the most meaningful growth.

5. Communicate and Align Your Team

Clear and consistent communication is often the most underrated yet crucial aspect of any successful strategy. It's not just about making sure everyone knows what to do, but ensuring that everyone is aligned around the “why” behind the decisions being made. When your team understands the purpose and vision of your strategy, they’re better equipped to execute with confidence and consistency.

This is something I emphasize with every client. Even the best-planned strategies can falter if internal communication isn’t handled well. Whether you’re dealing with cross-functional teams or a smaller group, ensuring alignment across the board will help drive your plan forward. As someone who specializes in developing communication plans, I know that how you communicate the strategy is just as important as the strategy itself. A strong internal communication plan ensures that all team members understand their role in driving growth, how their efforts contribute to the larger goals, and how their successes will be measured.

For example, when you’ve made the decision to focus on specific target audiences, your messaging must be clear to everyone, from marketing to sales to customer support. The more aligned the team, the smoother the execution. Regular updates, feedback loops, and ensuring that everyone has the tools and resources they need will keep momentum high.

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If you're feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of growth opportunities and don’t know where to start, don’t hesitate to reach out. At BE Total Solutions, we specialize in helping leaders like you cut through the noise and develop strategic, actionable growth plans. I love helping businesses reach their next level, and I’d be thrilled to help you do the same!

From Vision to Action: Building Strategies for Real Impact

I start every meeting with one question: “What are our goals and objectives?”  Even when my kids were little, I’d ask them what their goal was for a successful day. (Okay, it’s clear I didn’t know how to talk to small children. Luckily, they’re older now—ha!) Yet, goals alone aren’t enough to drive meaningful results. The true differentiator? Translating those goals into tactical, achievable actions that keep a business agile and adaptable. Strategic alignment isn’t just about setting KPIs and hoping for the best—it’s about ensuring that every tactic, every action, brings us closer to realizing that vision.

For me, alignment goes beyond basic planning; it’s the foundation of a business that’s both resilient and future-focused.

Areas of Focus to Drive Real Growth

Many organizations believe they have a clear plan, yet find themselves disconnected when it comes to execution. Some may have great ideas, but they aren’t grounded in the tactical actions needed to bring them to life. For others, silos or lack of cross-functional alignment prevent teams from working effectively toward shared goals. And for many, there’s the struggle to keep strategies flexible enough to respond to changes without losing momentum.

What’s missing is often not ambition but alignment—a roadmap that connects strategy to execution. Here are four key areas where a focused approach can make all the difference in moving from vision to victory:

1. Targeted Focus: Knowing Who You’re Helping

In the rush to serve everyone, organizations can often end up resonating with no one. This is where targeted focus comes into play. It’s about identifying and narrowing down the specific audience you’re best equipped to help and dedicating initial resources to meet their needs. Rather than attempting to solve every problem at once, success often comes from picking a direction and going all-in until you have the bandwidth to expand.  

This isn’t an unusual scenario. Most of my clients—and even my own business—offer solutions that could benefit a range of target audiences. But without a clear focus, marketing efforts tend to get diluted, and messaging can lose its impact. By honing in on one specific audience or need, a company can create messages that truly resonate, establishing a loyal customer base that becomes a strong foundation for future expansion.

Your Action Step: Identify your primary audience, and keep your focus there until you’ve achieved measurable traction. Ask, “Who are we serving best right now, and how can we create undeniable value for them?”

2. Data-Driven Decisions without “Paralysis by Analysis”

Today, there are countless ways to access data and insights—often more than ever before. From free AI tools that provide an initial look at trends to straightforward conversations with your customers about their experiences and perspectives, data has become readily available and actionable. However, using data effectively means finding a balance; too often, organizations get stuck in “paralysis by analysis,” waiting for every piece of information before moving forward.

Successful organizations use data as a tool to guide direction, not as a barrier to action. For instance, an initial survey of current customers can quickly reveal practical insights into challenges or areas for improvement. From there, AI-powered tools or other data analytics can refine these findings, providing a more strategic look at market trends and opportunities. The key is to take that initial data and act on it, even if everything isn’t perfectly clear.

Your Action Step: Begin with the data at your fingertips, and use it to guide your first step forward. Remember, momentum builds success. If you've seen some of my other posts, you'll know that I am also a high school swim coach. As I tell my swimmers, “I just want you to keep moving. Even if you don’t hit the time (goal) today, consistent forward movement will get you there.”

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration as the Standard

Gone are the days when departments operate in silos. While most organizations understand the importance of collaboration, truly driving it requires intentional structure and practices. Effective cross-functional collaboration means creating clear, shared goals, fostering open communication, and ensuring accountability across departments.

Successful collaboration starts with a unified vision. Begin by aligning teams on core objectives and then establish structured touchpoints, such as regular cross-departmental meetings focused on joint progress and shared challenges. Encourage leaders to model collaborative behavior, recognizing and rewarding teamwork and transparency. Many organizations find value in implementing collaborative tools that enhance visibility, like shared project dashboards or team chats, to keep everyone on the same page.

Your Action Step: Start small by forming cross-functional task forces around specific initiatives. Give these teams both the authority and accountability to drive outcomes, and celebrate successes that result from these collaborative efforts. Ask yourself, “Are we creating opportunities for departments to work together intentionally, with shared ownership over results?”

4. Building Flexibility into Every Strategy

In a rapidly changing world, flexibility is a competitive advantage. Strategies that are rigid don’t just lose relevance—they stifle innovation. The key is to create a flexible framework that allows for pivots as new information and opportunities arise. For leaders, this means aligning teams around core goals but building in checkpoints to reassess and adjust as needed.

I once worked in an organization where there was so much change, it was impossible to move forward on anything. I also remember during grad school, my answer for most case studies was "return to core competencies." This means to remember what you're good at; why you created the company; and your ultimate goal. 

Flexibility doesn’t mean constantly changing your approach. It also doesn't mean changing your ultimate goal or vision. Instead, it’s about having predefined points where you evaluate progress and make data-informed adjustments - to continue to drive to your goal. This could mean reassessing your quarterly objectives based on new market data or pausing to realign your product strategy based on consumer feedback. Organizations that excel here have the infrastructure to pivot without losing momentum.

Your Action Step: Establish regular “strategy sprints” or quarterly reviews. These should be times to revisit objectives and assess if tactical adjustments are needed. This not only keeps your team aligned with current realities but also gives you the agility to respond effectively to unexpected changes.

Moving Forward: Practical Alignment Starts Here

Strategic alignment isn’t just about creating a perfect plan; it’s about building the framework that ensures every person, action, and resource is driving toward a shared vision. Leaders who prioritize alignment empower their teams to bring goals to life, creating a resilient organization ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

So here’s my question for you: Are your goals connected by a clear, adaptable roadmap? Are you prepared to bridge the gap from vision to action? As the future unfolds, organizations that are aligned—those who don’t just set goals but also put systems in place to achieve them—are the ones best positioned to succeed.

If you answered “no,” let’s talk—I’d be happy to help you create the strategy that gets you there. And if you answered “yes,” congratulations! I’m excited to watch your journey unfold and cheer on your success.

BE Total Solutions Welcomes Rachel Wiskari as Business Growth Strategist to Drive Strategic Expansion and Client Success

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 23, 2024 (Champaign, IL): BE Total Solutions is pleased to announce the hiring of Rachel Wiskari as our new Business Growth Strategist. Rachel brings a unique blend of academic excellence and practical experience to her new role, recently graduating from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Master of Science in Management. She also has eight years of administrative and business development experience, primarily in the automotive industry, where she honed her skills in building customer relationships and driving business growth.

During her graduate studies, Rachel served as a leadership council representative, showcasing her professionalism and leadership while serving as a key point-of-contact for her cohort. She describes herself as a lifelong learner and is eager to take on new challenges that contribute to both BE Total Solutions and its clients’ success.

In her role, Rachel will focus on identifying new growth opportunities, enhancing client relationships, and providing strategic insights that align with BE Total Solutions’ mission of driving measurable growth for clients across healthcare, technology, and financial services industries.

Key Responsibilities:

• Growth Initiatives: Rachel will lead client acquisition strategies, tapping into her business development expertise to help BE Total Solutions expand its client base.

• Client Solutions: Working directly with clients, she will develop and recommend tailored growth strategies that drive long-term success. Her ability to enhance customer relationships and deliver practical solutions makes her a valuable resource for our clients’ strategic needs.

• Industry Insights: With a strong foundation in Human Resources Management and business development, Rachel will help clients refine their strategies for growth, streamlining their processes and enhancing workplace culture to support sustainable development.

“Rachel’s expertise in business development, coupled with her fresh perspective from graduate school, will significantly enhance our ability to drive results for our clients,” said Erin Mitchell, Founder and CEO of BE Total Solutions. “Her leadership and commitment to creating impactful solutions will be a tremendous asset to both BE Total Solutions and the businesses we serve.”

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BE Total Solutions provides strategic marketing, branding, and business consulting services to companies in healthcare, technology, financial services, and more. We partner with clients to create customized solutions that drive measurable growth and success.

From Crisis to Growth: How Businesses Can Thrive in Uncertain Markets

Economic downturns often feel like a time to pull back, but history has shown that companies that invest strategically during these times are the ones that come out ahead. It’s not just about spending more money—it’s about making smart investments in the areas that matter: your core KPIs, aligning marketing and product strategies, and most importantly, nurturing relationships with your customers. Let’s explore how businesses—both big and small—can thrive during periods of uncertainty by focusing on what truly drives growth.

History Repeats Itself: The Companies That Invest Strategically Win

When it comes to thriving during economic downturns, the data speaks for itself. Companies that maintain or increase their marketing efforts during a recession are positioned to grow their market share significantly once the economy recovers. A study from Harvard Business Review found that businesses that kept their marketing budgets steady during recessions gained a 3.5% market share advantage over competitors that cut their budgets. This advantage proves that staying visible and engaging with customers during tough times can make all the difference when markets bounce back.

Let’s take a closer look at Procter & Gamble during the Great Depression. Yes, they continued to advertise, but they were highly strategic about it. Instead of merely throwing money into traditional advertising, P&G focused on promotional campaigns that built long-term relationships with consumers. They gave away free products like soap through radio shows, using emotional storytelling to connect with their audience in a more personal way. For example, P&G sponsored the popular radio show "Ma Perkins," weaving their products into relatable stories that resonated deeply with families. By doing this, they built brand loyalty that lasted long after the Depression ended. Their marketing was more targeted and cost-efficient, focusing on what their audience needed most, and it worked. It became such an integral part of the show, that it was even referred to as "Oxydol's Own Ma Perkins."

Actionable Insight: The lesson here is that businesses don’t need to increase their marketing budgets indiscriminately—they need to be smarter about how they allocate their resources. This is a moment to focus on high-value content that resonates with your audience. You can offer educational webinars, run promotional campaigns that solve a problem for your customers, or share value-driven social media content that addresses their current pain points. Staying consistent with your brand and messaging while showing empathy can strengthen customer relationships, positioning you to reap the benefits when the economy turns around.

Business Is Changing: Growth Opportunities for Agile Players

While large corporations often find it difficult to pivot quickly, smaller and more agile companies are seeing growth opportunities, especially during uncertain times. These businesses are able to realign their strategies and focus on their core values, often gaining market share while larger companies are bogged down by slow decision-making and cutting essential resources.

A 2021 study from McKinsey shows that companies that stayed agile and adapted their strategies to focus on core KPIs and customer relationships saw growth during downturns. For example, companies that realigned their product and marketing strategies during the 2008 recession were able to retain up to 30% more customers than those that slashed marketing or ignored changing customer needs.

A great example of this is Mailchimp, which continued to focus on customer experience and innovation during the 2008 recession. While many companies were cutting marketing teams, Mailchimp doubled down on providing a seamless user experience and introducing free plans for small businesses. They focused on their core audience—small business owners—and provided value during tough times. This strategy helped them grow their user base significantly, positioning them for the massive success they experienced post-recession.

Engagement Insight: Now is the perfect time for business leaders to reevaluate their KPIs and core values. Are you focusing on the metrics that truly drive growth? Take this opportunity to step back and align your goals with your long-term mission. Ask yourself, are you supporting the right customer segments? Are you delivering the most value where it counts? Sometimes, realigning your focus will reveal new opportunities that may have been previously overlooked. Staying flexible and attentive to these shifts is what will help businesses thrive.

Prioritize Core KPIs for Scalable Growth: The BETS Approach

In uncertain times, focusing on the right KPIs is crucial for sustainable growth. The BE Total Solutions (BETS) approach offers a framework for businesses to zero in on what matters most. BETS stands for:

• Brand: Maintain and enhance brand equity by remaining consistent in your messaging.
• Experience: Ensure a seamless customer experience, even when resources are tight.
• Targeting: Hone in on the most valuable market segments and adjust messaging to fit their needs.
• Strategy: Align both marketing and product strategies with core KPIs to drive long-term success.

Companies that apply this approach stay focused on providing value and consistency, which in turn builds loyalty and trust with their customer base. Take Patagonia, for instance. Even during economic slumps, Patagonia has remained committed to their values of environmental responsibility and high-quality products. They’ve stayed true to their brand messaging while continuing to deliver a strong customer experience, which has helped them maintain an incredibly loyal customer base. By targeting the right audience—those who value sustainability—they’ve been able to thrive, even when broader retail markets have struggled.

Actionable Insight: The BETS approach is about prioritizing your efforts where they’ll have the most impact. Start by focusing on your brand’s core values and the experience you deliver to your customers. Next, identify your most important market segments and double down on efforts that engage them directly. This might mean creating personalized content or refining your customer journey to improve retention. Make sure your marketing and product teams are aligned, so that every initiative contributes to your core KPIs.

The Crucial Role of Leadership: Lessons from History

Leadership in uncertain times requires focus, vision, and the ability to make tough decisions while staying true to your company’s values. The best leaders inspire their teams to innovate and look for new opportunities, even when the road ahead seems uncertain. As we’ve seen with figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt, strong leadership doesn’t just keep the ship afloat—it inspires action and resilience.

One of FDR’s most famous quotes during the Great Depression, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” served as a powerful reminder that panic only breeds more problems. His leadership style, focused on calm, clear communication and long-term vision, gave people a sense of hope and direction when it was most needed.

In the business world, leaders like Howard Schultz of Starbucks provide a great example of turning things around during tough economic times. When Schultz returned to the helm during the 2008 recession, he recognized that Starbucks had overextended itself. Instead of chasing growth for the sake of it, he made the hard choice to close underperforming stores and refocus the brand on delivering the best customer experience possible. This decision, paired with a renewed focus on employee training and core values, allowed Starbucks to thrive in the years following the recession.

Engagement Insight: Business leaders today should take a page from Schultz and FDR: focus on communicating your vision clearly and keeping your team aligned with the company’s mission. Now is the time to lead by example and make strategic, thoughtful decisions that will set your company up for success. Empower your team to reflect on the company’s mission, and bring them into the process of realigning your goals with the realities of today’s market. Strong leadership now will pay dividends in the future.

Conclusion: Thrive with Strategic Focus

Uncertain markets don’t have to mean the end of growth. By focusing on marketing, brand-building, and customer relationships, businesses of all sizes can emerge stronger when the market recovers. Strategic investment, clear leadership, and a focus on the core KPIs that matter most will help you not just survive but thrive.

If you’re ready to realign your strategy and position your business for success, visit my website or message me on LinkedIn to explore how the BE Total Solutions approach can help you grow and build lasting customer relationships, no matter the market conditions.

Building Trust through Relationships: The Key to Authentic Healthcare Marketing

Authenticity in healthcare marketing not only builds trust but also strengthens patient relationships and enhances brand reputation. Yet, cultivating authentic stories is one of the hardest things to do as a healthcare marketer. Incredible stories happen every day - and even stories that are just run of the mill (ie a patient came in sick, were prescribe the right meds and went home to get better). So why is it so hard to find patient stories?

Most of the time, nurses are more than happy to share stories, when they remember to ask the patient or get a minute to think about it. For the nurses, it’s just another day and another item on their ever-growing to-do list. For the patient, it’s everything and nothing all at once. Many of the patients didn’t think their story was special – which is often the best story.

The solution: networking and relationship building. 

Building Relationships with Nursing Stakeholders

The first thing that we did was to build a relationship with key nursing stakeholders. My team and I became known faces and trusted leaders to the nursing leaders in key areas. For example, oncology was a priority service line, so I met weekly with the head of the department. This time was valuable to both of us to identify areas of opportunity, such as any communication issues (internal or external) or upcoming events or new launches. She would also share names of patients who had already given their approval to be contacted by marketing, and some insight into their story.

Bridging the Gap: Marketing and Frontline Staff

Most importantly, we built a relationship and a friendship with the service line leaders. Oftentimes, marketing is separated from those on the frontlines – those who are regularly interacting with patients and the brand. It creates a distrust on both sides. By building a relationship with the entire oncology team, we were each able to share feedback and make changes in a cohesive and trusted way. This relationship made the nursing team feel heard and supported.

Coordinated Digital Storytelling

Once we established these relationships, we could then reach out to the pre-approved patients to follow up on their story. In one specific oncology campaign, we asked the patients to share their story in their own Facebook or Instagram feed. We helped them to create messaging and content that was professional but authentic to them. We even coordinated and scheduled the post to reshare it on our page.

Campaign Success

This campaign had fantastic results. We saw a significant jump in our social media engagement, our NET promoter score, and even a jump in brand preference. This success was not just due to the content but because of the trust and relationships we had built with the nursing staff and the patients.

Conclusion

Building trust through relationships is essential for fostering patient loyalty and enhancing brand reputation. Authentic storytelling in healthcare marketing is challenging but achievable through strong, genuine connections with frontline staff and patients. By integrating marketing efforts with the everyday interactions of healthcare providers, we create a seamless, supportive environment that allows authentic stories to shine.

Are you ready to build authentic relationships that enhance your healthcare marketing efforts? Let's discuss how we can cultivate trust and create powerful patient stories together. Reach out to me today to explore how we can work together to achieve extraordinary results.

Leadership Lessons from CVS Health: Applying Corporate Strategies to Startups

In my role at CVS Health, I had the unique opportunity to lead the marketing team for Clinical Trial Services, an innovative startup within a well-established corporation. This dual perspective has given me invaluable insights into the intersection of startup agility and corporate discipline, allowing me to drive results for both types of organizations. Today, I want to share some of these leadership lessons and explore how they can be applied to startups in healthcare and technology.

Insights from CVS Health

At CVS Health, leadership was rooted in a few core principles:

Team Collaboration

Collaboration was at the heart of our operations. Regular cross-functional meetings ensured that all departments were aligned and working towards common goals. This level of coordination is essential for startups, where every team member's contribution can significantly impact the overall success, especially if there are only 1 or 2 additional team members (or agencies) in small startups.

Data-Driven Decision Making

We relied heavily on data to guide our strategies and decisions. This approach ensured that our initiatives were grounded in reality and could be adjusted based on measurable outcomes. Startups can benefit from adopting a similar data-driven mindset, using analytics to refine their products and strategies continuously. As a startup, its not always easy to access the right data, more on that later in the post.

Customer-Centric Approach

Understanding and prioritizing the needs of our customers was paramount. By focusing on delivering exceptional customer experiences, we were able to build strong, lasting relationships. Startups should prioritize customer feedback and adapt their offerings to meet evolving demands, fostering loyalty and trust. I have recently had the same conversation with multiple clients: “did you ask your customers?” It is a simple question, but one that is easily forgotten in the crazy day-to-day.

Applying Corporate Strategies to Startups

Adapting these corporate strategies to a startup environment requires a balance of flexibility and structure. Here are some practical ways to implement these principles in your startup:

Flexible Collaboration

While maintaining regular team meetings, encourage open communication and adaptability. Startups thrive on innovation, so creating an environment where ideas can be freely exchanged and tested is crucial.

Lean Data Utilization

Startups often lack the extensive resources of larger corporations, but this doesn't mean they can't be data-driven. Utilize cost-effective tools and platforms, such as AI and social media, to gather and analyze data, making informed decisions without breaking the bank.

Agile Customer Feedback Loops

Implement quick and iterative feedback loops with your customers. Use surveys, social media interactions, and direct communication to gather insights and adjust your offerings promptly.

Focusing on Core KPIs and a Single Strategy

One of the biggest challenges for startups is the temptation to "do it all." The tendency to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks can lead to a lack of focus and diluted efforts. As a startup founder myself, I understand the drive to explore every opportunity. However, it's crucial to focus on core KPIs and a single strategy that aligns with your mission.

At BE Total Solutions, my goal is to help leaders grow giants – to be the best they can be and drive results for their organizations. All my efforts are directed towards this single mission. By concentrating on core competencies and key performance indicators, you can ensure that every piece of your strategy fits together to drive towards your overarching goal.

Bridging the Gap: Startup Agility Meets Corporate Discipline

One of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been finding the balance between the agility of startups and the discipline of established corporations. Here are some key practices that have helped me bridge this gap:

Embrace Change

Startups must be ready to pivot based on market demands and opportunities. I think I’m the odd-one-out…I love change. I love the exhilaration and the creating of something new. But I also recognize that change (and especially the frequent pivoting required by startups) can cause frustration and anxiety. It is equally important to maintain a level of discipline to ensure these changes are strategic and beneficial – and not just a change with the wind.

Structured Innovation

Encourage innovation within a structured framework. Allocate time and resources for experimental projects, but set clear objectives and review points to measure success and make necessary adjustments.

Scalable Processes

Implement processes that are scalable. While startups need to be agile, having scalable processes in place ensures that growth can be managed effectively as the organization expands.

Challenges and Solutions

Applying corporate strategies to startups isn't without its challenges. Here are some common obstacles and how to overcome them:

Resource Constraints

Startups often operate with limited resources. Prioritize initiatives that offer the highest ROI and leverage partnerships to extend capabilities.

Purposeful Culture

The culture in startups can be vastly different from that in corporations. It is also something that is forgotten, but we all know the phrase “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Meaning that whether or not you plan an intention culture, one will form. You want it to be the right cuturle for your organization. Foster a culture of openness and adaptability, ensuring that corporate strategies are tailored to fit the startup's unique environment.

Resistance to Change

Change can be daunting, especially for teams used to a certain way of operating. Lead by example and communicate the benefits of new strategies clearly to gain buy-in from your team.

Conclusion

The intersection of startup agility and corporate discipline can drive extraordinary results. By adapting leadership lessons from established corporations like CVS Health, startups can navigate challenges and achieve sustainable growth. Remember to focus on core KPIs and a single strategy that aligns with your mission. I invite you to reflect on these insights and share your experiences in the comments below. Let's foster a community of learning and growth together.

Business Coaching vs. Career Coaching: Unlock Your Full Potential

I have now been career coaching at the University of Illinois for several months, so why would I launch Business coaching instead of Career coaching? And what is the difference? Bottom line: a business coach is someone who has a lot of experience and knowledge. They can act as a mentor and provide guidance and expertise based off of real world experience across the entire business – your personal career and insights into the entire team. Whereas a career coach may also have a lot of experience, but is also trained in specific frameworks to help drive your career.

A really great career coach will be credentialed as a career coach, which takes hundreds of hours of training. A really great business coach, will have hundreds of hours of experience leading teams and a business.

Let’s dive deeper and see which one fits for you.

Understanding Career Coaching

Career coaching is all about personal professional development. A career coach focuses on helping individuals:

• Clarify their career goals
• Develop skills for career advancement
• Navigate career transitions
• Improve job search strategies
• Enhance resume and interview techniques

For professionals aiming to climb the corporate ladder or transition into a new role, career coaching offers personalized strategies and support. It’s about you as an individual and your professional journey.

What is Business Coaching?

Business coaching, on the other hand, is broader and focuses on the overall growth and efficiency of an organization. A business coach works with business owners and leaders to:

• Define clear business goals and strategies
• Improve leadership and management skills
• Enhance team performance and cohesion
• Implement effective business processes
• Increase productivity and profitability

Business coaching addresses the dynamics within an organization, aiming to optimize both the leadership and the operational aspects of a business.

Why Business Coaching is Essential

1. Strategic Insight: Business coaches bring a wealth of experience and an outside perspective, helping you see opportunities and challenges you might overlook.
2. Leadership Development: They provide tailored advice to enhance your leadership skills, ensuring you can lead your team effectively and inspire confidence.
3. Accountability: A business coach holds you accountable for your goals, ensuring you stay on track and achieve your objectives.
4. Problem-Solving: With their expertise, business coaches help you navigate complex business challenges, offering solutions that are practical and actionable.
5. Growth Mindset: They encourage a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, essential for staying competitive in today's market.

Why am I a business coach?

With years of experience leading marketing and branding efforts at organizations like CVS Health and The Libman Company, I bring a unique blend of strategic insight and hands-on expertise. My journey from political communications to founding BE Total Solutions showcases my dedication to helping businesses thrive. Regularly rated a perfect 5 as a team leader by my direct reports in employee engagement surveys, making me a trusted partner in your business success.

Conclusion

Investing in a business coach is not just about improving your leadership skills or growing your business; it’s about creating a sustainable path to success. Whether you're a professional looking to advance your career or a business owner aiming to enhance your leadership capabilities, business coaching offers the insights, accountability, and expertise you need to thrive.

Ready to take the next step in your professional journey? Discover how our Business Coaching Packages can transform your leadership and drive your business forward. Book your free consult and get started today!

Lost in the Weeds? Why Your Business Can't Afford to Ignore Strategy (And How to Get It Right)

Are you a business leader who feels constantly buried in the day-to-day? Do words like "strategic planning" feel like a luxury you can't afford? If so, you're not alone.

Most recently, I had someone tell me that they "haven't done anything strategic in years, but are considering looking into it.” 

To me, strategy is my bread and butter. My kids have gotten used to me asking them what are “their goals and objectives for a successful day”. (And now that they’re tweens, they no longer give me a straight answer.) And okay…I may have taken it a little too far, but that is how my brain works and why I sometimes struggle to see how anyone could see strategy and tactics as separate.

Here's the truth: Strategy isn't a luxury. It's the lifeblood of a thriving business.

What Strategy Really Means (and Why It's Not Just 'Thinking All Day')

Many people confuse strategy with tactics. Tactics are the specific actions you take (marketing campaigns, product launches, etc.). Strategy is the overarching plan that guides those actions and ensures that you're taking the right actions. There are always a million actions that you can take, but without a strategy, it's like throwing spaghetti at the wall. It's about:

• Understanding your market: Who are your customers? What do they need?
• Defining your competitive advantage: What makes you unique?
• Setting clear goals: What do you want to achieve?
• Aligning your resources: How will you use your team, budget, and time most effectively?
• Selecting targeted tactics: Which tactics will get you the biggest bang for your buck and help you achieve your goals? 

Years ago, I had a leader who did not understand strategy. I remember putting together a new org chart, focused on aligning the business with marketing. I recommended adding a couple of people (or even 1 to start) dedicated to strategic planning, optimization, and insights developments. My boss said, "We can't have strategic planners. I can't have a bunch of people just sitting around thinking all day."

Strategy is not about sitting around and theorizing. It's about making informed decisions that drive results.

The Cost of Neglecting Strategy

Without a clear strategy, you risk:

• Wasting resources: Chasing the wrong opportunities or investing in tactics that don't align with your goals.
• Missing growth opportunities: Failing to identify and capitalize on emerging trends or market shifts.
• Losing your competitive edge: Becoming indistinguishable from your competitors.
• Burning out your team: Overworking employees who lack clear direction and purpose.

How the Right Strategy Can Transform Your Business

 A well-defined strategy can:

• Streamline decision-making: Everyone knows the "why" behind their actions.
• Focus your efforts: Prioritize initiatives that deliver the greatest impact.
• Attract and retain top talent: Employees are motivated by a clear vision and sense of purpose.
• Drive sustainable growth: Make informed choices that position your business for long-term success.

Ready to Align Your KPIs with Marketing and Tactics?

Strategy isn't a one-and-done activity. It's an ongoing process that evolves as your business does. The investment in time and resources is worth it for the clarity, focus, and results it brings. Get started defining and honing your strategy through clearly outlining your goals and objectives. And check back for a resource that I am developing: A Guide to Strategic Planning. In the meantime, let's connect and I can help you drive strategic success!

Unlocking Marketing Effectiveness: A Blueprint for Success

I am often asked how to measure campaign success or how to know that a marketing campaign will be successful. Marketing effectiveness is crucial, and it's determined long before a campaign even launches. Let’s dive into the key elements that can transform your marketing efforts from mediocre to masterful.

1. Aligning Campaigns with Clear Goals and KPIs

A campaign's success is rooted in its alignment with specific goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Before launching, ask yourself: Is the goal to build brand awareness or drive sales? It’s tempting to aim for both, but the reality is that an effective campaign must focus on a singular objective.

Brand Awareness: If the goal is to make your brand known, KPIs might include social media reach, website traffic, and engagement rates.

Sales: For driving sales, focus on conversion rates, the number of leads generated, and overall revenue growth.

By clearly defining your goal and corresponding KPIs, you set a solid foundation for evaluating the campaign's effectiveness.

2. Ensuring Brand Experience Matches Marketing Promises

Marketing sets expectations. If your campaign promises same-day appointments, then that promise must be met consistently. Failure to align the brand experience with marketing messages can erode trust and damage your brand’s reputation.

Consider this: Imagine you run a local medical clinic and your marketing touts "same-day appointments guaranteed." If patients frequently find themselves unable to book an appointment until the next day, they’ll lose faith in your promises, no matter how compelling your ads are.

3. Clear Calls to Action and Operational Readiness

Every marketing campaign needs a clear call to action (CTA). Whether it’s "Call now for a free consultation" or "Visit our website to learn more," the CTA guides potential customers on what to do next. But a CTA is only as effective as your ability to respond.

Operational Process: Ensure there’s a robust system in place to handle inquiries. If your CTA is to call, make sure someone is ready to answer the phone promptly and knowledgeably.

Response Mechanisms: For online CTAs, automate responses where possible, but also have human follow-up to build rapport and trust.

4. Learning and Optimizing

The work doesn’t stop once a campaign is live. Continuous improvement is key to long-term success. Analyze the data and feedback to uncover what worked and what didn’t. This approach allows you to optimize not only your marketing campaigns but also your operations.

Campaign Insights: Evaluate metrics against your KPIs to determine effectiveness. Did you achieve your goal?

Operational Improvements: Marketing campaigns often highlight operational weaknesses. Use this insight to refine your processes.

5. Quality of Product or Service

Even the best marketing campaign cannot compensate for a subpar product or service. Ensure your offerings are top-notch and meet customer expectations. A great product paired with effective marketing is a powerful combination.

Conclusion

For CEOs of mid-size to small businesses, the journey to effective marketing requires a strategic approach. By aligning your campaigns with clear goals, ensuring your brand experience matches your promises, having a robust operational response, continuously learning, and offering a quality product or service, you can significantly enhance your marketing effectiveness.

At BE Total Solutions, we specialize in helping businesses like yours optimize and develop strategic marketing solutions. Let us help you unlock your full potential and achieve measurable results. Contact us today to learn how we can elevate your marketing efforts.

The Secret Weapon Every Startup Needs: The Fractional CMO

In the fast-paced world of startups and small businesses, every decision counts, especially when it comes to growth. Yet, many organizations face a common dilemma: they recognize the need for a seasoned marketing strategist but lack the resources to hire a full-time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Enter the fractional CMO – a powerful ally in navigating the complex landscape of marketing strategy without breaking the bank.

Why should your organization consider hiring a fractional CMO? Let’s delve into the transformative benefits:

1. Experience Without the Overhead

Traditional, highly experienced CMOs come with hefty price tags. It makes me think of the Capitol One commercials - if you could put Derek Jeter in as the pinch hitter, you would. It's the same with marketing executives. By leveraging the expertise of a fractional CMO, organizations can benefit from strategic guidance from a highly experienced executive tailored to their specific needs, all while minimizing overhead costs.

2. Expert Strategic Vision 

Building a brand, refining positioning, and assembling a high-performing marketing team are pivotal tasks for any organization, particularly in its early stages. These endeavors require the insight and leadership of an experienced CMO and this is often an area startups think they can do themselves. Because we all consume marketing and advertising everyday, its easy to feel like a marketing expert. Yet, it can quickly become overwhelming and not strategic. I always tell clients - tactics are the easy part. We can build a website and throw out social media. But without a strategy, none of it is going to matter. Recently, I received a call from a client seeking assistance in hiring a marketing director. The CEO recognized the knowledge gap within their leadership team and understood the importance of having someone with expertise to lead their marketing initiatives. This anecdote underscores the critical role of strategic marketing leadership in driving organizational success.

3. The Future of Marketing Leadership

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, adaptability is key to success. As organizations seek innovative solutions to stay ahead of the curve, the role of the fractional CMO is poised to become increasingly prevalent. According to industry insights, the average tenure of a CMO is just two years, highlighting the shifting dynamics of marketing leadership. By embracing the flexibility and expertise offered by fractional CMOs, organizations can position themselves for long-term success in a dynamic marketplace.

In conclusion, the fractional CMO represents a strategic imperative for startups and small businesses alike. By harnessing the expertise of seasoned marketing professionals on a flexible basis, organizations can unlock new avenues for growth and differentiation in an increasingly competitive landscape. As the demand for innovative marketing solutions continues to rise, embracing the power of the fractional CMO is not just a smart investment – it’s a strategic necessity.

Ready to elevate your marketing strategy? Partner with us and unleash the full potential of your organization with our fractional CMO services. Contact us today to learn more.

Am I an AI Expert? Yes.

Over the last 6-8 months, I (as many people) have been trying to get up to speed on AI. As a business consultant and educated person, I’d love to be able to put a stake in the ground and say, “I am an AI Expert because I have this piece of paper that says that I am.” I feel like I need an outside source to validate that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to AI. (There have been ads for several MIT courses on AI served to me recently.) Unfortunately, the technology is so new and advancing so quickly, that anytime I take a LinkedIn Learning or read a book – it is already out of date.

I finally decided that instead of letting someone else tell me that I’m smart enough to talk about AI – I am going to start sharing my own experiences with it and validate my expertise through trial, error, and sharing my insights. I’d love to hear your experiences with it also. Just like AI gets smarter from learning as it goes and using the collective intelligence, that’s my plan too!

AI infiltrated our industry, even before we fully knew what it was. I supported a team to launch and help “educate” a digital assistant – a chatbot to answer patient questions – pre-COVID! We were nervous at first, that patients would not be happy talking to a machine. So we decided not to try to disguise it as something that it wasn’t  - we were up front with the fact that it was a chatbot and it has had huge success. It increased traffic to the website and resulted in happier patients, because their questions were answered quickly and easily.

Since then, I have used it in all different ways: creating images, website and email copy, and even to research patient pain points and create patient personas! This last one was my favorite. (Although writing copy for an entire website in 1 day versus a month was pretty incredible too!)

I was working on a project around D-SNP (Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan) patients. D-SNP are patients that are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. As you can imagine, payors are looking to enroll these patients, but they are very difficult to connect and communicate with as they typically have a lot of disabilities and low income.

This was an independent consulting project for me so I did not have access to a large research budget. Instead, I asked ChatGPI to help me to really understand these patients. Here is my prompt:

“Let's talk about D-SNP patients. I want to develop personas for these patients. I want to understand who they are as people. Where they get their news/information, and what is most important to them - on a daily basis and with their health. I also want to understand what is stopping them from participating in D-SNP.”

I was blown away by what it provided. It gave me 3 patient personas, here is one of them:

It then listed out 6 barriers to participation, including lack of awareness and communication barriers. I was then able to make edits, create images to represent each persona, and present a cohesive and well thought out plan to my client.

It is important to note that not all of the personas and information provided was correct. It suggested one persona to be 55 years old, which, unless she has kidney failure or some other qualifying condition, she would not qualify for Medicare (which would not make her dual eligible). This is why it is so important to proofread and edit what ChatGPT provides. Yet, it gave me enough of a starting point that I could make my own inferences and do more research to provide a full picture.

In this dynamic landscape, proficiency with AI isn't about static expertise but rather an ongoing journey of adaptation and innovation. As I continue to harness AI's potential, I invite you to join me in embracing this transformative technology, charting new territories of knowledge and opportunity together.

**AI wrote this last paragraph. I asked it to make refinements to the majority of the copy and provide proofreading but didn’t love the majority of its feedback. Everything except for the closing paragraph were written only by me.

Secret Shopper

As a healthcare marketing and communications executive and former Public Information Officer (PIO), I have spent a lot of time in hospitals. And like many healthcare professionals, I try to avoid needing any healthcare services at all costs. (Healthcare providers are typically the WORST patients.) However, over the last couple of weeks, I have had an intimate look at healthcare as a caregiver, a new role for me.

My husband has had some health issues and underwent surgery last week. He is still recovering and frustrated that he is not already back to full speed, but doing much better.

I always feel like a secret shopper when I am on the receiving end of healthcare services. And overall, all of the people we encountered were fantastic. They were all caring and loving, especially knowing that this was a scary experience. It was the processes and, of course, branded experience, that could use some work.

First, let’s talk about patient experience and communication: We received no less than 8 separate confirmation calls, PLUS countless emails.

My husband and I each received separate confirmation phone calls and emails – most of the time confirming the same information, such as insurance and making sure we knew where to go for the surgery.

This is clearly a case of different groups needing information and not sharing it well internally.

Let’s just think about what this does to the patient:

You’re nervous about surgery already and then you get a phone call from the hospital. You are in the middle of work, potentially meeting with a customer or in the middle of a business meeting, but your watch starts buzzing that your phone is ringing. You step out of the meeting to answer, because IT’S THE HOSPITAL. On the other end of the phone is a cheerful nurse confirming that you will be there at the right time and location. For the 6^th time. Stress shoots up and then frustration sets in.

We receive 3 different sets of surgical instructions – all of them varied. So, day-of, we are not exactly sure if we are doing the right thing, even though we’ve had a million different phone calls about it.

One of the discrepancies was what to actually expect for the day-of surgery. I was under the impression that it would be about 5-6 hours total. We were there for 11 hours and almost everything ran on time.

Better utilization of internal processes, such as using the available tools within Epic (or the EMR) so that we did not receive countless confirmation emails and between communication cross-department is needed here. Basically, consistent communication and patient engagement is key.

How often do we hear “patient communication is the solution”? But what does that mean? If there were standardized tools for the nurse to pull and send to the patient – so that every patient receives the same information, every time, that would help both the nurse and the patient immensely.

Yet, most internal marketing teams are not resourced to develop this type of material. Marketing teams have KPIs focused on driving patient volume. But what if looking at improving patient communication DOES improve patient volumes? If patients are happy, they tell their friends, post on social media, and THEY do the marketing for you.

The second area of opportunity that I uncovered as a “secret shopper” was the branded experience. And let’s be honest, only someone like me, who is focused on marketing and branding for a living, would notice. But I realized, as we were sitting in post-op, that we could have been in any hospital anywhere in the country. There was nothing about our entire experience that set it apart from the competition.

I am NOT talking about plastering the logo everywhere (I mean, WHY is it necessary to put the logo on the soap dispensers and light switches? That is just a waste of money). I am talking about making the entire experience special to your brand.

Hospital rooms everywhere look exactly the same. All nurses and doctors wear the same scrubs. It even smells the same. Often, especially in smaller markets, the same physician operates at multiple different locations – so not even the doctor is unique. (How weird is post-op anyway? Just a bunch of people who are all out of it, all shoved in a room together. There was one poor woman who could not stop throwing up. I am still convinced that following my c-section, I was shoved into a closet or hallway somewhere.)

Is it possible to rethink some of this, in a branded way, that makes life better for both the staff and patient? Such as specific language (think about Chick-Fil-A’s “My pleasure) or a hospitality mentality, like a hotel GM hiring a metal detector service to find a lost wedding ring.

McKinsey & Company has just come out with an interesting article about “creating a culture of excellence” for the hotel industry. Here is a link to the full article: Exceptional Customer Experience. And while a stay in a hospital is not a luxury hotel experience, there are still some things that we can learn from the industry and creating excellent experiences.

It is a lot harder to make general patient experience recommendations, especially when this argument is that most hospitals are exactly the same. So think about how your brand can stand out in how you treat people, so that the experience is the differentiator, driven by the brand.

If your brand promise is to provide exceptional care, how does that manifest as a patient experience? Maybe its as simple as asking the patient, “are you receiving exceptional care? If not, what can I do to improve that?” Or the nurse simply saying, “here is how we are working toward your exceptional care today.”

The is the golden goose that everyone is trying to achieve, and few are succeeding. It is much easier said than done, but would be a fun project to work on.

Strategic Priority Realignment

Picture it, you are a large health system marketing leader responsible for 4 hospitals, 6 different geographic regions (communities), 2 cancer centers, 10 urgent care centers, 12 different service lines, and all of the medical staff that goes along with it. Each facility has a different leader and competing priories, even though it is all part of the same health system. How do you not only manage it all, but drive results?

Short answer: you don’t. You change the game.

Okay – easier said than done but stick with me here.

I remember starting with a health system and quickly realized that thanks to all of the different competing priorities, we were competing within our own team for consumer eyeballs and engagement – ultimately diluting the brand. The worst overlapping was with our digital media. We were bidding against ourselves (and our own budget) for the same impressions. Patients would be served 4 different ads for the same health system, and we were just driving up our own digital advertising pricing by competing for those same eyeballs.

To solve this problem and still succeed with competing priorities, I took a step back to look at the big picture. Where were our priorities overlapping and how could we use the brand strength to lift the smaller service areas, without diluting the brand?

I took a two-pronged approach:

1.        Build a strong brand campaign to engage patients across the funnel and to impact them at any point of their journey.

2.        Develop a highly targeted approach to drive service line volume.

This took some networking and building support among leadership and physicians. We had to be aligned. They may not see a billboard with the doctor’s face on it for cardiothoracic surgery, but would instead see a bump in volume because we were directly targeting actual patients. It also took some compromising on my part to ensure leadership was happy, but once they saw the data, it was impossible to ignore the strength of this approach.

I was thrilled to launch the first campaign for the hospital system that was not focused on a specific service line but capitalizing on the strengths of all of the expertise in all services. The campaign established the hospital as a destination and showed the power of the system all working together.

The campaign did not get to run for as long as I had planned…shortly after the launch of the campaign, our system was sold and we pulled all marketing and advertising immediately. However, I did receive one of the biggest compliments of my career: during one of the town halls to announce the acquisition, a nurse stood up and specifically asked about the brand. She didn’t know who I was or that I was standing right there, but she said, “Marketing has done such an amazing job and we are finally getting traction with the brand. I don’t want to lose that momentum!”

Looking back, this experience fundamentally changed how I approach competing priorities in my career. It taught me the importance of thinking beyond individual KPIs and adopting a holistic, collaborative mindset. While external factors may disrupt our plans, the lessons learned from navigating competing priorities within a large health system continue to shape my approach to marketing and leadership.

In conclusion, managing competing priorities isn't just about managing tasks; it's about changing the game and driving meaningful results through collaboration, innovation, and strategic thinking. By embracing change and fostering alignment, marketing leaders can navigate the complexities of the healthcare landscape and make a lasting impact on their organizations.

The Healthcare Marketing Niche

I have been known to say, “Marketing is marketing is marketing,” implying that similar tactics and strategies apply across various industries. So, why do I specialize in healthcare marketing? And why is healthcare marketing regarded as so nuanced? Why do leaders often believe that only those with extensive healthcare experience can excel in this field? Allow me to share three reasons:

1. Patients are consumers: While patients should be treated and regarded as consumers, customer service in healthcare differs vastly from that in consumer packaged goods (CPG). The patient experience can profoundly impact the entire brand.

2. Old school versus new school: Traditional healthcare marketing, focusing on methods like fliers and billboards, contrasts sharply with the modern approach, embracing digital marketing, social media, and AI.

3. Passion: Simply put, I love it.

Let’s delve deeper into the first point. When I transitioned from consumer packaged goods to healthcare marketing, I faced a significant adjustment. In CPG, if a product failed a customer, we could replace it. However, in healthcare, we can't simply offer a new knee if a patient has a poor experience. This realization struck me early on.

One of my first projects in healthcare marketing was to lead the launch of a Joint Commission Center of Excellence for Knee and Hip Replacement. (Sure…nice small, little project. Ha! Although, as someone who is known to not start small, this was very fitting.) And I remember asking the JC consultant about how to improve the patient experience as a CoE. He launched into the ROI potential of each type of surgery. He said,

“So, a live, vaginal birth is pretty cheap. The patient is just in and out.” (Maybe pun intended??) “But for a knee replacement, the margin can be very high.”

I was horrified. How could someone consider births and major surgeries like a commodity? I spoke to the lead nurse on the project about it and she explained that I needed to shift my thinking – to focus on the expertise of the doctor. The time and service from the nurses. The cost to use the space – that is what the patient is paying for.

Now, as an experience healthcare leader, I understand that prioritizing the patient experience is paramount. It is not about additional burden on the nursing staff to keep the patient happy, but the entire experience from how clean the space is to an easy discharge and follow up care. Truly understanding patient care and how to integrate the brand into it, is not something that can be understood overnight by an agency or someone without healthcare expertise. It can be learned eventually. It is the reason I do what I do – to help improve the patient experience and integrate it with every part of the brand.

Moving on to the evolution of healthcare marketing, the shift from traditional methods to targeted digital strategies has been profound. Patients today are empowered and engaged in their healthcare decisions, conducting extensive research post-diagnosis. In a 2021 report from the American Health Information Management Association Foundation, 42% of patients admitted to doing their own research after receiving a diagnosis or leaving the doctor’s office. Read the whole report here: AHIMA Foundation Consumer Survey. This necessitates a departure from mass marketing to personalized, content-driven approaches.

One of my favorite examples of how my team turned the Old School marketing method on its head was through a project to fill a cancer screening panel. Year after year, the focus on promoting the panel had been done in an old school and very expensive way: a billboard and direct mail (snail mail) campaign to all women over the age of 40. (In their defense, they did not have a way to drill down the mailing list to a more targeted group of people, such as women over 40, who were at risk for breast cancer – per the algorithm to consider their lifestyle and other comorbidities).

One of the members of my team took this and ran with it. She developed a targeted PR campaign – hitting local radio shows and local news media – both who had our same target audience. She utilized a highly targeted social media campaign to reach the target audience online and she drilled down into that massive mailing list for a targeted email campaign.

The result: the screening panel was full for the first time ever and in a matter of days. And to our bottom line – we only used a tenth of the budget allotted to this campaign. It was initially a very expensive campaign, for a free screening. Reducing the cost was a huge win.

Despite its challenges, I’m deeply passionate about healthcare marketing. It's a mission-driven endeavor, aiming to transform healthcare and enhance patients’ lives and I love getting to be a little piece of that.

In essence, healthcare marketing isn't just a profession for me; it's a calling.

Enhancing Branding in Healthcare

How many times have you seen a healthcare advertisement like this?

What does this tell the patient? It says that we have good looking doctors and nurses.

But how does this contribute to their care? And what sets it apart from other healthcare systems using identical stock photos in their ads? This isn't branding. Branding isn't merely about the logo and colors; neither is it about just making things "pretty".

So, what is branding, and why is it crucial in healthcare?

Branding revolves around utilizing imagery, colors, and a logo to establish a connection with the target audience. It's about imbuing these visuals with meaning and coherence. It's about integrating the elements so that patients and consumers see your colors/logo/images and immediately grasp what they represent and signify to them. Instantly giving consumers and patients a reason choose your brand and healthcare system over the best alternative (without needing a long list of capabilities).

Consider iconic brands. Their colors are instantly recognizable even without their logos. Think of Target. The moment you see a red target, you know what it signifies, even without seeing the brand name. And what does it mean to you? Affordable yet stylish products. (And a place where you intend to pick up one thing but end up with a cart full!)

Now, envision your favorite healthcare provider. Can you visualize their brand? Does it evoke any emotions? If you've had a positive or negative experience, it likely elicits a strong emotional response.

I've always been perplexed by why healthcare systems opt to blend in to the pack, rather than foster a unique identity to drive that emotional connection. Patients WILL form an emotional connection. Often, they find themselves in a healthcare setting on one of the toughest days of their lives. Even if the outcome isn't positive, patients can still have a favorable experience with the staff and facility. By embracing the brand and aligning it with the patient experience at every stage, healthcare systems can evoke positive emotions tied to the brand.

One memorable example of a branding misstep in healthcare occurred when I spearheaded the marketing and branding for a new retail health concept. The brand's pledge was to provide "Urgent patient care in 30 minutes or less." Storefront urgent care facilities were established for this concept. They were sleek, with a team member warmly welcoming and swiftly checking in patients at the front door, akin to a visit to the Apple Store. Patients were to be promptly escorted to a private patient room, bypassing the waiting area to expedite their visit. However, the waiting rooms were lavish. Complete with a coffee bar and tech amenities, they were inviting spaces.

But why were they necessary if patients were meant to skip the waiting room? Unfortunately, by the time marketing was brought into the project, the fancy waiting rooms had become a reality, instantly undermining the brand promise. While they occasionally achieved the "30 minutes or less" goal, it wasn't the standard. If branding and patient experience had been integrated throughout, the outcome would have been vastly different.

Let's consider another instance. I was involved in a project where a medical device was to be installed in patients' homes. It was a complex endeavor involving various individuals, including vendors, visiting patients' homes. It was a scenario ripe for mishaps, potentially resulting in a confusing brand experience for the patient.

We meticulously examined each step of the process, down to the minutest detail. Here are some of the considerations I addressed to guide the plan:

• What does the delivery van for the device and equipment look like? Is it branded or unbranded? Do patients want their neighbors to know they have medical equipment in their home?
• How is every person entering the home dressed? What if they're a vendor? How can we instill confidence in the patient regarding the product if it's a different brand? Or can we align those brands?
• How do all individuals communicate with the patient? Do we have standardized branded language?

Guidelines were established for the attire of anyone entering the home—either bearing the healthcare system's brand or no brand at all. Scripts and talking points were devised (and training provided) to ensure uniform language and a consistent patient experience. And the brand was interwoven into every facet, from the device's packaging to the patient's training and interaction with staff, cultivating a positive branding and patient experience. Even when the patient felt confused, scared, or frustrated, they knew they were dealing with a brand they could trust.

This underscores the importance of healthcare branding. It ensures that building trust with the patient at every juncture of their journey isn't contingent on an individual provider but rather that the provider is inherently trustworthy because they embody and align with the brand.

Let's continue to prioritize patient-centric branding strategies and drive positive healthcare experiences for all. Together, we can shape a future where every patient feels valued, understood, and empowered. Keep championing healthcare branding excellence!

If you build it, they will come.

As a marketer, one of my biggest pet peeves is to hear someone boast, "We've achieved all of this without any marketing!" While that might sound impressive, imagine the heights of success that could be reached by infusing some thoughtful strategy, promotion (even free!), and branding into your product or service.

In the past year, I spearheaded the development of a website for CVS Health Clinical Trial Services, a startup within CVS Health dedicated to providing easily accessible clinical trials for all. Previously, their online presence consisted of a one-page placeholder with basic contact information, available through a Google search or a QR code at trade shows. Though the page attracted occasional emails, they were mostly spam.

Recognizing the need for a centralized hub to direct potential customers, media, and patients, my team and I crafted a basic yet highly strategic website. Our focus was on delivering key content to captivate the audience and leave them eager to learn more. Crucially, we incorporated strategic keywords to enhance search visibility and engagement.

Given the absence of a budget for promotion, we leveraged all available channels:

• leadership and the BD team shared it with their contacts and on their social profiles, which was reshared by both internal and external partners. 
• it was shared on the corporate LinkedIn page.
• it was added to the entire company's email signatures. 

The results? Here are some highlights from our CVS_Website_Case_Study:

• Leads surged by an impressive 150%, and these were not just any leads—they were Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) that forged new client relationships and boosted revenue.

• Website traffic skyrocketed by 100% in the first month, maintaining a steady 40% increase compared to the static page.

• Average visits to the website exceeded 3 minutes, indicating genuine engagement as people invested time in reading the content.

In essence, a bit of strategic thought and focus had a monumental impact, proving that even with limited resources, a well-executed approach can yield remarkable results.

Navigating the Future: Key Trends in Healthcare Marketing

This is an exciting time in healthcare. Startups are popping up in all facets of healthcare – from Fortune 4 companies like Amazon, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart providing “retail health” to boutique, digital-only options, like Ro Health, prescribing GLP-1s and hormone therapy. This transformation is driven by technological advancements, changing patient expectations, and a renewed focus on personalized care. As we navigate the future, it is crucial for healthcare marketing to drive this evolution, adapting to and leveraging key trends that redefine how we connect with audiences and deliver information. In this exploration, we delve into three pivotal trends: the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the art of content development, and the paradigm shift in viewing patients as consumers who have a choice (and a voice) about their healthcare journey.

The AI Revolution in Healthcare Marketing

Artificial intelligence has transcended its sci-fi origins to become a powerful force in reshaping the healthcare landscape. In marketing, AI is not just a buzzword but a game-changer, offering unprecedented insights, personalization, and efficiency. Machine learning algorithms analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns, preferences, and potential outcomes. In healthcare marketing, this translates to highly- targeted and personalized strategies to drive specific outcomes from diversified populations.

One of the primary applications of AI in healthcare marketing is predictive analytics. By analyzing historical data, AI can forecast patient behaviors, helping marketers tailor campaigns to specific demographics and segments. It is not just a “copy-development” tool – but a key partner in analyzing data to understand patient behavior at a deeper level to drive strategy, messaging, and strong calls-to-actions. The predictive power enables more effective resource allocation – ensuring marketing efforts are focused where they will have the most impact.

Moreover, chatbots powered by AI are becoming integral in enhancing patient engagement. These virtual assistants provide instant responses to queries, schedule appointments, and offer information on healthcare services. The result is a seamless and responsive experience for patients, fostering a sense of connection and trust.

The Art and Science of Content Development

In an era where information is abundant, standing out requires not just data but compelling storytelling. Content development in healthcare marketing is no longer solely about conveying information; it's about creating narratives that resonate with the audience on a personal level. This is where the art and science of content development converge.

Quality content has the power to educate, inspire, and build trust. Whether it's blog posts, videos, or social media campaigns, content is the vehicle through which healthcare organizations can establish themselves as authorities in their field – and to drive brand loyalty. Moreover, with the rise of patient-centric care, content that empowers and educates patients is gaining prominence.

AI plays a significant role in optimizing content development. Natural language processing (NLP) algorithms analyze the language used by patients in online forums, reviews, and social media, providing insights into their concerns, preferences, and sentiments. This valuable information guides content creation, ensuring that it resonates with the target audience. Gone are the days of using physician-speak and language the patient does not understand. NLP can take a challenging medical concept and distill it down quickly and easily.

As patients increasingly turn to digital channels for health information, content must be not only informative but also accessible. Mobile-friendly formats, interactive content, and multimedia elements are becoming essential in reaching and engaging diverse audiences. A well-crafted piece of content has the potential to not only educate but also instigate meaningful conversations and foster a sense of community.

Patients as Consumers: Empowering Healthcare Decision-Making

The traditional model of healthcare, where patients passively receive information and treatment, is evolving into a more collaborative and patient-centric approach. Patients are no longer mere recipients of care; they are active participants, empowered to make informed decisions about their health. This shift is transforming the dynamics of healthcare marketing, emphasizing the importance of treating patients as consumers with choices.

Personalized medicine, enabled by advancements in AI, allows healthcare providers to tailor treatment plans based on individual characteristics, genetics, and lifestyle. In the realm of marketing, this translates to messaging that speaks directly to the unique needs and preferences of each patient. Campaigns that recognize and respect the individuality of patients are more likely to resonate and drive positive engagement.

Moreover, the increasing prevalence of digital health tools gives patients the ability to track and manage their health independently. From wearable devices monitoring vital signs to mobile apps providing real-time health insights, patients now have unprecedented access to information. Healthcare marketing, in response, must adapt to meet the demand for accurate and accessible information, providing content that complements the patient's journey towards well-being.

The concept of shared decision-making is gaining traction, emphasizing collaboration between healthcare professionals and patients in determining the most suitable treatment plans. In the marketing realm, this requires a shift from a one-size-fits-all approach to highly targeted and personalized campaigns that empower patients to actively participate in their healthcare decisions.

In conclusion, navigating the future of healthcare marketing requires a deep understanding of the transformative trends shaping the industry. The integration of AI, the artful development of content, and the recognition of patients as empowered consumers are key pillars in building successful and impactful marketing strategies. As we embrace these trends, we not only stay ahead of the curve but contribute to a healthcare landscape that is not just informative but genuinely patient-centered. As healthcare marketers, we can no longer remain passive support agents, but to drive a strategic and KPI aligned approach. By embracing these transformative trends, we not only stay ahead of the curve but pioneer a truly patient-centric future.