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The medical industry is becoming increasingly competitive, and hospital management teams have recognized that healthcare is no longer simply providing medical services. Hospital management must engage in healthcare marketing and promote hospital’s cutting-edge medical care to gain trust from patients and their families, establish a positive reputation and brand recognition, and rely on the sharing of positive experience to achieve a sustainable business growth.
Healthcare marketing includes promotion through various media channels such as fliers, newspapers, magazines, radio, digital media, hospital bulletin boards, and website information on different clinical and healthcare a hospital provides. Naturally, media increases the exposure of hospitals and physicians, thereby enhancing a brand recognition. Through press releases and the use of marketing platforms, a hospital can effectively convey information about its advanced medical equipment and health education to its target audience as well as providing health care. Additionally, the medical ethics and skills of physicians are key factors that can potentially influence a patient’s choice. By arranging media exposure on different platforms for physicians, a hospital management team can increase its hospital’s brand recognition and public approval. Consequently, an increase in overall outpatient volume and operational revenue for both physicians and the hospital becomes evident.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to people's lives, and the way people access medical information has shifted from traditional media such as television, radio, and magazines to digital media such as online advertisement, videos, and social media. Technological advancements in digital media have altered people's healthcare-seeking habits. In the past, medical information was mainly obtained through word-of-mouth from family and friends, but now it can be easily accessed through search engines such as Google, Firefox and Microsoft Edge. Geographically, China Medical University Hsinchu Hospital is located near Hsinchu Science Park, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Tai Yuan Technology Park, and Hukou Industrial Park, which is Silicon Valley of Taiwan. Situated in an area with young, growing and educated population, most high-tech engineers and their families habitually obtain medical information through new media and online platforms.
Domestic and foreign research shows that news reports are still a trusted channel for the public and an important way for individuals to obtain health or medical information. In midst of a digital evolution, the era of self-media has arrived, and everyone can be an online celebrity or online sensation. Therefore, in the fiercely competitive medical industry, positioning and branding are essential to ensure continuity and quality healthcare. In addition to using traditional media, medical institutions and physicians are quickly learning to use social media to promote awareness and facilitate communication between patients and healthcare providers. Physicians are no longer waiting for patients to come to their clinics; they also have taken a pro-active approach by publishing health education videos, communicating and assessing patients through online platforms, providing another option for people seeking medical advices and care.
Therefore, this article uses an in-depth interview research method on the top ten doctors who have had the most press releases in the past four years since the establishment of the China Medical University Hsinchu Hospital. The goal is to show whether media marketing strategies have helped doctors increase their visibility and outpatient visits.
The results have shown three key conclusive evidences. First, media marketing strategies do indeed help doctors increase their reputation and patient visits. Furthermore, the attitude of hospital management towards the media determines the level of media coverage and exposure. Finally, having dedicated personnel with media experience to handle hospital media marketing can enhance the positive exposure of a hospital and its doctors.
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