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A group of urologists once asked me to promote an upcoming prostate screening.  They saw that the competition ran a full page ad in the paper that brought in 300 people.  It was a tremendous success, they said.  The physicians and staff were scheduled back to back all day.  Long lines of people.  The advertising really worked.

Not wanting to be outdone, they asked me to do the same, except to do it better.  How many people could we expect to see?  400 or 500?  They even suggested that we bump up the print ad schedule.

“My goal is 50,” I said confidently, but I strategically sat across the table and out of reach for anyone to immediate strangle me.  “Oh and let’s not do any print advertising.”

I never heard physicians be so quiet.  For about three seconds, that is, until they asked me to repeat myself.  What kind of advice was this from a marketing guy?  We can do better than that!  And no advertising, you’ll be lucky to get 50 people!

And that’s when I shocked them and stopped talking like an advertising guy.  I spoke in language they could appreciate:  analytical and logical.

As promised, we brought in 50 men in to the screening through a strategically driven direct mail campaign, providing customized messages.  50 men who met our marketing target audience in terms of age, income, private insurance and likelihood of being a surgical candidate.  More revenue was generated than we ever would have with 500 random patients who we didn’t know anything about, except for their ability to respond to an ad.  And most importantly, these physicians saved lives by reaching surgical candidates in a much more timely and efficient matter. 

Traditional advertising methods have their role, but they shouldn’t do it all alone.  Just ask this group of physicians, who are now self-proclaimed marketing converts.  They still provide larger screenings in order to serve the community, but they now have a fine appreciation for the science of marketing.

Mike Milligan is principal of Legato Marketing & Communications, specializing in helping health care organizations build their volumes and image.  Milligan has developed and managed marketing efforts for critical access hospitals, health care systems, insurance companies, physician practices and multi-specialty clinics.  His agency experience includes providing counsel for Fortune 100 companies including 3M Pharmaceuticals, Philips Medical Systems and Dow Chemical Company.  Milligan also serves on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Health Care Marketing and Public Relations Society (WHPRMS).