How the healthcare brands playbook can work for you

It takes a fundamentally sound marketer to figure out how to win with brand love in this crazy cluttered world of brands.
The fundamentals of brand management matter more now than ever.

There are many different types of healthcare brand models

The traditional prescription model goes through doctors. And OTC (over-the-counter), consumer healthcare, or direct-to-consumer models involve the influence of healthcare professionals on their patients or clients. They also involve retail channels. Business-to-business (B2B) brands sell products, ingredients, or services to hospitals, other companies, scientists, or medical offices. And there are hospitals, research centers, or personal services that sell into the community.

Healthcare brands need to create a bond with customers to win

It is easy to get wrapped up with launching the new product for next week or trying to figure out a price that will help close a deal by noon. You forget to build your brand for the longer term. Healthcare decisions are much more emotional for customers than you think, yet too many healthcare companies focus on product features as the main differentiator and price as their usual deal closer.

The best healthcare brands build tight bonds with customers, so they feel more and think less. You want your best customers to become fans, who will be the first to try your new product and will want you to win the contract with their company.

Go beyond the product to create an exceptional customer or patient experience. The people behind your brand will make the most significant difference. Healthcare brands have the opportunity to build a culture with values and expected behaviors that can inspire everyone who works behind the scenes to deliver their greatest work on behalf of the brand. Make your best people the face of your brand whose “wow” personal stories showcase why they do what they do and the ways your people go over the top to surprise and delight their customers.

I have a special spot in my heart for healthcare marketing.

I spent 12 years between Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson, working on OTC (Over-The-Counter), customer healthcare, and prescription brands. I have worked with many healthcare brands during my decade of consulting, including OTC, pharmaceutical, medical equipment, leading hospitals, and scientific discovery brands.

Healthcare marketing can be more challenging than other types of businesses. Rarely do we think of one customer. Instead, we focus on many types of customers. Brands may need to focus on the end consumer or patient. Or, customers could include healthcare professionals who are the users who need to perform their jobs or as decision-makers on behalf of their patients. We could be talking about parents of younger children or the adult child looking after a senior parent.

Learn how to think, define, plan, execute, and analyze, and I provide every tool you will ever need to run your brand.

I created Healthcare Brands as a toolbox to help you every day in your job. Keep it on your desk and refer to it whenever you need to write a brand plan, create a brand idea, develop a creative brief, make marketing communication decisions or lead a deep-dive business review. You can even pass on the tools to your team so they can learn how to deliver the fundamentals needed for your brands.

My brand promise is to help make you smarter so you can realize your full potential in your career.

Graham Robertson

Founder and CMO of Beloved Brands Inc.
graham@beloved-brands.com