So you’ve expanded your marketing efforts for your hospital beyond the traditional methods to include social media and other online mediums. But have you taken any time to consider the possibility of integrating all your marketing materials into one comprehensive campaign?

My husband and I recently moved into our first home together. As soon as our internet turned on, I was searching for all the things my old neighborhood had afforded me. I was going down my checklist to find a grocery store, nearest gas station, and other basics. I honestly hadn’t even thought about healthcare, yet.

Then we received a mailing from Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids welcoming us to the area. What surprised me most about the mailing was the level of personalization it achieved.

The welcome message read “Welcome Knoll Family” with an invitation to reach out to the closest Mercy clinic. Not only was this accompanied by an image of the clinic with information on the services provided, providers we’d meet and contact information, but also a custom Google map image that started at our new address and ended at the clinic.

There’s also a section indicating I could find more information online – like classes and events, interactive health tools, and a feature where I can ask experts my health-related questions. There’s a call out to follow Mercy Medical Center on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, too.

They know me so well. I always seek out new places online before I visit them in person. With an online presence like this, they were off to a great start. I felt like Mercy had done its research to get to know my family and where we were in life before sending us a generic mailing like many other local businesses had done. This mailing went in our to-do list instead of the recycle bin.