Guest Blog: Tell and Spread Your Story
The
following is a guest blog from Anthony Cirillo:
USA
Today recently reported that one in five U.S. nursing homes consistently
receive poor ratings for overall quality under the Five-Star Quality Rating
System. That
started a sea of gripes about the rating system, most notably how satisfaction
surveys are not included in Five-Star.
Yes, the
system is flawed. But one thing is certain. Ratings are here to stay. They may
be perceived as authoritative (think CMS), popular (think Consumer Reports),
questionable (Angie's List).
But
people are reading the ratings. People are talking to each other. Want to do
something about it? Tell your story and engage your ambassadors.
Tell
Your Story
There
are hundreds of small miracles that happen in all kinds of healthcare
facilities every day. Most are undocumented stories. People are moved by
stories. It is not enough to write stories but you need to establish a culture
where employees are bringing stories to administration and marketing.
Spread
Your Story
There
are a myriad of ways to push your story to the public. The beauty is that
stories of a great patient experience in a hospital or a resident experience in
an assisted living facility are human-interest pieces not overt selling tools.
It’s not about your infection rates, latest technologies, whiz-bang doctors.
It’s about everyday people. Good stories are spread. Good stories are believed.
Good stories have a halo effect on your brand.
Identify
Your Ambassadors
Who is
passionate about your services? Who passionately recommends you? Who offers
unsolicted advice? Who comes to your defense? These are potential ambassadors
for your brand. They might be an employee, a board member, a volunteer, a
patient, a resident, a family member. They may have surfaced through a letter
they write to you, an op-ed piece in the newspaper or in an on-line chat.
Engage them.
There
are several other ways you can leverage word of mouth for your
organization. More on these in another post. So don’t gripe about the latest
and greatest ratings. Just craft your story and cede your army of ambassadors
to spread it through that old reliable word of mouth.
Anthony
Cirillo, FACHE, ABC is a health care consultant, senior advocate and blogger
for Wellsphere, Medpedia and others in the area of aging, person and
patient-centered care and marketing. He consults with long-term care facilities
and is available for management retreats and association keynotes. He is the
author of "Who Moved My Dentures? His company, Fast Forward Consulting
empowers organizations to change the healthcare experience and leverage it in
their marketing. Hear him speak at both the American College of Healthcare
Executives and the National Council on Aging annual conference in Chicago in
March. More at www.4wardfast.com and www.anthonyssong.com.