Make the Most of Men’s Health Month
NBA stars, Olympic swimmers, NFL linemen, popular TV hosts, award-winning singers, the Prince of England, and even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spent the past year sharing their mental, physical, and emotional health struggles with the world. Why? Because too many men suffer with or die from preventable causes each year and they are tired of ignoring it.
If your organization is ready to capitalize on the national conversation about preventing chronic disease and addressing mental health disorders, make the most of Men's Health Month by using these four strategies to help men move from passively receiving information to taking action:
- Focus on a specific health-related task
- Identify your men's health superstar providers
- Reinforce what men gain from prioritizing their health
- Tell women about your health system's convenient options
If you need a more in-depth explanation about how to boost your service line marketing campaign success, check out our blog article.
Maximize Your Men's Health Campaign with these 4 Strategies
Focus on a specific health-related task
The goal of Men's Health Month is to increase awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of diseases including cancer, heart disease, and depression. We know that problem-solution communication motivates a male audience to act, so try giving them a problem and one specific thing they can do to address that problem. For example, create a social media post or infographic that says, “Heart disease is responsible for 1 in 4 male deaths,” followed by a call to action telling men, “Don’t be the 1 in 4 - visit your primary care doctor each year to find out your risk level.” Make it easy to convert this knowledge into taking action by adding a link to the “Find a Doctor” webpage or online scheduling.
If you aren’t sure what condition/service to promote, or your budget is really tight, think general health campaign combo: “June is Men’s Health Month. Schedule a check-up with your primary care doctor today.” Tying men's health into your primary care campaign is a great way to achieve more with less budget.
Identify your men's health superstar providers
Professional athletes dominate the national news cycle about men’s health, but they aren’t the only ones who can attract an audience. During June, highlight your local superstars – your men’s health specialists. Tell the community which providers help men take care of knee and hip issues, who does a sleep study to check out snoring, who handles erectile dysfunction, and who knows when anger is actually depression.
Make it a point to highlight star ratings, patient comments, and any awards these specialists have received. Bonus points if you can capture a quick video of them in action and share a testimonial from an actual patient who lives a fuller life after receiving care from one of your superstars.
If you're interested, here are a few more thoughts on leveraging your providers.
Reinforce what men gain from prioritizing their health
As marketers, we know that consumers choose products and services based on self-interest or “What’s in it for me?” That approach should make it easy for healthcare marketers to reach a male audience, because what's more in your self-interest than living a long and healthy life? Unfortunately, our messaging about better health doesn't usually resonate with them.
A successful Men's Health Month campaign depends on connecting preventive measures with positive outcomes. Remember problem-solution communication from our first strategy? Employ it here by using your awareness campaign to remind men of specific tasks that generate (hopefully) good results. If you have diabetes, track and manage your blood sugar. If heart disease runs in your family, find out your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers. Cancer happens to men, too, so go have that spot on your arm evaluated. Feeling angry all the time or can't focus? Check with your primary care provider, it might be poor mental health.
And don’t forget to mention the positive impact on family and friends. By taking better care of themselves, they ensure more birthdays and holidays spent with their loved ones.
Tell women about your health system's convenient options
While Men’s Health Month targets men and encourages them to seek necessary medical treatment and advice, we can’t ignore women. A study by the Center for Talent Innovation says, “Whether or not they are married or have children, 94% of women make healthcare decisions for themselves and 59% make healthcare decisions for others.” So, if you want to increase the number of male patients for your service line, save some media dollars for the female demographic.
In the role of mom, wife, partner, caregiver, daughter, or even friend, women often squeeze scheduling an appointment for someone else into their daily to-do list. Time and convenience play a critical role in their decision-making process, so tell them about your health system's convenient options like self-scheduling, online scheduling, video appointments, and electronic check-in. Emphasize the 24/7 availability of digital tools because these ladies need information about wellness checkups, dermatology appointments, and vasectomies after their workday ends when they can talk to their families and coordinate schedules. And don't forget to mention additional features like calendar or smartphone notifications. They remove some of the burden related to “I forgot” and “No one reminded me.”
Looking into 2023 and beyond, Ten Adams VP of Digital, Brandon Scott, thinks reliance on digital tools and services will continue to grow. Successful healthcare digital marketing teams will build great websites that are convenient and easy for users and continue to employ the latest technology like artificial intelligence.
At Ten Adams, we know healthcare. We also know our way around an awareness month and service line strategy. If you're struggling to capture and convert reluctant audiences like men, talk to our experts. They are here to help. Contact us today.