StJoeHeader_RevisedCASE STUDY:

St. Joseph Orthopedic Associates just needed to be reintroduced to the market. And we proved it.

CHALLENGE: College Station, Texas is home to Texas A&M University. One of the largest colleges in the United States, Texas A&M also has one of the most loyal alumni groups. Hence, as countless Baby Boomer Aggies retired, they returned to College Station causing an impressive 10% growth in population in less than a decade.

 

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With droves of Boomers came increasing demand for orthopedic services and increased competition entering the market. For many years, St. Joseph Orthopedic Associates had been the only orthopedic game in town. Belonging to the largest healthcare system in the region, the practice was well-established, but growth was stagnant - even with the increased demand for services.

Market research showed that St. Joseph Orthopedic Associates was still the most well-known provider in the region. But the group was known primarily because of its association with the St. Joseph Health System brand, not because of its reputation for quality care and outcomes. In fact, research showed that 44% of the market did not know who they would rate as the best orthopedic providers in the Brazos Valley. That left Orthopedic Associates’ market share vulnerable to the growing competition.

SOLUTION: Thread Marketing Group used formal research data to convince a conservative physician group that it was time to reintroduce the practice to the growing market and to highlight the providers themselves as long-standing Aggies who provide specialized procedures with exceptional results. Thread’s approach was two pronged – target consumers directly while simultaneously targeting referring physicians.

 

 

MEET OUR DOCTORS: AN INTEGRATED, MULTI-LAYERED APPROACH TO ATTRACTING PATIENTS.
Studies show that people want a personal relationship with their healthcare providers in addition to trusting them to provide exceptional care. Thread developed a plan to give Orthopedic Associates physicians a friendly and recognizable presence in the community.

Multi-layered consumer messaging crossed channels and market segments to convey the fact that Orthopedic Associates physicians are real people with heart—and exceptional talent.

Thread’s media strategy included digital, print and broadcast ads along with a strong public relations component. A custom web landing page encouraging phone and form submissions for more information and other key web page updates to the orthopedic section of the St. Joseph website supported the campaign and improved the online experience while optimizing search.

The campaign connected physicians to the powerful St. Joseph brand while positioning the group as personal, focused on patients, and highly skilled in all facets of orthopedics.

By crafting personal introductions for each of the surgeons hidden behind the masks, Thread was able to share their passion and dedication for providing outstanding care in a distinctive manner. As a result, the “It’s Personal” campaign gained immediate favor in the community.

Direct mail was also used to target warm market segments who had been identified as having a propensity for needing orthopedic care based on their health record information that was pulled from the health system’s CRM database.

Thread also developed a series of seminars, community events, even golf clinics that put surgeons out in the community and provided opportunities for them to be themselves while sharing their expertise and meeting potential patients.

 

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REFERRAL SOURCES: PHYSICIANS, MEET YOUR AMAZING PEERS. AN INTERNAL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.
With a network of hundreds of potential referral sources, St. Joseph Health System itself was an underutilized market referral segment. In fact, St. Joseph had recently added 40 new primary care physicians to their network due to the growing population. Most of them were new to the area and unfamiliar with Orthopedic Associates. Therefore, Thread extended the multi-layered campaign to include an internal, cross-channel push to formally introduce St. Joseph Orthopedic Associates to the rest of the St. Joseph provider network.

STRONG RESULTS, EXCEPTIONAL PAYOFF.
RESULTS: With metrics in place to measure key performance indicators and track bottom line results, the practice scheduled 30 new patient appointments in the first month of the campaign launch with their new online form process. And, within the first 60 days of campaign launch, an 8% increase in overall patient volume was recorded.

 

 

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