The same engagement lessons that apply to medical societies can be highly valuable to health systems and vice-versa. Especially as each navigates increasing pressure to demonstrate value, improve loyalty, and retain staff.
Here are some lessons your organization may benefit from:
Clarify and Communicate Your Promise
- Stakeholders (members, patients, and communities) want to know what your organization stands for – not just what services and programs you provide.
- Refresh your mission and messaging to focus on well-being, equity, and access.
- Make your values visible in signage, social media, and stakeholder interactions.
- Align your internal culture so staff can articulate and embody that identity.
- When stakeholders trust you more, staff feels greater pride, and your brand becomes more than a name – it becomes a promise.
Use Advocacy as an Engagement Tool
- Stakeholders care about how external policy shifts affect care quality and access.
- Educate on the impact of issues like 340B, Medicaid expansion, behavioral health funding, or reimbursement levels.
- Empower stakeholder voices in local or state advocacy efforts.
- Collaboration between associations and health systems can yield greater reach.
- Position your organization as a community defender to boost loyalty and trust.
Launch Programs That Reflect Well-Being
- People need to see healthcare organizations adapt to meet today’s challenges – including mental health, maternal care, chronic disease, etc.
- Develop or expand programs based on direct member/patient feedback.
- Co-create programs with local organizations, staff, or members/patients themselves.
- Tie initiatives to measurable health equity or value outcomes.
- To stay responsive and relevant – drive both external and internal wellness initiatives.
Tell Stories That Show Impact
- Data is important, but stories move hearts and reinforce your purpose.
- Highlight member/patient journeys, staff heroism, and program successes in newsletters, videos, and social media.
- Make consumers and your staff part of the storytelling.
- Use stories to support philanthropy, advocacy, and recruitment efforts.
- Humanize your brand to rally internal pride and build a deeper emotional connection with external audiences.
Medical societies and health systems must move from being service providers to partners that can be trusted beyond sick care – no matter the audience. These four strategies – clarity, advocacy, innovation, and storytelling – aren’t just for engagement; they can help organizations prove value to their priority audiences.
If you’d like to learn more about applying the lessons from healthcare verticals, contact us at mike@springboardbrand.com