Sharing authentic patient stories and becoming a digital-first marketing organization are some of the strategies Cleveland Clinic employed to become the No. 1 healthcare brand in the U.S. according to Monigle's "Humanizing Brand Experience: Healthcare Edition" report, Cleveland Clinic's Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Paul Matsen told Becker's.
"There are many factors that go into building a successful brand. And it's something that the clinic has achieved over a long period of time. Certainly the brand isn't just marketing. It represents all the work that happens across the Cleveland Clinic enterprise," said Mr. Matsen. "So, all of that goes into the brand, and our job in marketing is to represent that, and we do it in many different ways."
One way is telling the stories of patients. Cleveland Clinic partners closely with the media, its media team and its production teams to tell stories about how the care at Cleveland Clinic impacts patient lives and the lives of communities the health system serves.
Most recently, a Cleveland Clinic patient was featured on NBC's "Today" to share his cancer journey and recovery process. Mr. Matsen says sharing the stories of a patient's health journey and more about the care Cleveland Clinic provides plays a critical role in communicating the health system's brand.
Another strategy the health system embarked on was switching the organization to a digital-first marketing organization.
"We made the move to becoming a digital-first marketing organization some time ago and started investing in content on social media, on our website and through podcasts," said Mr. Matsen. "We've really embraced digital storytelling and digital content, and that's become a critical driver of our brand."
Mr. Matsen attributes these two strategies as the driving force behind Cleveland Clinic's successful brand building in recent years.