Episode Summary: The Marketing Millennials Podcast - Episode 317

Title: How to Stand Out In A Regulated Space with Andrea Becker
Release Date: March 12, 2025
Guest: Andrea Becker, Senior Director of Marketing at Wellspan Health

Introduction

In Episode 317 of The Marketing Millennials, host Daniel Murray dives into the challenging world of healthcare marketing with Andrea Becker, the Senior Director of Marketing at Wellspan Health. Andrea brings over 25 years of experience in healthcare and health system marketing, offering invaluable insights into creating effective marketing strategies within the highly regulated healthcare sector.

Background of Andrea Becker

Andrea begins by sharing her extensive background in healthcare, highlighting her transition from a lab technician to a seasoned marketer. Her experience spans various aspects of clinical marketing, including connecting patients with appropriate technologies and caregivers, all aimed at improving health outcomes and building trust within communities.

Andrea Becker [01:47]: "Every health system is trying to make people healthier and live longer."

Unique Challenges in Healthcare Marketing

Andrea emphasizes that healthcare is a unique space where consumers often engage with services only when necessary. This necessitates a focus on relationship marketing and content marketing to build trust and brand loyalty ahead of time.

Andrea Becker [02:30]: "Healthcare is really about building that relationship and the trust and really building the brand so that when the need comes, you're top of mind and you're trusted."

Competing in the Digital Landscape

With the overwhelming amount of online content related to health, Andrea discusses the importance of creating personalized and valuable content. She stresses the need for content that addresses specific patient needs without overwhelming them with unnecessary information.

Andrea Becker [03:38]: "We're trying to build content that is beneficial and helpful and actually provides something."

Collaborating with Healthcare Providers

One of the significant hurdles Andrea faces is balancing the authentic personalities of healthcare providers with the overarching brand of the health system. She shares strategies for making doctors comfortable with marketing initiatives, ensuring their genuine selves shine through without compromising the brand's integrity.

Andrea Becker [06:56]: "I try to balance those two pieces. Obviously they're experts, they're there for a reason, but I want them to be comfortable. Otherwise, it's just awkward for everybody to listen to or watch."

Navigating Regulations and Legalities

Healthcare marketing is heavily regulated, requiring marketers to be cautious about protecting Protected Health Information (PHI). Andrea explains the complexities of digital marketing in this space, including the challenges with tools like Google Analytics and pixel placements.

Andrea Becker [11:43]: "In healthcare, I have to think twice and where did that information come from? And I can't send a postcard to your house that says hope your heart surgery went well because it's a postcard, which means your mail provider would know you had a heart surgery."

Leveraging AI in Healthcare Marketing

Andrea shares how AI has become a valuable tool in streamlining content creation, despite the necessity for human oversight to maintain accuracy and compliance.

Andrea Becker [14:14]: "AI has been a godsend for me because I can kind of dump my thoughts into that and it cleans it up for me."

Engaging Younger Generations

Targeting Gen Z and younger Millennials requires a shift towards convenience and digital engagement. Andrea highlights the rise of virtual care and the importance of teaching younger audiences how to navigate healthcare systems effectively.

Andrea Becker [18:14]: "There’s so much more that we can do digitally and I think the xenials X down through Z are so much more comfortable doing things digitally."

Storytelling and Building Human Connections

Andrea underscores the power of storytelling in healthcare marketing. By showcasing authentic stories of both patients and providers, marketers can foster deeper emotional connections and trust.

Andrea Becker [25:30]: "Understanding that they're people too is the best way to make that connection."

Community and Influencer Marketing

While exploring community and influencer marketing, Andrea points out the challenges of maintaining consistency and authenticity given the localized nature of healthcare services.

Andrea Becker [26:52]: "Loyalty to one system is rare, so finding someone that is loyal enough to the entire service set that we offer to be an authentic, appropriate influencer is tough."

Common Mistakes and Best Practices

Andrea identifies the lack of differentiation as a common mistake among healthcare marketers. Many adhere to clichés like "minutes matter" or "we're the top 1%," which do little to set a brand apart.

Andrea Becker [33:20]: "Differentiation has been very difficult to achieve in healthcare."

She advocates for more humor and authenticity to make healthcare marketing more relatable and engaging.

Andrea Becker [34:15]: "I think what's missing is humor... It doesn't always have to be so heavy."

Financial Impact of Marketing in Healthcare

Andrea clarifies that marketing plays a crucial role in generating revenue for non-profit health systems, which is reinvested back into the community.

Andrea Becker [35:47]: "Marketing is bringing money back into the system that then gets reinvested and reinvested and reinvested."

Recommended Resources

For healthcare marketers seeking to deepen their understanding, Andrea recommends the book series "Joe Public Doesn't Care about Your Hospital" by Chris Bevelo, which provides insights into patient-centric marketing strategies.

Andrea Becker [37:09]: "This series was written by a gentleman named Chris Bevelo and really talks about that they don't care."

Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Andrea concludes by emphasizing the importance of being data-driven and making informed decisions to enhance marketing effectiveness in healthcare. She also highlights the necessity of viewing marketing as a means to support and sustain health systems financially.

Andrea Becker [38:35]: "Marketing is differentiation. Just because they did it doesn't mean we have to do it."

Connecting with Andrea Becker

Andrea is open to connecting with fellow professionals and can be found on LinkedIn.

Key Quotes:

• Andrea Becker [02:30]: "Healthcare is really about building that relationship and the trust and really building the brand so that when the need comes, you're top of mind and you're trusted."

• Andrea Becker [11:43]: "In healthcare, I have to think twice and where did that information come from?"

• Andrea Becker [25:30]: "Understanding that they're people too is the best way to make that connection."

Conclusion

This episode provides a comprehensive look into the intricacies of healthcare marketing, highlighting the balance between authenticity, compliance, and effective communication. Andrea Becker's experiences and strategies offer valuable lessons for marketers navigating regulated industries, emphasizing the importance of trust, storytelling, and data-driven decisions.

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