Maya Angelou once said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel".
Creating the right emotions, developing a connection with your audience, and meeting the most basic of human needs are all at the center of storytelling. Human brains are wired for telling and receiving stories. Emotional branding speaks to the wants, needs, and aspirations of the consumer. It speaks to their ego and need for safety, belonging, and self-accomplishment.
But before you embark on writing your story and answering the WHY, ask the WHO and the WHAT to
Who is your audience?
What is it about your brand that is appealing to them?
What need are you trying to address?
In the healthcare space, marketers start by engaging the medical professionals in discussions about both the organizational brand vision and brand value. They meet often and listen to how the doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals understand its current state, and how they envision it for the future. Based on those discussions, they draft the brand promise and communicate its common purpose.
This is a crucial point for a couple of reasons:
Through this process, you are turning your medical staff into loyal brand evangelists who will then reshape and enhance brand awareness, and build memorable connections with their patients.
Great brands go beyond telling a story and healthcare brands are no different. Brands such as John Hopkins Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and UNC Health are the story. As the patient develops and maintains an emotional connection with the brand, they become active participants in writing the story of the organization.
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