Know Your Why: How To Bring Your Brand Full Circle

You know WHAT your organization does and HOW you do it.

But it’s your WHY that matters most in the mind of the consumer.

The US healthcare sector has been around since 1735, when the first medical society was formed in Boston. Fast-forward through centuries of scientific breakthroughs, technological advances and consistent data/record keeping to today – a radically different market that continues to evolve. 2020 alone opened a revolving door that welcomed competitors and disruptors, like Walmart and Amazon, and forced brick-and-mortar clinics to go virtual. With so many healthcare options to choose from, how does your brand attract consumer attention that not only leads to action, but long-term loyalty?

The answer is surprisingly simple: Know and show your Why.* By defining your Why, or your purpose, you’re revealing the core or soul of your business to the consumer, connecting with them on a psychological and emotional level.

Say, for example, you’re an academic medical center. You know what you do and how you do it. It’s in your mission statement and clearly laid out on your website for all prospects to read. But, why does any of that matter? By focusing on the Why, you can define your purpose/cause/belief and only then will you be able to effectively communicate the difference you make for the consumer.

The What
Every employee at Academic Medical Center X knows WHAT they do. In short, they provide advanced patient care.

The How
Most understand HOW they do it. Academic Medical Center X provides advanced patient care through a combination of teaching, research and clinical expertise. Most stop here with their messaging.

The Why
Very few know WHY they do what they do. And it’s not for the fame or fortune. It’s the purpose, cause or belief. Essentially, it’s the reason your organization exists. Academic Medical Center X believes in improving every life they touch.

Now let’s bring the What, How and Why together to create a compelling positioning for this healthcare system. Academic Medical Center X provides advanced patient care through a combination of teaching, research and clinical expertise in order to improve every life they touch.

Today, people don’t buy the what or how, but rather the why. Now more than ever, with new players competing for the same patients, healthcare organizations need to do more than just explain what they do and how they do it. They need to show their unique differences by starting with the Why.

Let Frederick Swanston help find your Why with strategic, data-driven research. And show your Why by creating a healthcare campaign that stands out in the marketplace and connects with your consumers. Contact us here.

*Sinek, Simon. “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. March 10, 2014. www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Bill Swanston

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