Marketing Your Ambulance Service ?

[crotchitymedic1986]

Is anyone doing anything creative, or are you still just passing out donuts and pizza at the local nursing homes ?

[NYCEMS9115]

I give all the NH free BCLS, ACLS, PALS courses. I still have the same old routine of free company: pens, pads, post-its, calendars, mugs, and stickers. Food is also provided monthly. Somehow, money under the table, works best.

Unfortunately, my company doesn't engage in this. So, we must do it the old fashion way; be on time, courteous, and provide excellent care. It hasn't worked well.

[crotchitymedic1986]

I agree NY, but there must be something new to do besides being illegal, I wonder if we fail because we are all doing the same thing ? Can you prove that the money you spent on pads, pens, and other supplies has resulted in an increase in call volume ? The purpose of marketing is to increase market share, but I do not see many who are increasing share through regular methods.

[Chief1C]

Oh... I get it. Read it wrong, not touching that.

[NYCEMS9115]

Money rules. You give $$$ they'll call you more.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Is anyone doing anything creative, or are you still just passing out donuts and pizza at the local nursing homes ?

EMS Week

Education

Membership plans

Meet the medics sessions

flyers sent to the members of the community

Tricked out website

Not much more that I can think of to market the ems system.

providing impeccable service, arriving on time, matched uniforms, pleasant attitudes towards patient, family and especially the Idiot nursing home night nurses that we all know and love.

Football, track, soccer, baseball standbys, providing pro-bono standby's for major events.

Giving tours of the ambulance and demos at local daycares and elementary schools

Vial of Life

magnets to put on refridgerators

Having a pleasant collection agency and not the dumbasses I'm working with (Non-ems related collection agency)

Providing PR at local neighborhood block parties.

Free CPR and Firstaid classes, Add to those classes a babysitting class or two.

Just driving the ambulance around the neighborhood, stopping to meet the people in the community.

Almost all the above is free or at very very little cost to the prospective service that decides to do any of the above.

[Bieber]

Just driving the ambulance around the neighborhood, stopping to meet the people in the community.

This right here. Now I'm not an expert at PR or marketing or anything like that, but I know that as a citizen of my community, that is the single biggest thing I would look for outside of good patient care, a great attitude, and a professional appearance. Unfortunately, it seems that we in EMS often fail to connect with our community except when they call us in their times of crisis.

[crotchitymedic1986]

Well I was thinking about IFT services more than 911. I recently read a post on an internet site where someone who had just started a new service was frustrated that she spent tons of money to make sure her service was more professional and had better equipment than any of the competitors, but the local hospital still calls the grungy service that is unprofessional instead of hers. Was trying to give her some suggestions.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Well I was thinking about IFT services more than 911. I recently read a post on an internet site where someone who had just started a new service was frustrated that she spent tons of money to make sure her service was more professional and had better equipment than any of the competitors, but the local hospital still calls the grungy service that is unprofessional instead of hers. Was trying to give her some suggestions.

Some relationships between services and hospitals go way way way back. I'm sure you already know that.

But since they are the new guys then they have to step up and start to be more visible.

How many crews do they have working?

They could have the crews that are on duty go buy bagels (stay away from doughnuts) and coffee and juice and deliver them to the ER or nursing unit where they are getting calls from.

They need to cultivate a relationship with the dealmakers, the nurses and doctors who make the decision what service gets called.

The facility management and administration are not the ones who deal with the services on a regular basis.

Branching out and stationing a unit at the highest volume facility ensuring a very rapid response to their transfer will help them understand that you are committed to providing fast, competent and efficient service.

Providing the nursing staff a report on how the patient did no matter how minor the transfer was will go a long way in telling the facility that you value their business.

The more you can do to get your name out in front of the people who actually do the calling will do wonders.

I am saying "you" but I am meaing your friend.

Unfortunately, this all costs money so if your friends management is not willing to spend some dough and really get that service's name out and rely on word of mouth and hopefully getting a call then that service will continue to be on the bottom of the list in getting called.

Wow them with competence and face time and the call volume will pick up.

[NYCEMS9115]

You can bring food and office supplies to the Nursing, Support Staff, and Practitioners but ultimately its not them who make the real decisions; they call vendors who are approved by administration. Most executives will not meet you without an appt; so spur of the moment visits is frowned upon. If your too aggressive with the "MARKETING" you may lost the few calls you get out of there. There are too many people you must "MARKET" to; in a hospital. Especially, if its a big hospital with other hospitals it controls. Many VPs to "MARKET" to. Many Directors to "MARKET" to. Many Administrators to "MARKET" to. Many Managers to "MARKET" to. Many Clerical Staff to "MARKET" to. Many Nurses to "MARKET" to. Many Doctors to "MARKET" to. Too many to "MARKET" to. There's a fine line between marketing and harassment.

Example. This Nursing Home I service; we were their only Ambulance Provider; except for 911; started to use another service. They were bigger but had the reputation to be late. Many other facilities called us after waiting hours for them. Anyhow, last Nurse's Week, I personally trained all their Nurses and Aides (100+) in CPR, gave them breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week. We've always send them office supplies; do free trips for them, and last minute add-ons. Where did that get us? Nowhere, because the owner of the new service they're using is friends with the owner of the NH. Marketing seldom means anything for the upper class.