During my 21 years at Lahey Clinic I had the privilege of developing and publishing magazines and health letters intended not just to represent the Clinic to the public but to inform and educate about a broad range of medical topics.
I’m a strong believer in education as a vehicle for gaining visibility and establishing a sense of connected-ness between the reader and the doctor or organization. In this context, I try to emphasize the “human-ness” of the individuals involved – because I believe that familiarity with the provider gives prospective patients both knowledge about treatments available and a comfort level with the people from whom they may receive care.
Well-done magazines provide an organization with a tool that has credibility, lets you control your message and elaborate on details, has high readership and has strong response rates. They’re also efficient direct mail pieces, since they can convey information on multiple topics in one mailing without the separate printing and mailing costs of individual pieces.
Well-done publications have a cascade effect – readers pass them along to friends and relatives who may have problems talked about. In an online age, magazines and brochures may seem passé, but an important issues is tangibility – people feel more comfortable vis-á-vis an organization with something they can hold in their hand. And with repetition and an emphasis on quality of service, they reinforce your brand.
Since, obviously, good covers, sharp headline-writing and intriguing leads helps a lot in drawing readers in, I paid a lot of attention them.
I have to add that as a writer and editor, the opportunity to create interesting, useful stories on topics as diverse as breast cancer, back pain, cosmetic surgery and anti-aging, dizziness, heart disease, joint replacement and other subjects is immensely fulfilling.
Lahey Clinic Magazine
- “Headache Issue” – Headache Pain, Marfan Syndrome, Allergies, Head & Neck Cancer, Urinary Incontinence.
- “Anti-Aging Issue” – Cosmetic Surgery, Gynecologic Cancer, Heart Attack, Male Infertility.
“Sports Medicine Issue” – Sports Medicine, Interventional Cardiology, Crohn’s Disease, Fecal Incontinence.
Lahey Hitchcock Health Letter (A sample from Lahey’s period of merger; it also lived as the Lahey Clinic Health Letter before and after the merger).
- “Be Sweet to Your Feet Issue” – Foot Problems, Drinking Water, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Skin Cancer.