Restoring relevance to a once thriving national medical organization is a significant challenge, but the American Medical Association is demonstrating that with an aggressive, personal marketing strategy, anything is possible.
The AMA, a 168-year-old organization, was formed by a small group of concerned physicians who came together to create guidelines around practicing medicine where there were none when doctors attended trade school for as little as six months before beginning their careers. The result was the Code of Medical Ethics, widely considered the most comprehensive ethics guide available for medical professionals.
There was a time when 80% of the country’s physicians belonged to the AMA, but due to a shift in physician values and the arrival of more narrowly focused medical societies, AMA saw a sharp decline in membership. CMO Rodrigo Sierra came onboard nearly four years ago, and since then, AMA has been on a steady upswing. The company attributes its success to a reevaluation of the company’s core values, a drastic change in communication strategy, and an emphasis on truly understanding the needs of physicians, residents, and medical students across the country.
“You have to take time and understand the needs of your audience, your stakeholders, and hopefully, you have some success putting together those personas with the way you reach out to people,” Sierra said.
Sierra said AMA is currently focused on how to grow their membership base while still making relevant information accessible to the nation’s medical community.
Other highlights from this week’s episode of CMO Radio include:
Developing a core strategy and goals (8:44)
Establish company voice (15:02)
Pushing the right content to the right audience (20:15)
Connecting with consumers on social media (25:47)
