Why Healthcare Marketing Matters To Patients And Providers
By Edward J. Starks
Modern medicine preserves lives and reduces suffering. In a fantasy world, hospitals and practices would not have to deal with selling and promoting their services, but in reality all patients are customers, and medicine is big business. Better healthcare marketing not only gives people more information and product details, but also helps them make good personal choices.
Although new laws make it possible for more people to afford coverage, making those choices can still be a perplexing process. Many people are confused about available services, and a barrage of less-than-transparent media advertising does not help. Rather than expressing an opinion or selling a particular designer drug, good medical promotion emphasizes unique advantages and strong points.
The process begins with an unflinching analysis of current promotional policies. In past years, some groups or individual physicians considered themselves to so uniquely successful or cutting-edge that no strategy was actually needed. That attitude unfortunately rubs off on patients, and can contribute to decreased revenue, a shrinking practice, and ultimately fewer customers.
Surgical robots and gene-specific medications are no longer the predictions of science fiction authors, but even in an age of medical advances it is still the patient who determines the ultimate fate of a particular medical group. The true key to success is providing the best possible customer service, and one way to achieve that is by raising consumer awareness through targeted marketing.
The current third-party payer system requires administrators to deal with insurance companies, not patients. Although more people are insured than ever before, they still make many choices based on cost, reputation, and word of mouth. If a particular practice or group consistently is known for long waits, outdated record systems, disconnected information sharing, and impersonal treatment, it will suffer.
The best providers work with health-care consulting groups. These experts make use of promotional and advertising techniques perfected by other successful businesses, such as marketplace product branding, in addition to helping create professional and useful websites. They understand and use current Internet advertising methods such as search engine optimization in order to reach greater numbers of people.
As a result of applying new marketing tactics, patient revenue often increases. While it is possible to accomplish this using current staff, the best results are the product of working with professional with proven track records in the medical arena. When patients learn what truly makes one group better for their own needs, a referral can become a satisfied, permanent client.
Although new laws make it possible for more people to afford coverage, making those choices can still be a perplexing process. Many people are confused about available services, and a barrage of less-than-transparent media advertising does not help. Rather than expressing an opinion or selling a particular designer drug, good medical promotion emphasizes unique advantages and strong points.
The process begins with an unflinching analysis of current promotional policies. In past years, some groups or individual physicians considered themselves to so uniquely successful or cutting-edge that no strategy was actually needed. That attitude unfortunately rubs off on patients, and can contribute to decreased revenue, a shrinking practice, and ultimately fewer customers.
Surgical robots and gene-specific medications are no longer the predictions of science fiction authors, but even in an age of medical advances it is still the patient who determines the ultimate fate of a particular medical group. The true key to success is providing the best possible customer service, and one way to achieve that is by raising consumer awareness through targeted marketing.
The current third-party payer system requires administrators to deal with insurance companies, not patients. Although more people are insured than ever before, they still make many choices based on cost, reputation, and word of mouth. If a particular practice or group consistently is known for long waits, outdated record systems, disconnected information sharing, and impersonal treatment, it will suffer.
The best providers work with health-care consulting groups. These experts make use of promotional and advertising techniques perfected by other successful businesses, such as marketplace product branding, in addition to helping create professional and useful websites. They understand and use current Internet advertising methods such as search engine optimization in order to reach greater numbers of people.
As a result of applying new marketing tactics, patient revenue often increases. While it is possible to accomplish this using current staff, the best results are the product of working with professional with proven track records in the medical arena. When patients learn what truly makes one group better for their own needs, a referral can become a satisfied, permanent client.
About the Author:
Edward J. Stark is a marketing expert that specializes in healthcare focused marketing. If you are interested in learning more about Healthcare Hospital Marketing Associations he suggests that you check out Beaconfey.