In this post, we tell you what healthcare marketing is and why it sometimes has a negative concept when combined with the healthcare sector.
Many consider marketing a negative word when used in the medical field. When it comes to marketing, the most immediate thing is to imagine a door-to-door salesman who wants to sell us the latest encyclopedia with a reinforced cover. But why? How can healthcare marketing help you offer a better service? Marketing is a very misunderstood concept for most people who are not in the business; sometimes, mainly due to bad advertising practices, it is a term with negative connotations.
In reality, there is no better action to show the real value of a product or service in the health sector than to exploit marketing.
A misunderstood concept
To understand how healthcare marketing can help a hospital, clinic, or healthcare facility, the first thing you need to analyze is ” why a patient chooses one healthcare facility over another .” The number of patients who fall ill or have acute flu episodes and are forced to go to the emergency room cannot be controlled. However, if they are already sick and need to make a decision, it is possible to provide more information on the services available. When a patient chooses a health center there are a number of factors that influence.
The quality of the health service is always a priority, but how do patients make an assessment? It is very subjective and often influenced by many aspects of the outline. To better explain, an example of an airline is useful. Is the judgment of a passenger given by the quality of the engines of an airplane? No!
Passengers do not see the engines but appreciate the cleanliness, the food, the kindness … and in the end when they land they report the experience.
The image of your facility, healthcare and otherwise, is a marketing tool
If in the waiting room of your clinic there are the magazines of the wedding of Lady Diana and Carlo, it means that you are not updated and this is perceived and automatically reflected in the professional skills. If the corridors are dirty or in a mess, it means that the tools used for the analyzes are also. Your image and that of your clinic is a marketing tool.
Why do some private clinics hire healthcare marketing professionals? If you are a professional, why not use marketing tools to attract patients? Another way to increase the number of patients is to differentiate themselves. For example, increase or modify the opening hours to the public, provide a home delivery service, introduce complimentary services.
And if you don’t know how to improve your services, just ask your patients. You can use a small survey, take advantage of waiting for patients in the waiting room for a brief comparison. Sometimes the friendliness of the staff, the reminder by phone or the greeting card matter more than we think. All other things being equal, if your competitors are more attentive to these details, who would you choose? who do you think your customers choose? Anyone who feels comfortable in a welcoming environment with attention to detail.
Don’t be afraid to advertise your facility or your services, but remember that you must always communicate honestly and try to communicate your values as a person and as a professional.
In summary.
Marketing is not a word incompatible with health, it is simply a matter of advising the patient by showing the characteristics of a good team of professionals. The best way to implement a marketing strategy right away is to offer your patients an impeccable service. In other sectors, it works and has no negative connotations. Start using health marketing techniques right away otherwise your competitors will outdo you and have an advantage.
Health marketing doesn’t have to cost a fortune or cause a moral dilemma. Let your patients know who you are, where you are, and what you offer. In a world where intrusion stands out and immorality stands out, why not communicate to your patients that your facility is alive thanks to valid professionals and that your services differ in quality and service from other facilities?
Do you want to have advice on marketing actions to put into practice for your healthcare facility?
