Healthcare Marketing Reflection
Even though everyone needs healthcare there are many different options for the consumer to choose from in most cases. In order to draw patients to a healthcare facility in order to be profitable the healthcare facility must use effective marketing strategies and techniques.
There are types of marketing techniques that can assist the healthcare facility in getting the necessary exposure to draw in consumers. Consumers will be drawn to the healthcare facility that has the best reputation for providing quality healthcare treatments, procedures, surgeries, etc. that are also a success. In order for the healthcare facility to draw in consumers they must be able to share their successes through different marketing techniques.
The television is one of the best tools a healthcare facility can use to market their organization. The television commercial allows the consumer to view the healthcare facility and see the types of services they will receive. Through the televisions prior patients can share their stories and the staff can share their successes. The commercial will highlight the different services and products the healthcare facility provides. The radio is another marketing technique that is used by healthcare organizations to bring attention to their healthcare services and products. The radio is a good tool for sending a message to the consumer.
In the 21st Century new marketing tools have emerged to help the business advertise their services or products. The use of social marketing tools has become a popular way to alert the public to the healthcare organization and its services as well as remind consumers about important preventative measures that need to be taken to ensure good health. Different marketing tools can send different message or different marketing approaches can send the same message but different ways or to different target audiences.
One current health care marketing trends is to use new technology to target consumers or a segment of consumers. One segment of consumers being target is the younger generations.
Younger patients are far more receptive to online platforms for healthcare information, illustrating the need for marketing strategies that integrate offline, online and mobile messaging (Budryk, 2014). They are more likely to listen to a digital message over coming through a newspaper to read the advertisements. Different technologies are used to attract the younger, digital natives through targeted online advertising, search engine optimization and marketing, and social media,
such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Another trend is for the healthcare organization to establish a brand through the marketing message. Every business establishes a brand in order to be able to gain the recognition of the consumer. This is the same in modern healthcare. A current marketing technique being used by healthcare organizations is to run online promotions, such as contests or offers for healthcare services or products in order to draw in the patient. The usual marketing tools are still used to capture the target audience but in the digital age it is necessary for any healthcare organization to employ the use of new technology.
Current marketing techniques are impacting consumer trends because it changes how people respond to the message they receive. Digital natives are more receptive to the digital message while citizens not born during the digital age will be more receptive to the traditional marketing techniques using the television, radio, print, etc.
Current trends in marketing in healthcare also impact how the healthcare organization conducts business. Healthcare organizations are no longer driven by the healthcare provider but instead is now a market-driven health care system giving a chance for individual health providers to find their position within the healthcare industry.
The positive effect of new healthcare marketing trends is a reduced cost for the healthcare provider in sending their message and an ability to send the message to a large market.
The use of digital technologies allows the healthcare organization to engage in simple techniques that will help build their brand and solidify their reputation in the healthcare industry. The problem with the current trends in healthcare is it has changes the system to one that is far more competitive especially in the digital realm (Golper, 2002). In order to stand out in the Information Age the message being communicated needs to go viral or capture the attention of a large digital audience.
The healthcare organizations can no longer just a place to receive healthcare services but it has to operate like any other organization in capturing the target audience especially with competition being fierce.