Marketing is very important in any kind of business including healthcare provision. Many factors influence customers when deciding on which product to buy or what service to use. Healthcare marketing is very delicate especially where socio cultural factors beliefs and virtues of a society influence the customers.
However, there are other marketing elements that determine the customers’ decisions. Any business should consider the description of the targeted market in terms of their income acquisitions, the kind of job they are specialized in, average age as well as their gender.
For example, a gynecologist should locate his clinic in an area close to women hostels. Similarly, an area constituting low income earners should have a local clinic but not a sophisticated one with technological machines. Effective marketing also involve considering available competitors.
This would include determining the demand of services and the competitors within the area. Abilities and disabilities of the competitors may also be helpful in determining what they cannot offer. This way, a business will be in a better position to provide unique services or products that its competitors do not have. For instance, one healthcare clinic may lack x-ray services. Provision of this service by the competitor clinic would be an effective strategy to for marketing.
Location description is also a major strategy in marketing especially in a very competitive business and a high demand on goods or services. Bringing services or products to a place within the consumers reach always attracts many of them since they do not need to move long distances to get the same. Disadvantages associated with a certain location should as well be considered. For example, locating a business close to an area which is less populated or its population consists of low income earners will not promote market.
Another very important factor to consider when marketing is the pricing of a product or service. Prices by competitors should be considered where in most cases businesses place a price that is lower than that of their competitors. However, production costs on raw materials and labor, to mention but a few, should be evaluated as well to limits that allow for profits (Bellis 1).
In any kind of a business organization, it is very important to have good and healthy relationships with all stakeholders from the employers to employees to customers and all other parties involved in the business in one way or another. Many companies are now focusing on relationship marketing as customers are always switching from one organization to another seeking better service provision through attitude of the providers.
As much as business organizations work hard to gain customers trust, so should they in retaining them. Organizations should therefore plan on relationship marketing strategies through a number of ways. For example, establishment of a customer care service to handle all the problems with customers. Sending greeting cards to customers especially during festive seasons is also another way of establishing a relationship market.
Maintaining loyal customers by ensuring that they are kept informed on any new products, offers or any other changes in the business prevents them from moving to competitors even if they are new businesses. Providing customers with quality services or products alone is not enough to earn their trust. They require good relationships and interactions from the organizations to make them comfortable and satisfied. Efforts should also be made to win back customers who had previously raced off from the business (Temple 1).
Works Cited
Bellis, Mary. “What are the Elements of a Marketing Plan”. 2011. Web.
Temple, Claudia. “5 Steps to Relationship Marketing Success”. 2002. Web.