Really Tough Economy:
Here’s Why You Should Leave Marketing to the Real Marketing Experts
If you believe that marketing is more art than science, then you might also believe that anyone with an iota of artistic or “creative” talent can do it well. But the fact of the matter is that marketing well requires as much science, intelligence, skill, training and experience as any healthcare specialty.
What exactly is marketing?
There are all kinds of “marketing” practitioners available to you. In order to choose the best one for your needs, you should first understand what marketing is. According to the dictionary, marketing is the total of all activities involved in the transfer of goods or services from the producer or seller (you) to the consumer or buyer (your patients and referrers), including branding, pricing, packaging, advertising, storing, shipping and selling.
Marketing professionals include consultants or strategists, account managers or product managers, researchers, artists or designers, writers or copywriters, photographers and media planners and media buyers. Effective marketing requires the collective expertise of all these individuals. Yet, too many unwary healthcare practitioners end up working with freelance graphic artists and writers (often relatives or friends) or a small local ad agency to create “marketing.” In most cases, all that’s created is a standalone print ad, brochure or web site that has little or no basis in actual marketing science.
Marketing is primarily about meeting the wants and needs of a group of consumers – your specific target audience. But first, you must identify your target audience using the sciences of demographics, socioeconomics and psychographics. Then you must identify and quantify their wants and needs so you can match them to your service offerings.
How do you find a true marketing expert?
The top criteria for selecting the right marketing services for your practice should be proven successes with other healthcare practices. Ask to see samples of work that’s been done for others. Ask how their work addressed the client’s marketing needs or challenges, and what kinds of results were achieved.
Remember that clever words and pretty pictures are not enough. Marketing is about effectiveness. You want every dollar you invest in marketing to return at least two or three dollars in revenue for your practice. Marketing should be an investment; not a cost, especially in a tough economy. So choose your marketing partner wisely and don’t leave your practice to chance.
Practice Builders is the nation’s leading healthcare marketing partner. Since 1979, Practice Builders has marketed over 15,000 healthcare practices, and has thousands of success stories to share. Practice Builders’ clients have survived and flourished through many recessions. Today, 30 years later, we are still helping physicians, physical therapists, surgeons and dentists advance their practice goals, increase referrals and revenues and survive the tough times.
What exactly is marketing?
There are all kinds of “marketing” practitioners available to you. In order to choose the best one for your needs, you should first understand what marketing is. According to the dictionary, marketing is the total of all activities involved in the transfer of goods or services from the producer or seller (you) to the consumer or buyer (your patients and referrers), including branding, pricing, packaging, advertising, storing, shipping and selling.
Marketing professionals include consultants or strategists, account managers or product managers, researchers, artists or designers, writers or copywriters, photographers and media planners and media buyers. Effective marketing requires the collective expertise of all these individuals. Yet, too many unwary healthcare practitioners end up working with freelance graphic artists and writers (often relatives or friends) or a small local ad agency to create “marketing.” In most cases, all that’s created is a standalone print ad, brochure or web site that has little or no basis in actual marketing science.
Marketing is primarily about meeting the wants and needs of a group of consumers – your specific target audience. But first, you must identify your target audience using the sciences of demographics, socioeconomics and psychographics. Then you must identify and quantify their wants and needs so you can match them to your service offerings.
How do you find a true marketing expert?
The top criteria for selecting the right marketing services for your practice should be proven successes with other healthcare practices. Ask to see samples of work that’s been done for others. Ask how their work addressed the client’s marketing needs or challenges, and what kinds of results were achieved.
Remember that clever words and pretty pictures are not enough. Marketing is about effectiveness. You want every dollar you invest in marketing to return at least two or three dollars in revenue for your practice. Marketing should be an investment; not a cost, especially in a tough economy. So choose your marketing partner wisely and don’t leave your practice to chance.
Practice Builders is the nation’s leading healthcare marketing partner. Since 1979, Practice Builders has marketed over 15,000 healthcare practices, and has thousands of success stories to share. Practice Builders’ clients have survived and flourished through many recessions. Today, 30 years later, we are still helping physicians, physical therapists, surgeons and dentists advance their practice goals, increase referrals and revenues and survive the tough times.