Take a Good Look In The Mirror
Developing an effective marketing plan involves taking a good look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? What don't you like and what would you improve if you have the chance? What do you accel at? How do your company's core competencies compare to your competition? Assessing your healthcare business properly is crucial to the development of a marketing plan that works.
Begin by defining your company's goals and conducting a SWOT Plan - assessing your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. These elements are measured both internally and externally and, in the end, allow you to prioritize your marketing efforts in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
An internal analysis should include an assessment of referral trends, patient/customer visit volumes, payer mix, customer and staff surveys and an honest tally of core competencies. Are your medical business leaders regarded as thought leaders? If so, this is an example of a Strength that can be highlighted in your marketing communications. A common under-looked internal Weakness is the lack of referral trend analysis. Very often you hear, "We haven't seen referrals coming from XYZ Company for a while." At that point, it may be too late to convince your referral partners to send you customers as they have switched to another option. Has your business added a new line of business or new service? There's a great example of an Opportunity to showcase that new service to your external customers. Finally, internal Threats to a business can be reflected in its inability to provide speed-to-service, having obsolete equipment or weak managerial skills.
Externally, conducting SWOT analyses of your competitors, the community, employers and insurance payers will yield valuable information. Do your competitors have better technology or have a more seamless way to conduct business with them? Is your insurance payer environment changing and represent a threat to your current business? These are a couple questions among several that can be answered while conducting a thorough external analysis. Identifying your competitor's marketing approaches and tactics will also add value to your competitive marketing plan. Lastly, perhaps the most important external analysis that can be done is to listen to your referral partners' voices. A properly designed and executed survey of businesses who refer to your company can provide immediate data and clarity of what's working and what's not.
If you can accomplish these analytical steps and formulate an actionable marketing plan on your own, you are in a great position. If not, finding a strategic marketing partner is essential to your future success.