Marketing a healthcare organization can be challenging—even painful—if you don’t approach it with the right knowledge, tools and guidance.
The truth is, there are more than seven ways for well-intended providers, hospitals and medical facilities to fail at marketing. In our educational White Paper, we list seven of the most common—and perhaps the most deadly—of mistakes (and what to do instead).
What’s more, our popular report, which has been downloaded over 40-thousand times, delivers even more…with five additional “deadly sins” (a total of 12) to help you avoid trouble. Plus, we’ve included a tool to get you started with your own Marketing Audit. [Request the full “7 Sins” White Paper here and we’ll send it pronto. It’s free.]
In this first installment of supplemental articles, we take a closer look at “Sin #1,” with more posts to follow in coming weeks.
Deadly Sin # 1: Confusing Marketing with Advertising.
It may seem elementary, but it is a frighteningly common mistake to use “marketing” and “advertising” interchangeably. They’re close relatives, but not the same. Understanding the distinction is important because (a) we encounter this faux pas frequently, (b) clarity will help with understanding all the other points in this list, and (c) misunderstanding can be painful, if not deadly.
Avoiding this mistake is a matter of understanding. Here are the basic definitions:
In general use of the terms, “marketing” most often refers to the strategic, whereas “advertising” often refers to a tactical means to achieve a marketing goal.
It’s not as daunting as you might think…
There are six, and only six, fundamental building blocks to successful healthcare marketing:
We hope you’ll draw on our experience in working with hospitals and healthcare organizations across the nation and thus avoid the pitfalls of others. Click through to the reference articles linked above. And for more on this topic, see An Intelligent Approach to Creating a Durable Marketing Plan.
Lonnie Hirsch
Marketing a healthcare organization can be challenging - even painful if you don't approach it with the right knowledge, tools, and guidance. By reading about mistakes and lessons others have learned the hard way, you can boost your marketing effectiveness and take a shortcut to success. Discover how to avoid these "Seven Deadly Sins". Plus, join over 30,000 of your fellow healthcare providers with a free subscription to our Insight Newsletter.