Marketing is a diverse industry, meaning the proliferation of marketing sub-industries and specializations often eclipses several important sectors. Healthcare marketing is one such specialization that consistently grows more popular. While marketing healthcare services and products is not dissimilar to other marketing fields, there are some unique aspects to the practice.
In fact, the online Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a Concentration in Marketing program from The University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler) includes a course called Healthcare Marketing in Contemporary Society. Through studying the implications of the modern healthcare industry for marketing practitioners, students in this advanced degree program prepare themselves for success in a unique marketing specialty profession.
Healthcare Marketing in Hospitals
Marketing for hospitals is one of the most important facets of healthcare marketing. This type of marketing seems simple at first glance — market a hospital’s services. Yet, in practice, it is much more complicated.
Hospitals bring different medical communities together under one roof. From bariatric medicine to obstetrics, each department has its own culture, objectives and motivations, and it is the job of a healthcare marketer to present “a cohesive, coordinated plan that effectively reaches your organization’s various audiences and serves or supports a range of service lines in a variety of service areas,” according to Healthcare Success.
“The true scoreboard of success is an effective, strategic marketing plan that is carefully aligned with — and supporting of — your hospital’s business objectives.” So, a successful healthcare marketing campaign focuses on the bottom line: bringing patients to a particular hospital.
A Numbers Game
Healthcare Success sees effective healthcare marketing as evidence-based: “Doctors are trained in science, and they rely on evidence-based practices. Similarly, business-minded administrators, chief financial officers and managing executives will view a hospital SEO marketing plan from the bottom-line up.” Outcome metrics, benchmarks and datasets are the tools of the trade, and many marketing programs miss this mark. When choosing an online MBA program, healthcare marketing professionals should pay attention to a program’s offerings. Marketing healthcare is not the same as marketing automobiles.
Numbers to Pictures
While numbers are important to administrators and CFOs, healthcare marketing professionals must also take the pulse of contemporary patients. The internet provides many methods of research for people seeking healthcare, and they are more informed than ever before. As such, healthcare marketing must strike a balance between highly technical information and the experiences of healthcare consumers.
For instance, today’s public typically absorbs information through a variety of sources in several different media formats. In specific, visualizing information in captivating ways is key for resonating with modern audiences. Infographics can relay information to someone in a straightforward, pleasing way without requiring they read a full blog post. Similarly, video marketing is a common, ongoing trend in the digital marketing field. Infographics and short-form videos are both engaging and easy to share across social media channels. Simplifying complex information is key to bringing new patients to a hospital.
Patient Stories
Complex information is an important characteristic of healthcare marketing, but one can argue that there is a more important aspect to the field: humanity. Healthcare marketing focuses on the human aspects of healthcare and thus may significantly differ from many other types of marketing. One strong example of a successful healthcare marketing campaign in this vein is Sharing Mayo Clinic, a blog highlighting the stories of various patients. By focusing on the experiences of real patients at the Mayo Clinic, healthcare marketers are showing potential customers that the organization cares more about people than numbers.
Walking the tightrope of information-based but patient-centered healthcare is a challenge unique to healthcare marketing. For those seeking a career (or seeking to further their careers) in this specialized field, advanced studies in UT Tyler’s online MBA in Marketing concentrate on the particular nuances of healthcare marketing.
Learn more about UT Tyler’s online MBA with a Concentration in Marketing program.