Proper marketing in healthcare is necessary in the sense that it helps healthcare organization to market their services, promote their products and services and improve the overall health of the community (Codourey, 2013). It is also a critical factor in improving delivery and quality of service provided by a healthcare organization, thus enhancing effectiveness and patient satisfaction in general. A variety of marketing techniques are employed in healthcare marketing to influence health behavior.
The market structure in health care is not similar that deployed in a typical market since few consumers pays directly for the services. In health care, it is normally the third party (medical insurance companies) that directly pays for the services offered to their clients which is the patient. This makes it difficult for marketing to be properly done, which is a major challenge to health care marketers (Morris, & Clarkson, 2009). A proper marketing plan is necessary in order to enable healthcare organizations to achieve objectives within a specified period of time. Measurement of satisfaction is also a major challenge in healthcare marketing compared to other marketing industries which employ various tools and methods to access satisfaction. Health care systems competition among employers could also have a negative influence on the marketing strategy.
Lack of a proper standardized marketing technique like in other industries is a major challenge in health care marketing. Healthcare marketing cannot adapt techniques from other sectors, thus making healthcare marketing an independent system hence difficult to employ a variety of techniques. Proper standardized marketing techniques are important since it helps healthcare organizations to save resources and their time in marketing.
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Although internet serves a very important roles in market in all industries, it is very challenging for the patients to accurately verify the information posted on a website of a particular healthcare organization. This means that patients are required to conduct extra research about the information convey on the webpage before making a decision to seek services from that particular healthcare organization (Fellows, 2013). As a result, healthcare organization tend to invest a lot in technology in order to provide patients with more information on healthcare products and services. This affects various marketing strategies employed unlike other industries or organizations. Channels of communication in health care have changed, resulting to increased competition among health issues in the public.
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The marketing strategy in health care marketing has an extremely difficult cost-benefit analysis technique, which resulted into inability to meet or measure the cost of providing the health care service (Codourey, 2013). Competition within different health care systems could also affect employees and customers involved in health care systems and this influence which system gets patients. Cost-benefit analysis enables organizations to determine whether they will be able to meet their objectives in specified market areas or not.
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Marketing as a Necessity for Health Care
Marketing has not been fully accepted into the health care system yet it has a legitimate role in the provision of health care services. Marketers in some cases are rarely recognized by health administrators and professionals hence affecting service delivery. This clearly shows that marketing has not been fully accepted in health care. Health care is also spending a lot of money in advertising health care issues which do not accomplish anything. More emphasis should be put on health care marketing and its importance to enhance its effectiveness.
Income use in health care marketing varies with the analysis level. Individual income when dealing with insurances in health care is almost negligible. Failure to specify analysis levels and variations within groups in health care could result to it being more of a luxury.
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