Hospital Marketing – How to do it? Segment 2

Do Hospital Marketeers want people to fall sick or get hurt and come to their hospital?

Hello Hospital Marketeers,

HAPPY DIWALI to YOU and FAMILY!!!

Last time I introduced you as to why hospitals require marketing. I will now explain the prime concept of Hospital Marketing and how I learnt it.

As mentioned in my earlier segment, there is a common understanding amongst general public that a good hospital does not require any marketing and its facilities, services and pertinently the treatment results itself promote the hospital. Yes, this is what ultimately creates a good brand value for a hospital. Let us here understand the concept of Hospital Marketing.

Concept of Hospital Marketing:

Hospital is a service industry and so naturally its marketing is based on the basic concept of service marketing. A service if good or not is subject to the consumer experience and has no physical attributes to it.

What I mean to say here is that a Service which has no physical touch or feel. It is not something where you as a consumer can buy for example a Wada Pav or a Burger. These items can be judged by its physical attributes on the basis of basic Human senses i.e. Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch, Hearing. In the context of a hospital, a Consumer here is the patient who needs to see and feel the service through his experience.

Now a consumer to experience the experience is where we as Hospital Marketeers STEP IN.

Does this mean that Hospital Marketeers want people to fall sick or get hurt and come to their hospital?

This was the very first question asked to me on my first hospital marketing related interaction on the very first corporate call in my hospital marketing career. I was on a cold call (visit without appointment) to a big industrial manufacturing company and was waiting for the permission from the concerned Human Resource Department (HRD) person at the Entry Gate Security Counter. Usually, such Security Counters are not so Welcoming place for a person such as me.

The said person whom I was waiting for was at the level of a General Manager (a very important position). The General Manager (GM) was courteous enough to speak to me on the landline intercom phone at the Security. Those days were the days of Pagers and not Cell Phones and Landlines were the best form of voice communication. The GM said that he was surprised to see my Visiting Card as it mentioned marketing department and popped out the question that completely evolved my professional Career. He asked me why does a Hospital require Marketing; do you want people to fall sick and come to you. I do not still know why he was so peeved by my presence as a Hospital Marketing professional at his company doorstep, because before I could answer his question, he said GET OUT!!!

This was my first professional experience as a Hospital Marketeer. Kicked out on my very first visit. All the pride or ego was all grounded to dust in no time. However, this experience rather than damaging my spirit it created a completely different spirit. It created the SPIRIT of CURIOSITY.

Actually, I had no answer in real sense for his question but the question did launch me towards seeking its answer. I tried to find the answer from my seniors and doctors. I even tried to find answer in subtle manner from my consumers.

I wanted to exactly know what is the prime concept of Hospital Marketing…

Does this really mean that Hospital Marketeers want people to fall sick or get hurt and come to their hospital?

I did find the answer, partly by myself and partly from my seniors, doctors and also from my consumers. Frankly, I got very many answers to the same question and I was lucky enough to integrate the different set of answers into one most appropriate and logical answer.

The answer derived was:

The prime focus of any HOSPITAL MARKETEER is to cultivate the hospital as the TRUSTED HEALTH CARE PARTNER.

Watch out for my next Sunday segment that will list out the first set of processes that a Hospital Marketeer can adopt to cultivate profound trust for his hospital for its effective consumer base.

Let us meet next Sunday…