Hospital marketing: now more than ever

To achieve success in any significant marketing endeavor, four basic ingredients are needed. 1. A product or service that the customer needs and wants. 2. A marketing organization capable of bringing the product or service in contact with the customer. 3. A marketing plan, endorsed by top management, which identifies ways to achieve desired goals. 4. Constant vigilance in the marketplace to determine the effectiveness of the marketing effort and course corrections needed in the future. The health care industry is overcoming many of its misconceptions about marketing, but there is a long way to go. In the end, the hospitals that provide good quality care, based on the needs of the patients, and that build relationships before the need arises, will be successful. These will be the hospitals that do real marketing.