Question

The importance of marketing in long-term care organizations

Answer 1

Marketing is considered as essential buisness function in all industries including healthcare such as long term care organizations. Developing marketing strategies for long-term care settings is as important as understanding what elements of care can be marketed individually. The main importance of marketing in logn term care organizations is as follows:-

• Marketing efforts have focused on many promotional activities such as maintaining the appearance of facilities, developing informational brochures and tours, and spreading reputation through word-of-mouth.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one the most important and effective marketing strategy across the world. Focus on customer's preferences, needs, desires are the main goals that have to be achieved under the marketing phase.
• Marketing efforts are extended and include well-planned and carefully targeted direct mail campaigns, community service events, and media exposure to communicate the long term care organization's contribution to healthcare as well as its differentiating services in the community.
• The other best-practice included in marketing is also focused on the importance of a quarterly, or at a minimum an annual, market-oriented strategic action plan which include the budget and the cost on marketing activities and also it included the cost-effective way to manage the cost and to increase the productivity of the organization.
• Marketing is often perceived as different from the process of developing products or care services, that the expense becomes hard to justify. However, marketing should never be viewed as an expensive it should always considered as long-term investment.
• Developing a long-term marketing strategy in a well organized manner helps the organization break through communication barriers and better understanding of customers and most importantly also help in developing an ongoing relationship with them.