Target marketing in the health services industry: the value of journeying off the beaten path

Abstract

BackgroundTarget marketing, a practice used to more effectively address the wants and needs of customers, involves three interrelated activities: market segmentation, targeting, and product positioning. The practice follows a perfectly logical process. For a given offering, healthcare institutions select a desired group to pursue and arrange service characteristics and related attributes in a manner to entice that particular group to forward patronage and become customers. Pursuits often focus on heavily-traveled routes teeming with competitors, but occasionally an off the beaten path can be identified to amplify target marketing efforts.DiscussionIn an earlier chapter of its history, Willis-Knighton Health System identified and pursued an off the beaten path in its bid to capture market share in pediatric healthcare services. The direct route—targeting current and prospective parents—was heavily pursued by competitors, prompting the institution to seek a unique approach; a road less traveled which would reach the same audiences but do so via a different route. Children, as direct care recipients, supplied one such route, and while their ability to influence associated parental decisions was unclear, the institution viewed developing a bond with them to have great potential. Painstaking efforts yielded Willis-Knighton Health System’s Pediatric Orientation Program, fostering an affinity between the institution and children, which in turn influenced parents, affording opportunities for enhanced patronage in pediatric medicine and beyond.ConclusionsWillis-Knighton Health System’s decision to look off the beaten path for an avenue capable of amplifying its target marketing initiatives resulted in a novel pursuit which distinguished the institution from its competitors and set the stage for achieving its goal of providing healthcare services for a greater percentage of children in the marketplace. Additional spillover effects bolstering share in other areas also were afforded. This unique initiative addressed desires to pursue an increasingly important road less traveled to reach prime audiences. When roads less traveled can be identified, opportunities abound for better connecting with customer groups, warranting investigation and pursuit.

Progress and trends in healthcare marketing strategy (2018–2022): A descriptive and bibliometric analysis of the Web of Science (WOS) dataset

“…This cluster is significant because marketing is a critical component in the process of healthcare service delivery. Some notable works in this cluster include the critical role of marketing in health and medical organisations and the motivation to continue investing in creative marketing approaches to build a sustained competitive advantage (Elrod and Fortenberry, 2018a, 2018d), distinct marketing strategies in healthcare related to marketing communications and branding (Elrod and Fortenberry, 2018b, 2018d) and the impact of planned behaviour theory on brand equity and doctor's prescription behaviour (Srivastava and Bodkhe, 2020).…”

Marketing Strategy Analysis Based on Segmenting, Targeting, and Positioning in Hospital

“…A marketing strategy is basically a comprehensive, integrated, and unified plan in the field of marketing. A marketing strategy is essential to survive in competition and strengthen sales volume [3].…”

Exploring the market to establish an advanced surgical community eye hospital

“…Such a decision-making strategy allows for flexibility in terms of its application for different types of health care service providers and is especially needed in resource-crunch settings to shed light on pertinent criteria, with minimum outlay. Prior studies on target marketing in the health services industry, by O’Donnell (2007) and Elrod and Fortenberry (2018), point out the need for identifying and utilizing out of the box strategies to achieve desired outcomes.…”