I shared a panel last week with David Meerman Scott, who has written a wonderful book (best seller) called The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly. The title tells it all, and I recommend it highly to anyone trying to figure out how to sell or publicize a product, a service, or a cause.
David's website also led me on to DeepBlog.com. As he notes: Michael Schaefer's Deep Blog is a useful tool and worth checking out. It is a quick and simple portal to top blogs in many different categories -- a place where blogs are easily found and accessed.
You may have noticed some new buttons on the right side of this page. Those are some of the aggregator websites included on Deep Blog. Do some exploring!
You may also have noticed that I have reorganized my recommended links on this blog. The new categories seem to be evolving organically as I proceed with this blogging adventure. Now that my readership has grown, I am particularly happy to publicize artists, performers and authors who work I have enjoyed. Feel free to forward those or other suggestions.
Speaking of Marketing, I'm in my marketing class right now, and it truly has become the most painful classes I have taken to date.
ReplyDeleteMy program is an MBA/MHA...the class splits during certain electives, MHA students go to health care electives, while the other MBA students go to normal electives. Yet, during all other classes we take jointly, the professors make an attempt to showcase both normal business view and a health care angle.
This professor only included 1 article for health care. Of course this is one that he wrote, and was basically 10 simple rules to market your health care business. I could have scratched out Health care and dropped any business name there and the 10 simple rules would have been applicable. Not once did it mention dealing with physicians or physician recruitment, what I see as the biggest way to market and draw patients.
The final paper is how we would use what we learned in an assigned book to market the business we currently work at. The book was, "Why we Buy, The Science of Shopping." It was a heavy retail book, describing different shopping habits and things to consider like shelf placement, etc. Something I don't see as very applicable to a hospital.
The professor went on to compare Hospitals to banks, stating "you just sell services."
This really ticked me off. We don't sell appendectomies, we sell the quality and comfort experience that goes with it.
What's your take on marketing for a hospital? Is it the same as a bank? I just feel like its a different animal entirely compared to that of other industries.
Or am I wrong?
Funny that this should be the top post when I leave this comment!
ReplyDeleteI'm a researcher and writer on the Health Care Reform Now blog. I came across your blog and have quite enjoyed what I have found.
I was especially taken with your post about "Do I earn Too Much?," a wonderfully brave and thing to do online! Kudos!
I am writing because I'd like to offer you a free copy of the book, "Health Care Reform Now!" by Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson. Mr. Halvorson believes we can afford to provide health care coverage for all Americans without increasing health care spending. His book explains how.
If you'd like a copy of the book, I need your preferred shipping address. Thanks for the good work and please keep in touch.
GEORGE WILLIAMS
Health Care Reform Now Blog
http://healthcarereformnow.blogspot.com
Since you asked . . .
ReplyDeleteI've blogged about your excellent blog in my own most recent post.