Many healthcare in the world have adopted the healthcare marketing strategy to meet the consumers of their services and explains their services to them as way to lure them to buy their products. The health care marketing strategy is very important to heath providers especially use of websites and social media to find consumers of their product. Mayo clinic is one the best healthcare providers in the world that has utilized marketing strategies to become famous and expand its services. They have established themselves as leader in healthcare in the world due to utilization of digital marketing such social media where they have managed to meet patients in the whole world and utilizes that opportunities to explain to patients about healthcare services they offer (Aiello, 2015) . Mayo clinic jumped into healthcare marketing as early as 1997 and they have been expanding over time. The most effective marketing strategy is use of technology such digital marketing which within a very short period it can reach to millions of people in the world. Mayo clinic has recognized the benefit of using technology to market its product to its consumers. The health care marketing strategy that Mayo clinic uses enable them to meet consumers where they are and target them when they really in need of healthcare services.
Unlike most health facilities in the globe, Mayo got into digital marketing early enough and registered their brand to customers way back in 1997, and have tremendously been developing their online existence ever since (Sheryl Coughlin, 2015) . The organization has realized the strength of social and online marketing and has invested a lot in the development process of their digital marketing strategy. Through this strategy, the health care body utilizes its wealth of online content to develop early and strong bond between their customers and themselves (Dahlen, 2010) . Mayo has hit a high number of followers in twitter which is approximately 1.5 million and the likes in their Facebook page is around 1 million. This demonstrates their incredible abilities in the globe of health care. Instead of developing a broadcast in their online platforms like many other healthcare facilities, they have modified theirs to be a conversation platform where they answer health questions, give stories about patients and raise awareness for better health. This enhances the trust and the loyalty the customers hold for this health providers. In the summer of the year 2015, the Mayo clinic launched a program known as #StrongArmSelfie. A great number of people posted online of their pictures through #StrongArmSelfie program, flexing and showing their biceps and spread the awareness about screening for colorectal cancer. This did help them much to build on their brand and develop a great relationship between their customers and themselves.
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The digital marketing strategy has gone to a great extent of developing mobile applications. Smartphones have developed to becoming bigger parts of our lives and the management of Mayo has decided to embrace the new channel of communication. The Patient App as they have named it, allow patients to gain access to health care information and do appointment scheduling. Another smartphone app they have developed is the Pregnancy App which assist new mother of the king of events to expect during their pregnancies and the lifestyle they should embrace to ensure the baby is health and safe (Wright-Peterson, 2016) . To ease fears of patients especially in the area of surgery, the facility had uploaded videos of various procedures. A patient or customer may read about a surgery procedure and not understand the phases involved and this helps the person to understand better through practical experience. The marketing strategies they have employed has enabled the health care facility meet its consumers from wherever they are, providing services to customers at their exact time of need. Through this strategy, the Mayo has been able to enjoy a good share of the market and developed to become one of the most developing and growing facilities in the world of health. This strategy ensures that the marketing body is always in contact with their customers, answering their questions and responding to their comments.
Hospital and health provides are very slow in the development and implementation of the latest marketing trends, but in the year 2015, research shows that many hospitals had engaged in online marketing and social marketing strategies. We know that consumers in the current world will start online to gather information about a certain infection, symptoms and the mode of treatment availed or rather provided by various health providers. Considering that Mayo has established its digital strategy in 1997, they have gained a greater base and have much wealth in their online platform which help customers chose them over other many hospital and this ensure they enjoy high profits and possess a good market share. For example, most patients are no interested in acute kidney failure. But if their loved ones or themselves are diagnosed for the infection, they needed specific knowledge about the disorder, instead of other general kidney infections. They want real- time information about the health concern they are specifically interested in. All this information is readily available in the website and other online platforms of Mayo which are accessed with ease by their customers and patients and this shows that Mayo management cares about the wellbeing of their distinguished customers.
Marketing strategies
For Mayo clinic to remain competitive in the market, it must develop some strategies to shape the buying decision of the customers. One-way Mayo can shape buying decision of the customers is through orienting themselves around greater transparency of cost, quality processes and the services they offer. The major task the Mayo clinic will have to is to communicate to consumers the value of product and service they offer in a way that consumer will be in position to compare the cost and quality of services to create confidence to consumers to continue buying the products. Most of the customers are interested in online information about the price and quality of services (Sheryl Coughlin, 2015) . Therefore, Mayo clinic should engage customers more on social media about the quality and price of their serves.
Mayo clinic should adopt a retail mindset approach which offer more convenient services and support to customer. Many healthcare providers have entered in market and they are utilizing this approach which has already started working for them. This poses a danger to Mayo clinic if they don’t adopt this strategy.
Another way Mayo clinic can shape the buying behavior of consumer is through understanding consumers’ behavior and attitudes. Understanding customer not only has the ability to allow Mayo clinic to gain market share but also generate new conversations that can lead to better outcome and fend of competition. This consumer-centered approach helps to identify an understand consumer segments and shape the attitude and behavior of customer. With understanding of consumers changes in preferences and taste, Mayo clinic will be in position to innovate its services to satisfy the customers need. Targeting and personalizing interaction between the health care and consumer can be a great tool to identifying the root cause of the factors that dissatisfy the consumers, which will result to winning them.
Furthermore, Mayo clinic may also be aware of new entrant of health care provider who have different view on healthcare care delivery which may shift the customers buying behavior. Most of them come with a wave of innovation and new discoveries which may attract customers to buy their products and abandon the Mayo clinic products. Therefore, Mayo clinic should be vigilant in order to modify its services delivery to counter the competition offered by new entrant in the healthcare sector. Mayo clinic should take their innovation beyond the healthcare services to partnering with other service provider to create more awareness of their products. Other industries such as online retail and telecommunication provide a good platform for Mayo clinic to partners with them to create more potential customers from every corner.
In conclusion, it’s evident that Mayo clinic have become a world leader in healthcare provision due to effective utilization of digital healthcare marketing which has enabled them to create a community of patients from all over the world and they can easily reach them in any time. Healthcare is not in isolation and many other new healthcare providers are joining the market every day. Therefore, it is important to remain vigilant to ensure that you keep on evaluating the services and products you deliver the customer. This will go far in helping you to improve your services and identifying the change of taste and preference in consumers in order to provide the products the consumers need. Healthcare provider should also keep on evaluating its marketing strategies to give room for changes and identifying new channels to meeting the customers that are developing every day.
References
Aiello, M. (2015). Mayo Clinic's Digital Marketing Strategy Drives Engagement.
Dahlen, M. (2010). Marketing Communications: A Brand Narrative Approach . Chichester, West Sussex UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p. 36.
Sheryl Coughlin, J. W. (2015). Rising consumerism: Winning the hearts and minds of health care consumers.
Wright-Peterson, V. M. (2016). Women of Mayo Clinic: The Founding Generation . Minnesota Historical Society Press.
