By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Does Insurance Cover the Cost of Therapy?
    June 14, 2022
    mental health loss loved one
    Covering Your Own Medical Issues After Losing a Loved One
    July 21, 2024
    healthcare SaaS
    Venture Capital Trends for Healthcare SaaS Platforms
    May 24, 2024
    Latest News
    Cigarette Makers Sue the FDA Over New Labeling Rules
    July 8, 2025
    End-Use Verification: Simple but Potentially Powerful
    July 8, 2025
    How Much do Financial Incentives Matter to Physicians?
    July 8, 2025
    NanoViricides Reports Positive Anti-viral Effect of HIV Drug
    July 8, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Physician Marketing Battles You’ll Never Win (and What to Do Instead)
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Physician Marketing Battles You’ll Never Win (and What to Do Instead)
BusinesseHealthHospital Administration

Physician Marketing Battles You’ll Never Win (and What to Do Instead)

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

no win marketing battlesMany doctors and medical practice executives have their marketing brains on overdrive. They’re looking for new, better, improved and/or more efficient ways to attract new patients and cases.

no win marketing battlesMany doctors and medical practice executives have their marketing brains on overdrive. They’re looking for new, better, improved and/or more efficient ways to attract new patients and cases.

The marketing and advertising plan (a left-over from last year) isn’t delivering results. The entire competitive landscape has changed, and not for the better. New patients seem to be scarce, reluctant to spend money and/or increasingly resistant to treatments, procedures or services that they need.

Throughout America, medical practices want to know how to stretch their budgets and how to produce maximum measurable results from their marketing and advertising investment. (BTW, if you’re arm wrestling with these or similar challenges, please give us a call. You can unload with us, and, more importantly, we’ll deliver some practical solutions.)

More Read

Why patients are the new rockstars in pharma
Twitter Cheat Sheet: Microblog Quick Guide for Marketing
5 Ways Health Pros Can Benefit From Healthcare Email Marketing
Countdown to the Physician Sunshine Act: Gloomy Days Ahead
Transforming the Experience and Delivery of Health Care at the Mayo Clinic

Here are two, no-win “marketing battles” that we hear about with some regularity—and what to do instead:


Some marketing forces are immoveable. If you can’t change them, use their energy to your own…
Click To Tweet


The Battle of Chevy Flats vs. Mercedes Heights

“No matter what we do,” a provider complains, “we can’t attract those upscale Mercedes Heights residents to our office in Chevy Flats.” Although these two areas are geographically close to each other, the demographic and psychographic characteristics create an impenetrable marketing barrier. Granted, our mythical Mercedes Heights is home to a desirable, more affluent audience with more buying power.

While buyers (customers/patients) may occasionally shop “up” for services or products, they will rarely shop “down,” especially for healthcare where there’s a perception of lower quality. You may have the fanciest office in Chevy Flats, the mental attitude is that it’s not as attractive as an office in Mercedes Heights.

What to do instead: If Mercedes Heights is home for your ideal patients, one solution is to go to them. Open a secondary, satellite or even a primary office on the Mercedes side of the marketing barrier. Heaping extra slices of budget into marketing and advertising will not change this human behavior. Ultimately, the better use of resources would be in setting up shop where their (real or imagined) perception is to your benefit.

The Battle of Good Months vs. Bad Months

Nearly every business experiences the ups-and-downs of seasonality. The long view picture shows that some periods traditionally and consistently outperform other slices of the calendar. And external advertising and other promotional activities are influenced by seasonality.

For illustration, let’s say the first quarter and the third quarter always produce the most revenue. Intuitively, you want to generate more business in the “low and slow” months of the second and fourth quarters. And, intuitively, you think that’s where you should pump up your marketing efforts. Unfortunately, you intuition is probably wrong.

Most likely, a close analysis will reveal that the slow periods have always been slow for business. Your up or down cycles may be due to vacation or holiday periods, employment patterns or community economic swings. Whatever the reasons, your extra marketing effort isn’t sufficient to offset the larger, root forces of seasonality.

What to do instead: The better alternative is to leverage the upside actively promoting during those periods that already have the strongest energy for the buyer. The specifics in every situation vary, and it may seem counterintuitive at first, but take advantage of your best revenue periods. Successful marketing and advertising in these good months will tend to lift business in other parts of the calendar, even the slower ones.

Confidential Marketing Assessment

If you’d like to talk about these or any other healthcare marketing challenges, please give us a call at 800-656-0907. You can also launch a free, confidential marketing assessment with a click-through to this page. Let’s start a conversation about how ethical, results-based programs can help you avoid mistakes and achieve your business and professional goals.

Kathy Gaughran

Author information

Kathy Roy Gaughran
Kathy Roy Gaughran
Senior Marketing Strategist at Healthcare Success Strategies
In her career, Kathy has helped over 4,000 clients all over North America achieve their growth goals. As an award-winning strategic marketing planner, Kathy has been involved in both the high level strategies required for long-term sustainability, plus the tactical execution used to accomplish day-to-day successes.
TwitterFacebookGoogle+

The post Physician Marketing Battles You’ll Never Win (and What to Do Instead) appeared first on Healthcare Success.

TAGGED:healthcare marketing
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Health Care Buzz Today
Business
July 8, 2025
As We Mature (age), Things Change…
Orthopaedics
July 8, 2025
FDA Approves Roche (Genentech) Skin Cancer Drug–Zelboraf
Business
July 8, 2025
Smart Money on Pfizer?
Business
July 8, 2025

You Might also Like

online pharmacies
BusinessHospital Administration

Diabetes Patients Using Mail-Order Pharmacy Less Likely to Visit ER

November 25, 2013

Doc Foreman: Suicide Education and Twitter [PODCAST]

August 14, 2014

Clinical Trials Managed in “The Cloud?”

July 8, 2025

Do’s and Dont’s of RFID in Hospitals

March 5, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?