Custom software can assist healthcare marketing

Posted by Justin Hesser on January 30, 2013

While some organizations aren’t typically perceived as moneymakers, it doesn’t mean their marketing efforts are any less important. Healthcare, for example, is viewed as a service, but hospitals have to make money. Doctors must be paid. New equipment must be procured. As a result, many healthcare organizations have to find ways to improve revenue streams. Much of this can be accomplished through advanced marketing strategies, but many hospitals have struggled to find ways to successfully market themselves.

An article in the online publication My Digital FC examines the struggles healthcare organizations have encountered with their marketing operations. The article implores healthcare marketers to take advantage of their resources and deliver a clear and concise message.

“The marketer should balance between environmental design and marketing as it involves a healthcare facility,” the article says. “Too much of in-your-face advertising can backfire as people are there for an unpleasant reason. When spending a lot of money on interior design, they need to have a clear mandate: Help patients get better fast. If you overdo the branding or advertising just because the media is free, it can work against the mission of the hospital and patients may shun the hospital.”

While this is certainly important, it’s equally as crucial for healthcare organizations to compile all of the data that results from their marketing strategies and incorporate it into new operations. This can be difficult in healthcare IT environments that contain a number of complex systems spanning a wide range of departments, so using FileMaker to develop a centralized database software system is ideal. By creating this custom solution, healthcare companies can realize the potential of their marketing campaigns by easily processing data and giving themselves a clear view of pertinent information.