Marketing is defined as the set of activities a business undertakes to promote the selling of products and services. In your case, your hearing care services and the hearing aids and accessories that some of your customers will need. Marketing is, and always has been, about reaching customers where they are.
Done well, it will help you grow your business and boost profitability. When targeted at the right audience, these activities help increase awareness of what you have to offer, leading the consumer to consider the purchasing of your products and/or services over someone else’s. It is essential as it helps businesses establish and maintain long-lasting relationships with their customers.
It starts with really understanding what your customers want from your product and service. What need does it satisfy? And where will they go to look for your products? Can you reach them online, in their homes, or do they need to visit your clinic before they can learn more? Next, how will you price your products and services as compared to your competitors? What is the value of what you have to offer to your customers that perhaps they can’t find anyplace else? And finally, how do you get your marketing messages — your value proposition — in front of that audience? How, when, and to whom do you promote what you have to offer?
Marketing is not a one-time fix but rather an ongoing strategy that helps a business flourish. And it is so much more than just a great logo and some advertising. However, we recognize that not all hearing clinics have the luxury of employing a full-time marketer to help drive business growth. Some of you may use a marketing agency, but you wish you knew more about the practice of marketing so you can make informed decisions around recommended actions and tactics. Or maybe you have been actively marketing your business for years but wondered if there were other things you might consider adding to your mix. That’s why we put together this primer for you. Think of is your Guide to Marketing: 101. In it, you will find an overview of the various activities that fall under the umbrella of marketing.
This guide isn’t a “how to do” but rather a “what to do.” Everything from branding to market analysis, new customer acquisition, and even customer retention. We hope that this marketing kit will be an enabler to help you attract and keep new customers, educate existing customers, form new partnerships, and even inform industry influencers.