If you’re like most people, you’ll buy a pair of shoes from just about anyone. But what about a hip and knee replacement? Cesearean? Vasectomy?
It is a well-known fact among marketers that consumers have a set of perceptions about any and every product and service, whether we are conscious of the perceptions or not. These perceptions are formed based on a personal frame of reference, which we each accumulate over time through a combination of information and experiences. It is these very perceptions that drive the decision to select a particular physician, practice or hospital. Regardless of whether the perceptions are real or imagined, the cumulative effect represents the basis of your brand image.
Several years ago, Forrester suggested that a new adaptive approach to marketing would change the classic 4 Ps of marketing (product, price, place and promotion) to a whole new set of Ps (permission, proximity, perception and participation). The concept suggested that in order for marketing campaigns to be relevant, they must listen to consumer needs through social media and respond by aligning brand deliverables with consumer demands. It emphasized the necessity of incorporating consumer input, creating strategic brand platforms and empowering a “federated” organization across all channels.
While Forrester’s concept may be true with regard to media consumption and engagement, I assert that branding can also align with its own set of Ps. Not unlike the classical four Ps in marketing, every brand is defined by several characteristics, which I believe can be drilled down to the four Ps of branding:
- Perception: Sentiments formed in the minds of consumers, which can be either real or imagined based on accumulated information and experience
- Promise: The pledge brand’s make to their customers
- Proposition: The value brand’s provide to their customers
- Position: The place brand’s assume in a given marketplace
The true value of a health care brand resides in its ability to instill trust in a patient before he or she seeks treatment. This value is a reflection of your brand’s attributes—both spoken and unspoken. It is the perceptions you hold in the minds of consumers. It is the promise you make to the patients you serve. It is the value proposition your services will provide over the alternative, and it is the position you claim in the markets you serve.
It’s not just the marketing department that has to reorient itself around the four Ps of your brand platform. If you are a provider hoping to grow market share and brand awareness, you must define the key attributes that make up your brand, define your four Ps, and live and act these values.
The post The Four Ps of Branding appeared first on Walker Marketing | Best Marketing Agency.