Deck 8: Step 5: Integration of the Marketing Plan With the Business Plan and the Strategic Plan

Question 1

Why is it necessary for the marketing plan to be integrated into the organization and explain what integration of the marketing plan means.

Answer 1

Answer will include
Marketing plans often include changes in operations. If operations does not support the changes, the marketing plan cannot be implemented
Marketing plans usually have associated costs. In order to get the necessary resources, working with finance and other managers is essential
The marketing plan often involves staffing requirements. Including the possibility of adding marketing staff, or changing the staffing pattern of a department or changing work rules that may impact labor agreements

Question 2

A health system has a portfolio of services that could include such things as obstetrics, cardiology, and family medicine. Discuss why coordination between one clinical service and the rest of the portfolio is important and how it might work. Assume you are coordinating a marketing plan for cardiology.

Answer 2

Answer would include:
Coordination across service lines is important so that unintended internal competition does not take place. For example, it would not be wise for cardiology to sponsor a cholesterol screening event that is free at a mall while family medicine is charging a special rate of $10 in the clinic.
Coordination would be in order so that two or more service lines are not sending sales representatives to rural community clinics on the same day and the two services are not aware of this activity
Promotion can be expensive. Coordinating promotion efforts may be more cost effective than having two separate efforts
An organization that claims to be integrated is not well served if it appears that internally the service lines are overlapping or competing for patients.

Question 3

Assume a market plan for a group of 50 OB-GYN physicians practicing in four different communities has been developed. Discuss some likely elements that the plan should be integrated with and why.

Answer 3

Answer would include
Physicians
Obstetrics unit leadership including nurses
Other clinical programs that cater to women
Operations team and finance
Sales team if any who call on doctors who refer patients to the hospital

Question 4

Under what conditions would a hospital have one marketing plan? What would be the core elements of that market plan?