Marketing Postsecondary Health Services

Abstract

This article reviews the major elements of marketing as applied to college and university health service programs. Changes in the health care industry, institutional debate about the advisability of institutionally based health centers, and the erroneous equation of promotion as marketing are reviewed. The necessity for research data to determine campus health program offerings is articulated as the most important aspect of successful marketing programs for health services. Types of segmentation for user groups are detailed, as well as the basic elements of an environmental analysis. The four fundamental aspects of health care marketing are discussed: the need to define the “core of service” for the health center; the issues associated with the access corridor to care; the task of refining communication channels; and the difficulty of measuring the effect of price on service usage rates. For marketing efforts to have a positive effect, colleges and universities must have an institutional commitment to health services. The article concludes by noting that marketing is a major management task.