The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7494 p337-340
22 March 2008
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Developing the right marketing mix to promote pharmacy services |
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The introduction of a new community pharmacy contract
in April 2005 in England and Wales led to increased focus on the development,
design and delivery of pharmacy services. However, despite their enthusiasm,
some pharmacists report difficulties in getting stakeholders (patients
and healthcare professionals) to buy in. |
Continuing professional development articles |
SUMMARY Pharmacy, like any other business, requires marketing to survive. There is little or no point in developing a range of patient-focused services, investing in staff training and development, and deploying scarce financial resources in setting up well-equipped consultation rooms, if there are no solid plans to market these services. A market is a group of people who satisfy four criteria: • They need or want the product or service But what precisely is marketing? Often misunderstood as selling or advertising, marketing is both of these and more. The UK Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as “the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers’ requirements profitably”. And, according to the American Marketing Association, marketing is “the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that will satisfy individual and organisation objectives.” Basically, marketing focuses on attracting customers, getting them to buy and ensuring that they are so pleased with their purchase that they make repeat purchases. Full article PDF 80K |
