Current Marketing Objectives and SWOT Analysis

Current Marketing Objectives

Current Marketing objectives should include the following:

§  Provide heath information to patients as a service to the community

§  Give information that will build patient loyalty and trust

§  Put more emphasis on social media marketing for Duke

§  Increase the number of subscribers to the E-newsletter as an alternative to the quarterly printed magazine.

§  Increase the click through rate

§  Increase the open rate

§  Reach 1K E-newsletter subscribers by September 2013

Situation Analysis

Strengths

These current objectives are substantial. They include goals such as increasing customer awareness, aspirations of expansion, and intentions to shed light on all aspects of what Duke Raleigh can provide for its patients and their families.

Weaknesses

Although all the initial marketing bases are covered such as informational purposes of the newsletter and increases in numerical statistics; this list of objectives overlooks the specific areas that should be targeted to achieve these goals. Giving information isn’t enough to build consumer base.

Opportunities

Using the internet as a way of marketing will always provide an array of opportunities because it is fairly effective and very popular. The door to expansion is wide open when using an E-newsletter to present information or news. In comparison with Duke’s quarterly printed magazine Healthy Focus, sending an electronic newsletter from America to China via email  is easily done within a few seconds, however, sending a magazine via postal service could take a few days or weeks. Recruiting patients from out of state is made easier due to the accessibility of the newsletter. This could be a big opportunity for big departments within Duke Raleigh Hospital such as cancer and cardiac departments.

Threats

Certain threats that deserve attention may include increased competition from other hospitals. This can be controlled by continuing to pay close attention to the marketing choices of competitors. It is important to make sure that Duke’s E-newsletters are packed with unique information not offered by competitor’s social media sources. Also, when using electronic sources to disperse information it is essential to have a knowledgeable technological team to ensure that all aspects of producing the newsletter run smoothly. They should also ensure that accessing the newsletter such as opening the newsletter and accessing the articles is convenient and easy with minimal effort.