Which (local) Market?
by admin
Thinking about market development always leads to me to ponder “which market?” exactly – this cropped up again when reading Marketing Extra Care Housing found over on the DH Care Networks.
This is important because the more we know about “which market” exactly we’re talking about the more meaningful our conversations will be with all the different groups and individuals involved. I’ve paraphrased below – interesting points for market development people in local authorities as well as service providers.
The report suggests that there is no single care market governed by a set of unifying principles and/or by constants in supplier and consumer behaviour. Rather, it is a quite disparate collection of providers bound loosely by certain regulatory, policy and financial imperatives. The result is that marketing itself tends to be site by site. ‘Localism’ is central to marketing strategy.
Marketing is also conditioned by geography, especially in promoting the value of being a ‘local’ provider. This is seen as reinforcing links with the community, demonstrating local knowledge, providing local employment, an ability to offer outreach services and a reassurance that the provider is of a scale where the individual resident still matters. This was strikingly evident in the development and marketing strategies of charitable trusts and RSLs who place great store by their ‘localism’ and community roots.
Putting People First – Leadership and Partnership
by Glen Crosier
This is third of a series of videos produced by DH Care Networks. This one gives us a snapshot of what the current thinking along the lines of “what will it take to make putting people first a reality?”
Jan Stubbings, Chief Executive, Gloucestshire PCT talks about what is essentially the marketing challenge which goes like this:
1. Listen
2. Frame the Picture
3. Sell the Vision
4. Sell the Story
Whether relating this to Council leaders working to affect change or service providers looking to innovate and grow Jan is bang on target with this. Note the order – listening comes first.
Following my own advice, I’m listening on what one chap on the video talks about (assume he’s a service user) the benefits of working in smaller groups. I think we’ve all been to those big scale consultation events where we feel “too small to be noticed”.
Putting people at the heart of the transformation involves not just listening to what type of services they want – it starts with listening to how they would like to be involved. By the sounds of it, small groups where people have the confidence to contribute, express themselves and ‘feel heard’ will be a good start.
