Agape Healthcare System is located on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland, in an often neglected neighborhood full of despair and poverty. It has one 3-story building. The bottom level is for minor emergencies and the top two levels are for clinics in various fields. Providers donate their time to man most of the clinics on a voluntary and rotating basis. The administrative staff is made up of volunteers and salaried employees. The state provides operating funds, as do several local businesses.

Mission: Agape Healthcare System specializes in providing care to those who might otherwise be left without quality healthcare.

Vision: Our vision is to improve the status of health of citizens in our geographic region, regardless of their ability to pay. We strive to become the premiere healthcare facility that can live out the true meaning of providing compassionate, comprehensive care.

The healthcare services being marketed are primary care for both adults and children, ob-gyn, excluding high-risk pregnancies, counseling for alcohol and drug, preventive medicine services, and minor emergencies, such as treatment for influenza or minor lacerations.

Measurable marketing strategies include direct mail, email marketing, social media marketing, surveys, and in-person evaluations.  Community organizations and the local health department will refer patients to Agape based on how their health care needs and financial circumstances align with Agape’s mission.  These referrals can include providing physical and email addresses. The outreach staff at Agape will send out three different messages over a 6 week period. An analysis of which method received the greatest response will be determined based on the response. The patients who will be contacted by direct or email will be divided into 3 groups, with each group receiving messages in a different order to avoid bias. Marketing segmentation applies in that these individuals either have a physical address, access to the internet, or both.

Social media marketing will occur with ads targeting the geographic region served. The response to the call-to-action will allow assessment of the success of this strategy. Those who use social media are likely to have other characteristics in common, such as belonging to specific age groups and having an interest in technology. This will help in future marketing efforts.

 Surveys will have two tiers. First, community organizations can provide physical surveys, as well as a link to Survey Monkey, in order to gather important information from the prospective patients. Their responses to the initial survey will help categorize them into specific groups by which specific marketing messages can be tailored to their needs and interests over time and their responses can be captured at future visits. In addition, surveys conducted after the medical encounters can be batched to help craft future marketing messages. Finally, community health fairs will be ongoing and this will also provide an opportunity to directly interview potential patients thru in-person evaluations. This personal touch is added to routine surveys to glean nuances not noted thru online or paper surveys. Surveys and in-person evaluations will be useful to those are not technologically savvy, such as older adults or those who may not have finished high school. The messaging for them would be different than the messaging for a 20 year old with a high school diploma.

The target market is anyone living within a 30-mile radius of Agape Healthcare System. This can include any gender/gender identity, adults, children, and pregnant women.

Demographics include individuals living at or below the poverty level. Agape will treat any U.S. citizen living within 30 miles of the facility. However, it will not mandate proof of citizenship, such as a driver’ license. While this will be helpful, homeless individuals and others may not have such proof and that will not prevent them from receiving quality healthcare.

Segmentation variables include the high level of education one received, age, gender, attitudes, and geographic traits. While all patients will live within a 30-mile radius, some will live in homes or apartments and some will be homeless.

Challenges to marketing this population is the lack of internet access by many who are indigent. This can impact the ability to send emails and assess social media strategies.  However, by also providing in person physical marketing materials, such as health fairs and community organizations, this hurdle can be partially overcome.