For my MBA Marketing class, my team acted as consultants for a struggling urgent care center in the Valley. The goal was to help them increase and retain new patients. We developed a strategy that focused on optimizing their Facebook presence, enhancing their overall social media and community outreach.
2. Executive Summary
A&P Urgent Care is a relatively new business that is struggling to find and relate
to their target patient market. Our goal was to help them increase and retain new patients.
Based off our research outlined in the marketing plan, we have pinpointed their key
customer market and have brainstormed the best ways to bring new patients in the door.
We believe Dr. Howell can enjoy large success in these areas if he focuses on spreading
his family brand and ensuring his target family market knows of the services and level of
care he offers. For this reason, we have decided to focus our strategy on making sure his
family brand is present across all platforms. We have two parts to our strategy. The first
part centers on social media and optimizing the center’s Facebook to make it more
attractive for families. We will make suggestions on how to improve their current
Facebook to encourage more likes on the page. We will also give Dr. Howell a step-by-
step tutorial on using Facebook Ad Words and making it successful. The second part of
our strategy focuses on community outreach. Both Moorpark and Thousand Oaks are
largely comprised of families. In order to reach parents, we have to offer our volunteer
services to the children. We will coordinate and advise Dr. Howell on creating a health
talk with the local Boys and Girls Club. This volunteer commitment to his community
will help him spread his business to locals in the community. In addition, it will help him
gain contacts within the community that will lead to further referrals. We hope that this
two-part strategy will help increase patient visitation at both his Moorpark and Thousand
Oaks urgent care centers.
3. Team Member Biographies
Priscilla Acuna
Undergraduate in Business
Administration from Pepperdine
University
Currently working as a Business Analyst
at Pepperdine University
Pursuing her MBA with a concentration
in Leadership and Organizational Change
Nicolas Cortes
Undergraduate in Mechanical
Engineering from University California
Riverside
Currently working as a Manufacturing
Engineer at Sensata Technologies Inc.
Pursuing his MBA with a concentration
in Finance
Kyle Floyd
Undergraduate in Education from Wayland
Baptist University
Currently working as a Commercial
Underwriter for Farmers Insurance
Pursuing his MBA with a concentration in
Finance
5. 1
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
A&P Urgent Care is a family run business in the heart of the Valley. With over 5
locations in the greater Los Angeles area, A&P Urgent Care is well on there way to
becoming a household name in the urgent care industry. However, they do face some
significant challenges in creating a strong brand within their community. The urgent care
industry is very decentralized. This means that every urgent care functions as a small
business and caters to the niche markets in their area. One of the main problems facing
A&P Urgent Care is that they do not cater to their local market. They did not choose their
urgent care locations based off their market; they chose their locations based on
availability. While this has been causing them to struggle initially, we believe once we
define their target market and identify their needs, A&P Urgent care will be better
equipped to making their marketing campaigns effective. In the marketing plan, we will
aim to identify their target market and create a promotional campaign that is effective for
their target markets in both Moorpark and Thousand Oaks.
6. 2
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Over the past five years, the demand for urgent care centers has continued to rise.
The urgent care market has become a valuable commodity due to changes in the health
industry. One of the most prominent changes is the passage of the Affordable Care Act
aka Obama Care. This new healthcare reform has flooded the urgent care market with
newly insured patients looking for care that fits their specified needs. One of those needs
is health care on demand. Newly insured patients feel like their “insurance card entitles
them to healthcare anytime they want it”.1 When their primary care physician is unable to
provide it, they go to the emergency room. Despite the long wait times, people are
persistent about receiving treatment 24/7. As the chart shows below, ER visits have
increased since the Affordable Care Act has passed.2
Along with an increase in ER visits, Obama Care has increased the strain on primary care
physicians. Now that more people are insured, they are going to the doctor more
1 Siegel, Marc. "How Obamacare Will Hurt Doctors." NY Daily News, 16 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
2 "Study Shows ER Visits Up Under ACA - Obamacare Facts." Obamacare Facts, 16 June 2015. Web.26
Sept. 2016.
7. 3
frequently. This healthcare reform has inundated the market with an estimated 25 million
previously uninsured individuals by 2018.3 In addition, this new influx of insured patients
causes primary care physicians to spend less time with the patients and more time filling
out federally mandated electronic paperwork and documentation.4 This new health care
environment perfectly sets the stage for urgent care. Urgent care “fills the void between
the family practice doctor and emergency room.”5 Urgent cares offer shorter wait times,
longer hours and are more cost effective. Employers also like urgent care because it is a
cheaper alternative to emergency room costs.6 Nearly half of all visits to urgent care
results in an average charge of less than $150 which is significant compared to the
average cost of an ER visit at $1, 354.7
MARKET SUPPLY STRUCTURE
The market supply structure for Urgent Cares mainly focuses on pharmaceutical
supplies. Urgent cares need contracts with their local pharmaceutical companies so that
they can perform whatever procedure patients request last minute. Urgent cares can often
save money by choosing to buy generic pharmaceuticals instead of brand name. A&P
Urgent Care center currently has a pharmacy on-site which helps draw patients in with
one stop care. Most of their supply is made up of small instruments that aid in performing
small procedures. There are no major players in the industry.
3 Turk, Sarah (2015). IBISWorld Industry Report OD5458. Urgent Care Centers in the US. Retrieved
September 15, 2016 from IBISWorld database.
4
Campbell, Kevin.“TheImpact ofObama Careon theDoctor-Patient Relationship.” U.S. News WorldReport. 25Jan. 2016.Web.
5 "Urgent Care Clinics Riding the Obama Wave." AAUCM, 20 Apr. 2015. Web.
6 Siegel, Marc. "How Obamacare Will Hurt Doctors." NY Daily News, 16 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
7 "2014 Urgent Care Survey, Shows Major Industry-Wide Expansion." PR Newswire. Urgent Care
Association of America, 01 Dec. 2014. Web.26 Sept. 2016.
8. 4
MARKET DRIVERS
One of the main competitive advantages within the industry, is the ability to
maintain short wait times for patients. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, at most
urgent care centers (90%), the wait time to see a provider is 30 minutes or less.8 This low
wait time differentiates urgent care from the ER and is a significant factor in a patient’s
decision to choose urgent care. Arguably, one of the largest urgent care chains in the U.S.
is NextCare Urgent Care with over 107 locations in the United States.9 In order to
differentiate themselves from the market, they created the WAHOO! wait at home or
office service. Patients are able to check in online, by phone or in the clinic and wait
wherever is most comfortable for them.10 This has proven to be very instrumental in
expanding their urgent care centers throughout the U.S.
Another key factor in urgent care success is customer service. Customer service
should be the core of any urgent care center. Unlike an ER or primary care physician,
urgent care centers operate more like a business. Their job is to get the customer in and
out efficiently in order to gain their continued business. This is also very important
because a happy customer will recommend the urgent care to friends and family who live
locally. Urgent care centers are “high touch not high tech.”11Patients enjoy the face to
face interaction because they are normally in a weakened state when visiting the center.
A key trend in the industry is to follow up with patients after the visit. According to
Becker’s Hospital Review, 95% of urgent care centers call and/or email the patient after
8 Barnet, Shannon. "20 Things to Know about Urgent Care | 2015." Becker's Hospital Review, 23 June
2015. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
9 "About Us | NextCare Urgent Care." NextCare. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
10 "What Is WAHOO? - NextCare." NextCare. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
11 Weinick, Robin, and Renee Betancourt. "No Appointment Needed." California Healthcare Foundation,
Sept. 2007. Web.
9. 5
the visit.12 A & P Urgent Care centers currently maintains positive customer reviews but
they do not have enough reviews to make the claims hold weight. A&P would benefit
from following up with the customer after the visit.
MARKET TRENDS
Another urgent care trend A&P would benefit from is receiving accreditation for
all of their centers. The Urgent Care Association of America offers a vigorous
accreditation process for urgent cares. Urgent cares are tested on patient satisfaction,
hours of operation, services offered and other benchmarking standards. The main benefit
of this accreditation process is a nationally recognized level of service is guarantee.
Accreditation gives small urgent cares, such as A&P, proof that they are operating at the
highest level of success and can set them apart from competitors.13 The accreditation
status lasts 3 years and depending on how many centers you own can range from $2,000-
$10,000.14 Since A&P owns five centers, the cost would be roughly $6,875. A&P would
benefit from the brand recognition and would be featured on the Urgent Care Association
of America’s accredited centers in California. Associating A&P with the number one
healthcare standard will convince people to take a chance on the new urgent care center
in town.
In order for A&P Urgent Care to become successful, they need to make sure they
are getting their brand exposed to their respective markets. Accreditation is a good step in
that direction but they will need more than that if they want to succeed. Since urgent care
centers essentially run as their own business, they will need to look at non-healthcare
12 Barnet, Shannon."20 Things to Know about Urgent Care | 2015." Becker's Hospital Review, 23 June
2015. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
13 Belli, Britany. "Urgent Care Accreditation." The Ambulatory MA Advisor,17 Apr. 2015. Web. 26 Sept.
2016.
14 "UCAOA Accreditation." Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), n.d. Web.26 Sept. 2016.
10. 6
marketing techniques to ensure they turn a profit. In an article by Karen Rowling, “Health
Care Goes Retail,” she chronicles the marketing techniques of Solantic, an urgent care
center based in Florida. Solantic aspired to have a large chain of centers and looked
beyond health care to the marketing techniques of fast food outlets, restaurants, airline
industries and retail stores in order to grow their brand. The urgent care chain chose their
locations based off their proximity to fast food establishments and high traffic areas.
Solantic mirrored the fast food industry by converting their signs to LED to ensure
visibility and make the centers easily identifiable.15 A&P is currently suffering from
visibility issues at their Thousand Oaks and Moorpark locations, so LED signs would
help make the center easier to spot. More importantly, the LED signs are easily
identifiable, so drivers passing by will remember the center when they need care at a later
time. These LED signs could also be used as an effective promotional tool. The sign can
highlight the special offering that month whether it be sports physicals or winter flu
shots.
Another way Solantic offers visibility to patients is their waiting room patient
queue. This queue serves as a real time tracking system so patients can see how long the
wait is for physicians.16 While A&P is not handling a large patient volume right now, this
queue is worth investigating at a later time. Solantic also mirrored the best practices of
the retail industry by choosing a location with high visibility, traffic counts, convenient
access and population density to ensure success for their centers. Similar to calling ahead
for reservations at a restaurant, Solantic offers online registration for their patients. When
the patient is ready to be seen, they can choose to receive a text message, email or phone
15 Bowling, Karen. "Health Care Goes Retail." Marketing Health Services 31.2 (2011): 20-23. Business
Source Premier. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
16 Ibid
11. 7
call for the alert.17 This technique is similar to the wait at home service of fellow
successful urgent care center NextGen urgent care. While A&P currently offers wait
times online, there is a real benefit to allowing patients to call ahead and wait for their
visit at home. Solantic also capitalizes on a loyalty program. A&P currently offers a
loyalty program as well that gives patients a discount on follow up visits. Solantic takes it
one step further by offering a “feel better guarantee.” If a patient does not feel better after
the visit, they are guaranteed a free follow up visit.18 This is a great strategy for creating
brand loyalty and might serve as a template for future customer service in the urgent care
industry.
Solantic acts as a great model for non-traditional urgent care marketing
techniques, however, A&P will need to test many techniques until they find the right
marketing strategy for themselves. The situation analysis outlined the many marketing
techniques that failed for A&P Urgent Care. One of the more popular marketing
platforms, Google Ad Words, did not work for A&P. Google Ad Words focuses on the
targeting of keywords and the use of text-based advertisements.19 While Google Ads
helps you find new customers, Facebook Ads help new customers find you. Facebook
Ads is a better marketing strategy for A&P Urgent Care due to its 1.55 billion monthly
active user’s consumer base.20 People share every detail of their life on the social media
platform which makes it very easy for companies to target very specific audiences.
Companies can upload customer information from their own database to Facebook,
17 Ibid
18 Ibid
19 "FacebookAds vs. Google AdWords:Which Should You Be Using?" Wordstream, n.d. Web. 27 Sept.
2016.
20 Ibid
12. 8
Facebook filters the information and matches users to the advertisement.21 Not only do
they target a specific market, they also provide an extremely visual platform. Google Ad
words offers dry text, Facebook ads offers eye catching visuals to draw more consumers
to your product. In addition, Facebook Ads is super flexible in regards to pricing.
Facebook Ads allows you to set daily or lifetime budgets for as low as $1/day.22
MARKET GROWTH
The future of this industry is promising because it is in the growth stage of its life
cycle. Over the next five years, the urgent care industry is set to forecast at 3.9% growth
to $19.7 billion due to overcapacity of primary care offices which brings more insured
customers to the urgent care.23 It is important to note that there is very low concentration
in this industry. No single industry player makes up at least 5% of the industry revenue.24
This is largely due to the fact that urgent care consumers prefer facilities that are close to
home. This strong demand from local niche markets leads the urgent care industry to be
comprised of small companies that cater to their local demographic.25In order to keep up
with this growing industry and stay competitive many urgent cares have been looking for
new ways to draw in customers and retain their small percentage of market share.
CUSTOMER ANALYSIS
In order to best serve your consumer, you must understand who your consumer is.
In the case of A&P Urgent care, it is easy to understand that anyone in need of health
21 Ibid
22 "How Much Do Facebook Ads Cost?" Facebook for Business, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.
23 Turk, Sarah (2015). IBISWorld Industry Report OD5458. Urgent Care Centers in the US. Retrieved
September 15, 2016 from IBISWorld database.
24 Ibid
25 Ibid
13. 9
care in the general vicinity of the location is a potential consumer. But it is very
expensive and inefficient to market to everyone. The following consumer analysis will
provide an insight into the majority market of each location.
MARKET DEMOGRAPHICS/ GEOGRAPHICS
Thousand Oaks has a population of 128,126 which saw a 1.14% growth from
2010 to 2014, and a density of 2,322 people per square mile filling the 55.18 square mile
that makes up Thousand Oaks. Moorpark, on the other hand, has a population of 35,033
and saw a 1.78% growth from 2010 to 2014. Moorpark’s area size is only 12.8 miles
which have a density of 2,785 people per square mile26. Both cities are relatively close in
density, Moorpark has 93,093 less population but 463 more people per square mile due to
its smaller area size. Any added competition would spread the customer base even
thinner.
Thousand Oaks average age is 42.1 and Moorpark’s average age comes in lower at 36.5.
Both Cities have an even split of gender at 51% female and 49% male. The ages by
gender do differ, Thousand Oaks females have an average age of 40.6 and the males in
26 "United States Data." United StatesCity, State,Zip Code, and County Demographics, Economy,
Education,Healthcare & Housing Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
14. 10
Thousand Oaks have an average age of 43.4. While in Moorpark the females have the
lowest average age of 35.8 and the Moorpark males have an average age of 37.2.27
Looking at the age breakdown by generation, Thousand Oaks has 26.2% of its
population that is less than 20, 10.5% in their 20’s, 10.4% in their 30’s, 15.3% in their
40’s, 15.0% in their 50’s, 12.1% in the 60’s and 10.6% over 70 years old. Moorpark still
proving to be the younger of the two cities has 28.3% of their population being less than
20, 14.0% in their 20’s, 12.2% in their 30’s, 16.3% in their 40’s, 16.2% in the 50’s, 7.8%
in their 60’s, and only 5.3% over 70 years old28. Both cities largest age demographic is
the less than 20 years old group, if you group the less than 20, 20’s, 30’s, & 40’s groups
(Kid, Parents, and young single adults) you will find that 62.4% of the people in
Thousand Oaks are under 50 and 70.8% of the people in Moorpark are under 50 years of
age. To target the majority of people now and into the future, it would be wise to target
families and young adults (that will possibly soon be starting a family).
27 Ibid
28 Ibid
15. 11
As far as the marital status, 57% of Thousand Oaks’ population is married, 28% has
never been married, 9% is divorced, and 5% is widowed, Moorpark has a similar make-
up of 57% married, 31% never been married, 8% divorced, and 4% are widowed.29
MARKET BEHAVIORS
Studies show that consumers are more likely to go to urgent care on a Monday
and thereafter declining steadily throughout the week, with the fewest patients seen on
Sunday. The time of year isn’t as effective at predicting when consumers will use Urgent
care, but the usage rate does peak in January and February (Predicting Patient Visits to an
Urgent Care Clinic Using Calendar Variables)30. The time of day is more important in
predicting when consumers use urgent care, throughout the day (9am-5pm) the average
stays near 3 patients per hour, and spikes to 6 per hour from 5-6pm. From 6pm-8pm the
average is about 4 patients per hour. The Patience per hours decreases at 8-9pm to 3 per
hour and continues to decrease down to 1 per hour during the 11pm-midnigh hour31. This
data is important because it can help guide the urgent care on when to have their hours of
operation. Being open daily is important, and making sure the hours of operations cover
the hours of the peak hours will be more beneficial than other hours.
29 "United States Data." United StatesCity, State,Zip Code, and County Demographics, Economy,
Education,Healthcare & Housing Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
30 Batal, Holly, Jeff Tench, Sean Mcmillan, Jill Adams, and Phillip S. Mehler. "Predicting Patient Visits to
an Urgent Care Clinic Using Calendar Variables." Acad Emergency Med Academic Emergency Medicine
8.1 (2001): 48-53. Web.
31 Hampers, L. C., S. G. Faries, and S. R. Poole. "Regional After-Hours Urgent Care Provided by a Tertiary
Children's Hospital." Pediatrics 110.6 (2002): 1117-124. Web.
16. 12
When it comes to pediatric care, the number one reason children are seen at urgent cares
is ear aches, followed closely by viral/fever, upper respiratory infection, Pharyngitis,
Contusion/sprain, laceration, and vomiting/diarrhea, and many other reasons as well.32
According to kff.org, 45% of the California population has medical insurance through an
employer-sponsored program, 9% through a non-group program, 26% through Medicaid,
10% through Medicare, 2% through other public health programs (military or Veterans
Administration), and 8% are uninsured.33 The Urgent care center industry had a total
revenue of $16.2 billion in 2015. 50.8% of the revenue came from private insurers,
14.5% came from Medicare, 12.7% was from occupational medicine (workers’
compensation) 12.1% was out-of-pocket payments, and 9.9% came from Medicaid34.
That is a total of 87.9% that came from a form of insurance, an urgent care that wants to
appeal to all type of consumers would need to accept all forms of insurance.
32 Hampers, L. C., S. G. Faries, and S. R. Poole. "Regional After-Hours Urgent Care Provided by a Tertiary
Children's Hospital." Pediatrics 110.6 (2002): 1117-124. Web.
33 Health Insurance Coverage of the Total Population. (n.d.). Retrieved October 02, 2016, from
http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/total-population/?dataView=0
34 Turk, Sarah (2015). IBISWorld Industry Report OD5458. Urgent Care Centers in the US. Retrieved
September 15, 2016 from IBISWorld database.
17. 13
MARKET NEEDS
According to the market demographics and market behaviors, the target market
that A&P Urgent Care should focus on satisfying is young and mature families. This will
focus on the majority of the population in the target markets. A&P Urgent care is already
focused on treating all types of illnesses and has extended hours. There is no change
needed there.
18. 14
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
The two A&P Urgent Care locations that we are focusing on are located in
Moorpark and Thousand Oaks. Each one has its own group of direct and indirect
competitors. The criterion used to analyze the competitors of A&P Urgent Care was the
needs and benefits that were identified as the most relevant by consumers in this sector.
According to the IBISWorld report on the Urgent care industry, Urgent care centers
compete on the basis of quality of care, types of services offered, convenience of
location, office environment, and available equipment.35 Mintel, a marketing research
company, conducted a survey to identify what factors were deemed important by
consumers when selecting a healthcare provider (Figure 1). 36 Based on the outlined
criteria, A&PUC Thousand Oaks’ biggest direct competitors are Exer-Urgent Care and
Thousand Oaks Urgent Care. A&PUC Moorpark’s biggest direct competitor is Moorpark
Comprehensive Medical Group. The locations of the direct competitors are shown in
Figure 2.
35 Turk, Sarah (2015). IBISWorld Industry Report OD5458. Urgent Care Centers in the US. Retrieved
September 27, 2016 from IBISWorld database.
36 Mintel. (2015). Managing Your Health – US – January 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2016 from Mintel
Reports database.
19. 15
Figure 1 – Mintel Survey
EXER – MORE
THAN URGENT
CARE
A&P URGENT
CARE
THOUSAND OAKS
URGENT CARE
A&P URGENT CARE
MOORPARK
COMPREHENSIV
E MEDICAL
GROUP
Figure 2 – Direct Competitor Locations
20. 16
EXER – MORE THAN URGENT CARE
EXER Urgent Care opened their urgent care center in Newbury Park on January
2014. 37 They are located on Wendy Dr. close to the freeway entrance in the Casa Conejo
Plaza Shopping Center. The Urgent Care center is situated on one of the entrances to the
shopping center which combined with their large, eye-catching sign allows them to take
full advantage of all the exposure of this high traffic area. The location is also near large
companies and other large shopping plazas which are a potential source of patients.
Figure 3 – EXER Urgent Care Front
Exer Urgent Care created a brand based on quality of care where they invest in their
facilities and staff and save cost by consolidating them across the many locations. 38 The
address the top consumer concern which is insurance coverage by accepting most PPO
insurance plans, Medicare, workers’ compensation and some HMO plans which shows a
strong connection with the insurance companies that was probably facilitated due to the
size of their brand. They portray quality of care by having a modern, clean, and striking
37 Belmond, Sylvie. "Executive ER to Bring Its Brand of Medicine to Newbury Park in '14." Thousand
Oaks Acorn. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
38 Turk, Sarah (2015). IBISWorld Industry Report OD5458. Urgent Care Centers in the US. Retrieved
September 27, 2016 from IBISWorld database.
21. 17
facility and advertising that they have ER-level staff. 39 The overall quality of their
services is high which is reflected by the 4.5 out of 5 rating in Yelp. 40 They have taken
many steps to strengthen the reputation of their brand like becoming partners with UCLA
Health and getting praise from local politicians in articles of the local newspaper. 41 From
their website, the price range for a visit is between $150 to $230 depending on the service
provided. Most of the reviews and pictures from their website imply that they have a
caring and professional staff. Their hours are convenient for most consumers. They
operate 7 days a week from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
EXER Urgent Care does not seem to have many weaknesses. They received few
complains about their service which were mainly about the attitude of the staff and
billing. One of their weaknesses is that they had trouble resolving the customer complains
successfully.
THOUSAND OAKS URGENT CARE
According to their website, Thousand Oaks Urgent Care has been operating in the
Thousand Oaks area for over 27 years. They are located in the intersection of Janss Road
and Moorpark Road in the Conejo Valley Plaza Shopping Center. The Urgent Care center
is situated near one of the entrances to the shopping center and they have a large clear
sign that is easy to spot from the Janss Road if the person is looking for it. The location is
also near multiple schools, the local library, and a hospital which are a potential source of
patients.
39 "Exer - More Than Urgent Care® - Walk In To Be Seen Today!" Exer More Than Urgent Care. N.p., n.d.
Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
40 "Exer - More Than Urgent Care - Newbury Park, CA." Yelp. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
41 Belmond, Sylvie. "Changing Patient Care." The Acorn. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
22. 18
Figure 4 – Thousand Oaks Urgent Care Front
Thousand Oaks Urgent Care has been around for a long time which allowed them to
build their patient base during a time where there wasn’t any competition for the Urgent
Care sector. The website puts emphasis on attracting customers that need workers’
compensation and commercial driver services. They try to convey quality of care by
emphasizing that they have over 27 years of experience in Thousand Oaks but their many
complains and 3 out of 5 rating on yelp 42 show that they are struggling in that aspect.
The front desk staff does not provide too much information about the insurances they
work with or the cost of a visit. Many of the complains about them were about not having
a friendly and approachable staff which were supported by interactions we had with them
over the phone. There are also many complains about the wait time with one patient
saying that he had to wait almost 2 hours for service in his review. When we spoke with
them over the phone during weekdays they usually had 2 patients in the waiting room.
Their hours of operation are between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM during the weekdays and
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM during the weekends.
42 "Thousand Oaks Urgent Care - Thousand Oaks, CA." Yelp. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
23. 19
Thousand Oaks Urgent Care had many complains that were mainly about the quality of
care. One of their big problems is that they are not addressing this complains which turn
away potential patients. There is a caveat about the reviews from yelp which is that they
were posted by newer, tech-savvy patients which might not reflect the feelings of the
patients that have been coming to this urgent care center for a while. In conclusion, there
is a lot of potential to acquire some of their patients by advertising better quality of care
and shorter wait times to them.
MOORPARK COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL GROUP URGENT CARE
According to their front desk staff, MCMG Urgent Care moved to their current
location about 5 years ago.43 They are located on Patriot Drive off of Miller Pikeway,
close to the freeway entrance, in the Moorpark Marketplace Shopping Plaza. The Urgent
Care center is located in the Los Robles Hospital Medical Plaza building which has a
large, eye-catching sign that is very visible from Patriot Drive and it is a location well
known for the medical services that are offered. The location is near Moorpark
Community College, other large shopping plazas, and large companies which are
potential sources of patients.
43 Gregory, Kim Lamb. "New Medical Facility to Open in Moorpark." New Medical Facility to Open in
Moorpark. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
24. 20
Figure 5 – MCMG Urgent Care Front
MCMG Urgent Care does not have a large presence online, which was curious because
the other Urgent Care centers have a large presence online to compete for the potential
customers. They do not have a website for the urgent care center however they are listed
in the locations for the Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center44. Based on articles
published in the Ventura County Star and The Acorn, it seems that MCMG Urgent Care
is directly connected with Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center, which would lead
one to believe that they are getting patients through referrals from the other facilities.
They accept any PPO except ETNA and Blue Shield. Also they do not accept Medicaid
and most HMOs. Their price range is $130 to $300 per visit without the cost of x-rays.
The fact that they are connected to two hospitals in the Conejo Valley area gives the
customer the impression that there is high quality of care at this facility however they
only have a 3.5 out of 5 rating in yelp45 and in two different occasions they only had a PA
44 "About Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center." Hospital & ER in Ventura County, CA. N.p., n.d. Web.
04 Oct. 2016.
45 "Moorpark Comprehensive Medical Group - Moorpark, CA." Yelp. N.p., n.d. Web.04 Oct. 2016.
25. 21
working at the moment during weekdays. Many complains about them involve
misdiagnosing patients and it does not seem like they are addressing these complains
which could turn potential patients away. The center’s hours of operator are 9:00 AM to
9:00 PM on weekdays and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekends. It seems like MCMG
Urgent Care is leveraging their connection with the two large hospitals in the area which
allows them to operate without spending too much on advertising.
In summary, the Exer Urgent Care Center in Newbury Park is still a fairly new Urgent
Care whose marketing strategy is to convey high quality of care through their modern
facility and their claim of having ER staff. One of the advantages that they have is that
they can reduce the administrative costs of their facility by consolidating them with the
costs of their other locations. They are A&P’s toughest competitor because they share
many of their strengths. Thousand Oaks Urgent Care has been around the longest so they
were able to build a patient base without any strong competitors in their market. A&P
offers better quality of care that TO Urgent Care which is one of the most important
factors when selecting a health provider so we could attract some of their patients. The
same thing could be said for MCMG Urgent Care. If A&P can attract some of their
patients and show their superior quality of care, then they should be able to retain them.
26. 22
SWOT
The SWOT analysis will define the strengths, weaknesses, threats and
opportunities that A&P Urgent Care currently faces. We will use this analysis to
understand the business as a whole so that we can establish the most effective marketing
strategy that will help them increase patient volume.
Strengths
Online Waiting Times
Clean Facilities
Qualified staff
Quality of Care
Cover all PPO’s and HMO’s
Weaknesses
Location Visibility
Low Patient Volume
Doctors are underutilized
Target markets not identified
No Social Media Presence
Ambiguous Brand
Opportunities
Increase Patient Satisfaction
o Follow Up
o Referral Discounts
Establish Brand Identity
Increase Social Media Presence
Threats
Barely breaking even
Obama Care laws
Competition in the area is high
Niche Consumer Markets
MARKETING OBJECTIVE
The objective of this marketing plan is to increase daily customers to A&P Urgent
Care’s Thousand Oaks and Moorpark’s location. We aim to achieve a breakeven patient
volume over time but the main goal is 20 or more customers per day at each location.
Lastly, we aim to stay under the $4,000/month marketing budget set forth by the
Howells.
27. 23
MARKETING STRATEGY INTRODUCTION
After reviewing our research and consulting with Dr. Howell, we decided that our
strategy would be to enforce their family brand. When speaking with Dr. Howell at our
initial meeting he stressed the importance of his family brand. Due to the fact, that he and
his wife run the urgent care center, Dr. Howell has the competitive edge of marketing his
urgent care as a family business. Dr. Howell expressed his sentiment that he would like
his urgent care to cater to fellow parents in the community. As a fellow parent himself, he
wanted his urgent care to focus on not only adult care but also childcare. Hence why the
urgent care is called Adult and Pediatric Urgent Care instead of just “urgent care.” When
my team and I investigated and researched Dr. Howell’s urgent care, his inspiring
message of healthcare for families was not seen anywhere. We did not see evidence of it
in his website, yelp reviews or waiting room decor.
To my team and everyone who views his establishment, it is just a regular urgent
care. Beyond the name of the center there is no sign that this urgent care is family
friendly. This works as a real disadvantage to the Howells because they are marketing to
families. Both Thousand Oaks and Moorpark communities are made up of largely young
and mature families according to our research. We believe Dr. Howell can enjoy large
success in these areas if he focuses on spreading his family brand and ensuring his target
family market knows of the services and level of care he offers. For this reason we have
decided to focus our strategy on making sure his family brand is present across all
platforms. We have two parts to our strategy. The first part centers on social media and
optimizing the center’s Facebook to make it more attractive for families. We will make
suggestions on how to improve their current Facebook to encourage more likes on the
28. 24
page. We will also give Dr. Howell a step-by-step tutorial on using Facebook Ad Words
and making it successful. The second part of our strategy focuses on community
outreach. Both Moorpark and Thousand Oaks are largely comprised of families. In order
to reach parents, we have to offer our volunteer services to the children. We will
coordinate and advise Dr. Howell on creating a health talk with the local Boys and Girls
Club. This volunteer commitment to his community will help him spread his business to
locals in the community. In addition, it will help him gain contacts within the community
that will lead to further referrals. We hope that this two-part strategy will help increase
patient visitation at both his Moorpark and Thousand Oaks urgent care centers.
29. 25
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Based on the market research on Urgent Cares in the Thousand Oaks and
Moorpark area, we were able to determine that A&P has high patient satisfaction and
high quality of care. A&P needs to increase awareness in the local community especially
among families, our target market. A strong family oriented brand identity will appeal to
our target market. A&P needs to advertise where families spend the most time with a
message that will draw their attention.
We decided to use a social media campaign because it is effective at reaching our
target market and allows sending a message that addresses the consumer’s interests when
it comes to healthcare. Market research shows that consumer’s trust healthcare
information that comes from family/friends and healthcare information that comes from
healthcare providers. A survey studying sources used by US internet users to research
quality of healthcare46 (Appendix A, Figure 1) found that the top source, 42%, was
referrals from friends and family. The second source, 31%, was other healthcare
providers and the third source, 26%, was online reviews. Another survey studying the
factors that US internet users consider when selecting a physician47 (3) found that family
or friend recommendation was the top factor. Affiliated hospital or health system and
convenience of location were number two and three respectively. Additionally, a survey
studying the attitudes towards healthcare ads among US consumers48 (1) showed that
44.1% of consumers trust the opinions of the family/friends about health-related issues,
46 eMarketer. (2016, September). Sources Used by US Internet Users to Research Quality of Healthcare,
March 2016 (% of respondents).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
47 eMarketer. (2015, August). Factorsthat US Internet Users Consider When Selecting a Physician,by
Age, Feb 2015 (% of respondentsin each group).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
48 eMarketer. (2016, May). AttitudesToward Healthcare Ads Among US Consumers, March 2016 (% of
respondents).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
30. 26
the second largest impression. In conclusion, social media allows us to send ads that can
be shared and recommended by family and friends since they will be associated with the
doctor’s office, giving the ad more credibility.
Our social media campaign will be focused on Facebook. Research shows that Facebook
is the most effective social media platform to reach a specific target audience and it is the
one that people spend the most time on. A survey conducted on the usage and
effectiveness of select ad formats for distributing/promoting content according to US
healthcare executives49 (4) found that 60% of the executives use social ads in their
campaign. However, 86.8% of the executives found social ads to be effective. Facebook
had the highest grade out of all the social media platforms in surveys studying the social
ad targeting effectiveness and the social ad effectiveness for driving ROI according to US
brand and agency executives50 (5). According to a survey, 66% of Facebook users are at
least somewhat likely to visit a brand’s Facebook page after seeing a Facebook ad51 (9),
which will depend on the effectiveness of the ad.
In order to reach our target market, family, A&P needs to target moms because
they still control the family household and pocketbook52 (6). A survey conducted on
social networks used by US mother vs. father internet users53 (7) found that 81% of
mothers use Facebook which is more than double compared to Pinterest, the second most
49 eMarketer. (2016, March). Usage and Effectiveness* of Select Paid Ad Formats for
Distributing/Promoting Content According to US Healthcare Executives,Dec 2015 (% of respondents) .
Retrieved from eMarketer database.
50 eMarketer. (2015, October). Ad Execs Give Facebook Highest Grades For Social Ad Effectiveness.
Retrieved from eMarketer database.
51 eMarketer. (2016, August). Likelihood ofVisiting a Brand's Facebook Page After Seeing a Facebook Ad
According to US Facebook Users, July 2016 (% of respondents).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
52 eMarketer. (2016, October). Meredith Parents Network on 'Speaking' to US Millennial and Hispanic
Mothers. Retrieved from eMarketer database.
53 eMarketer. (2015, July). Social Networks Used by US Mother vs. Father Internet Users, Sep 2014 (% of
respondents).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
31. 27
used social network. Moreover, another survey conducted on social media platforms most
frequently used by US millennial mothers internet users54 (8) found that 26.3% of the
millennial mothers use Facebook. Instagram came in second with 14.0%. More
specifically, 64% of US mothers spend on average more than 10 hours per week online55
(10) and the ones that have Facebook check it 10.1 times per day on average56 (11).
Mothers are able to spend so much time on Facebook probably because most of them do
not maintenance their car or mow the lawn57 (13).
An effective ad needs to not only draw the attention of mothers but also needs to
communicate A&P’s brand and values. In an interview with Chris Thorne58 (14), the
CMO of The Honest Company, a company that sells responsible lifestyle products for
family and home, he discussed that in order to reach mothers you cannot just send ads
where their only purpose is to sell products but they need to have interesting content and
personalized storytelling. In addition, Erica Ehm, Founder and publisher of
YummyMummyClub.ca, discussed in an interview that59 (15):
“For video, the two content categories that brands should be paying
attention to are ‘funny’ and ‘compassionate.’ So that means something
that’s heartwarming or heartbreaking, something that’s connected to a
cause or something that will make a viewer laugh….”
54 eMarketer. (2016, October). Social Media Platform Most Frequently Used by US Millennial Mothers
Internet Users, Sep 2016 (% of respondents).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
55 eMarketer. (2016, January). Average Weekly Time Spent Online Among US Mother Internet Users, Nov
2015 (% of respondents).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
56 eMarketer. (2016, May). Average Number of Times per Day that US Mother Facebook Users Check
Facebook,2012-2016.Retrieved from eMarketer database.
57 eMarketer. (2015, April). Household Chores Conducted by US Mother vs. Father Internet Users, May
2014 (% of respondentsin each group).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
58 eMarketer. (2016, February). The Honest Company Reaches Millennial Mothers with Personalized
Storytelling.Retrieved from eMarketer database.
59 eMarketer. (2015, October). Marketing in Canada:Compassion,Humor and Helpful Tips Are the Ways
to a Mother'sHeart. Retrieved from eMarketer database.
32. 28
“Brands are often very shortsighted. They ambush audiences with one-
month campaigns and then disappear. The brands that are most successful
are the brands that understand that social media and their relationships
with influencers are long term.”
Further, in a survey analyzing the types of content/offers that US Hispanic female
internet users prefer to receive from brands found that 34% of Hispanic females prefer to
receive unique/fun ads that speak to their culture. Thus, the Facebook campaign needs to
include ads that are funny, compassionate, and informative to appeal to mothers. Also,
the ads need to include content that mothers will find interesting enough to share.
To create a Facebook ad, visit https://www.facebook.com/bussiness/ and click on create
ad:
For the campaign objective for A&P, select Reach people near your business. Type a
Campaign Name and click on Create Ad Account:
33. 29
Enter the ad account information for this ad campaign. Under the Page section, link the
A&P Urgent Care Facebook page and enter the business information. Under the
Audience section, enter the address of A&P Urgent Care and set the radius to 10 miles.
Set the target demographic to women, age 22 to 64.
Under the Placement section, select edit placements and unselect Instagram from the
Platforms menu. Under the Budget & Schedule section, select lifetime budget and set the
schedule for one month initially. Leave the ad scheduling to run ads all the time since we
34. 30
are trying to increase awareness. According to a study conducted by Kinetic Social60
(21), the average click-through rate for Facebook ads in Q3 2016 is 1.04%. In order to get
20 customers to click on the ad per day, the ad needs to reach at least 1,923 customers per
day. A budget of $750 for the month will have an estimated daily reach of 2,000 – 5,200
people according to a Facebook estimate based on the average performance of ads
targeted to our selected audience. Name the ad set and continue.
In the next section are the ad’s Format, Media, and Text. The ads should be optimized to
be viewed in a mobile phone since 75% of US mother Facebook users prefer accessing
Facebook through their phone61 (12) according to a market research survey.
60 eMarketer. (2016, October). US Facebook and InstagramAd Benchmarks:CPM, CPC and CTR, Q3
2015-Q3 2016 (among impressions analyzed by Kinetic Social). Retrieved from eMarketer database.
61 eMarketer. (2016, May). Preferred Device for Accessing Facebook According to US Mother Facebook
Users, 2012-2016 (% of respondents).Retrieved from eMarketer database.
36. 32
Ad Content
In order to convey your family brand to your Facebook audience, we have to
make sure you craft an ad that speaks to them. As we have previously shown in our
research, Facebook users, specifically moms, enjoy ads that speak to their heart. In order
to play on that emotion and increase A&P’s Facebook likes, we need to create an ad that
mothers and families will agree with and share. We are proposing your Facebook ad
features a picture of your family. Your current status as a family business run by husband
and wife is very powerful. It shows that you are just like your audience struggling to keep
up with work, family and life. We believe an image of husband and wife doctors with
their children is something that will cause more people to like your business. Instead of a
generic photo, they will have a face to the name. In addition, this will make the ad more
personable and relatable. We recommend hiring a local photographer to come and take
photos of your family at your Thousand Oaks location. You can find local photographers
on Professional Photographers of America (ppa.com/findaphotographer). The photos you
do not use for your ad can be used to help update your Facebook page. This photoshoot
will provide you with new cover photos and profile pictures so users can access more
content on your page.
Photo Shoot Concepts
Children dressed in lab coats
Mother and father dressed in lab coats with children dressed in street clothes
Doctor tending to child patient
Family in front of the front desk and/or sign outside
37. 33
Once you have completed the photo-shoot, you have all the materials you need to create
your FB ad. We are aiming to bring more traffic to your Facebook page so we want
people to “like” your ad. Once they “like” your ad, anything you post will show up in
their daily feed. This will serve as a constant reminder of your services. We believe your
ad tagline should be: “Adult and Pediatric Urgent Care servicing Thousand Oaks and
Moorpark area. We offer care near your heart and home.”
Once you have the ad all set up, we have some recommendations regarding your
Facebook. These recommendations will help boost Facebook page traffic and increase
likes. Once the advertisement campaign is in place and your Facebook page starts to get
more likes, more people will see your posts on their timeline. In order to gain mindshare
of potential customers, they will need to see a post from you often. You want your post to
be relevant and/or personable.
A relevant post would be any medical or general heath tips, post about wait times with
links to A&P’s website, or even sharing an interesting article about medicine, health care,
reasons to come to A&P over an ER, etc. Whenever possible you should share the link to
A&P’s website.
A personable post would be about you and your doctors and staff, any community
outreach you are doing, feel good stories about local events, post that tries to get
involvement (ex. Ask the doctor). By doing this, people will see you as part of the
community.
The frequency of your post should be often enough that people start to recognize you on
their timeline, but do not get overwhelmed by seeing too many and in turn blocking you.
38. 34
You should aim to post about 1 to 5 times a month62. This is a guideline, not a rule. If you
have already posted 5 times in a month but have some more timely post, then proceed to
post. On the other hand, you will want to make sure that you post at least once per month.
If you create a generic post that shares a link to the A&P website and that mentions the
online wait times, you will always have something to post without having to put any extra
thought into it.
Each location should have its own Facebook page (ex. Adult & Pediatric Urgent Care –
Moorpark, Adult & Pediatric Urgent Care – Thousand Oaks). Most posts can be posted
on each separate page, but each separate page should have its own advertising campaign
so the local community is targeted specifically for each location.
Other Recommendations:
1: Waiting rooms: The Moorpark location has a large waiting room with ample space to
add a kid-friendly corner. Consider adding a waiting room toy, this will give a visual
indicator that you are a family friendly urgent care facility. There are plenty of options
for waiting room toys and they range from table top toys to wall panel toys. There are
also plenty online stores that offer these waiting room specific toys (Google “waiting
room toys”.) As far as the Thousand Oaks location, that waiting room is already small.
Trying to put a toy in there would make the space too cramped. Consider getting a
subscription to a kid’s magazine (ex. Highlights).
2. Slogan: Create a slogan that portrays your commitment to the health of the community.
A good slogan doesn’t just face outwards to the customer, but inward to the employees as
62 Patel, Neil. "How Frequently You Should Post on Social Media According to the Pros." Forbes. Forbes
Magazine, 12 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.
39. 35
well63. The slogan can be used on any and all future advertisements. It should be used on
every Facebook post at the end using the hashtag (#insertsloganhere).
Currently, A&P is using “The care you need, when you need it.” That slogan is a good
statement, but what is it really saying? Basically, it is restating that you are an urgent care
that provides care, it is very generic and doesn’t differentiate A&P from other
communities. Another slogan A&P has on their website is “From common colds to
broken bones, we treat it all.” That slogan is good, informative and catchy. It’s so catchy
that EXER is using it as well. We recommend continuing to use it on your website
because it does let customers know you can treat almost everything. However, do not use
it as your main slogan because EXER is also using it. If another informative slogan
comes along in the future, think about changing it.
We brainstormed some slogan ideas that encompassed the whole idea of reaching out
towards families and becoming part of the community. We felt that would resonate more
with the community instead of just functioning as an urgent care that happens to be
within the community lines. The one we think is best is “Care near your heart and home.”
This slogan lets people know that you are nearby within the community but you also care
about them and their loved ones.
This slogan was thought of during a brainstorming session, more research is required to
see if it portrays the same idea to the local communities. If this particular slogan is not
one you like, we still recommend creating a new one that reaches out to the community
and families. Slogans can evolve through a form of natural selection. If one isn’t
63 Forsyth,Mark. "Rhetorical Reasons That Slogans Stick." The New York Times. N.p., 13 Nov. 2014.
Web. 20 Nov. 2016.
40. 36
memorable, it can be replaced by another and another and another until something comes
along that gets the right message across from the sender and to the receiver64.
3. Website: We do not have many recommendations for your website. Currently, it is
very informative. We do recommend swapping some of the current generic pictures used
with actual photos of Doctors and staff, and more families and/or minors. Ex. Sports
physical photos, instead of a random stock photo of a doctor and a man playing hockey,
Please consider adding photos of youth sports or high school sports team that you
currently sponsor. Any other stock photos, consider changing them for actual photos of
your locations and doctors.
4: Email newsletter, email advertisements, social media assistants: We recommend using
an email marketing assistant program such as constantcontact.com. This program lets you
build email marketing in the form of newsletters, surveys, coupons, reminders using your
email database of your customers. It has reporting and tracking functions so you can
analyze which emails worked better at gaining attention65. Constant contact is also able to
transform your emails into social media post. This program will help keep A&P Urgent
care fresh in past customer’s mind with email marketing while also assisting with your
Facebook campaign which is focusing on gaining new customers and retaining past
customers as well.
64 Ibid
65 "Grow Your Business." Email Marketing Software | Constant Contact.N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2016
41. 37
COMMUNITY OUTREACH STRATEGY
For the second part of our strategy, we decided to focus on community outreach.
Our goal was to help spread A&P Urgent Care Awareness to the surrounding
communities of Moorpark and Thousand Oaks. In order to show that A&P Urgent Care is
committed to the community, we decided to have Dr. Howell offer his services to the
local Boys and Girls Clubs. Reaching out to children and their parents via an educational
experience would really drive home the family brand that we are trying to establish for
A&P Urgent Care. In addition, since urgent care is separate from hospitals and ER’s, it
functions as a small business. It has to entice patients to use their service instead of more
traditional ones such as primary care physicians and emergency rooms. Urgent cares
offer their benefits by offering extended hours and being more flexible in regards to
payment. In order to spread awareness as a small business, we have to advertise like a
small business. In our research we found that the best way to receive business is through
referrals. Referrals offer firsthand experience and are often more trusted than well-placed
advertisements. The best way to get referrals is to become active in your community66.
Offering community services shows that the small business is invested in the people and
not just there to try and gain business. It shows a deeper commitment and civil
responsibility for the area in which you choose to do business. It also shows your
neighbors that you would like to give back and are invested in the community67. If A&P
gave back to the children in the community, the parents would more likely take their kids
to their urgent care center instead of other alternatives.
66 Kuravilla, Saritha. "Which Promotional Products Work Best?" PPAI: Your Research Authority,n.d.
Web.
67 Ibid
42. 38
In order to gain new patients, we chose to offer Dr. Howell’s speaking services to
the local Boys and Girls Club. Not only is this relatively cheap but it also puts him
directly into the community where he wishes to advertise. He will be able to see their
direct needs and shift his marketing approach to ensure their needs are being met through
all of his advertisements. We chose the Boys and Girls Club as his primary audience for
this community outreach. The Boys and Girls club represents the pinnacle of community
volunteerism. Boys and Girls club is a nonprofit that offers after school care for children
of working parents. The Boys and Girls Club family brand is a great brand for A&P to
become associated with.
The whole goal of offering services to the Boys and Girls Club is to gain favor
with the parents of the children that benefit from Dr. Howell’s talk. Parents are more
inclined to go to a new business if they have some frame of reference on it68.Furthermore,
parents are more likely to go to an urgent care that has benefitted their children. In
addition, the Boys and Girls Club has strong associations with schools in the nearby
areas. By showing that A&P, is an active and contributing member of the community
with their Boys and Girls Club volunteering, A&P can then focus on gaining contacts
from nearby schools. A list of nearby schools to both the A&P Moorpark and Thousand
Oaks locations is provided in Appendix D. Once A&P can create contacts within the
school districts, Dr. Howell can reach larger audiences with the PTA and advertise more
heavily at schools. This will also make sure his advertising efforts are more effective and
ensure good word of mouth from the community.
The first Boys and Girls Club we focused on was Moorpark. The Boys and Girls
Club of Moorpark is within 5-10 miles of the A&P Urgent Care Moorpark location. This
68 Ibid
43. 39
means that the children and parents are the perfect target market for A&P since they are
local to the area. I spoke with the program director over at BGC Moorpark to set up a
speaking engagement for Dr. Howell. Kelly Ventimiglia is the program director and she
offered the following statistics on the Boys and Girls Club Moorpark.
Boys and Girls Club Moorpark Statistics
425 children a day
Ages 6-14
Budget $900,000/year
Emphasis on spreading healthy living sentiments towards children
Kelly expressed a great interest in having Dr. Howell give a talk about healthy living for
the school children. She also encouraged having an activity associated with the talk that
would really drive the healthy living experience home. The proposed agenda for the
speech that was accepted by the program director is in Appendix B. Dr. Howell would
begin with an introduction to the school children and then give a talk about healthy
living. Dr. Howell himself would create the material of this talk since he is a doctor and
has more knowledge on the matter than our team. The theme would revolve on healthy
living practices, eating well and exercising. After the 10-15 minute talk, there would be
an activity for the children.
44. 40
Boys and Girls Club Moorpark Activity
Dr. Howell would provide butcher paper, magazines, scissors and glue sticks to
the class.
The children will draw outlines of their body on the butcher paper
They will fill this body outline with their interpretation of “healthy living”
They will cut out healthy images and activities from the magazines and glue them
onto the body outline
Dr. Howell will walk around and provide guidance and feedback
After the activity, the students will get a chance to go over their healthy body outline. Dr.
Howell will then answer any remaining questions of the children. Before Dr. Howell
leaves he will distribute Emergency Phone number magnets to the children. This magnet
will have the emergency phone numbers of police, fire department, poison control and
urgent care to their surrounding area. You can find the magnet template in Appendix C.
This is a key promotional tool because it is useful. Unlike other promotional tools that get
thrown away, emergency contacts provide a real benefit to local households69 it is
something they will keep and see every day on the fridge. This constant reminder of A&P
Urgent Care’s logo and phone number will ensure the next time they need an urgent care,
they will go to A&P.
69
Leonsky, Rieva. "Marketing Your Small Business via Schools | The U.S. Small Business Administration |
SBA.gov." Marketing Your Small Business via Schools | The U.S. Small Business Administration |
SBA.gov. N.p., n.d. Web.
45. 41
The second Boys and Girls Club we focused on was Conejo Valley. This is a
larger Boys and Girls Club organization because it services the entire Conejo Valley. All
three of their locations in Thousand Oaks are within 5-10 miles of the A&P Urgent Care
Thousand Oaks location. This means that the children and parents are the perfect target
market for A&P since they are local to the area. I spoke with the program director over at
the Boys and Girls Club Thousand Oaks to set up a speaking engagement for Dr. Howell.
Jenifer Wissusik is the program director and she offered the following statistics on the
Boys and Girls Club Thousand Oaks.
Boys and Girls Club Thousand Oaks Statistics
1200 kids total over multiple locations
The center on Gainsborough Rd. sees 90 kids daily
The center on Hillcrest Dr. sees 120 kids daily
The center on Avendida sees 120 kids daily
Children are middle school aged
Emphasis on a career based talk with Dr. Howell
Jenifer expressed a great interest in having Dr. Howell give a career talk for the middle
school children. She also encouraged a related activity within the talk to keep the children
interested. Our proposed agenda for the speech that was accepted by the program director
is in Appendix B. Dr. Howell would begin with an introduction to the middle school
children and then engage the children with a game to check their understanding of the
responsibilities of being a doctor. He would play the game, “Two Truths and a Lie.’ He
46. 42
would give the children two truths and one lie about the medical profession. The
children’s current knowledge about doctors is then tested as they try to guess which fact
is untrue. Dr. Howell would further incentivize the game by providing treats to the
children that guess correctly. After Dr. Howell has checked the children’s understanding
he would clear up any misconceptions with a career talk on becoming a doctor. Dr.
Howell himself would create the material of this talk since he is a doctor and has more
knowledge on the matter than our team. The theme would revolve around education and
career responsibilities. Dr. Howell would also provide some clarification on why he
chose to become an urgent care doctor over a primary care physician and give the
children information on how urgent care centers operate differently from traditional
medical practices.
After the career talk, Dr. Howell will then answer any remaining questions of the
children. Before Dr. Howell leaves he will distribute Emergency Phone number magnets
to the children. This magnet will have the emergency phone numbers of police, fire
department, poison control and urgent care to their surrounding area (Appendix C). This
is a key promotional tool because it is useful. Unlike other promotional tools that get
thrown away, emergency contacts provide a real benefit to local households70. It is
something they will keep and see every day on the fridge. This constant reminder of A&P
Urgent Care’s logo and phone number will ensure the next time they need an urgent care,
they will go to A&P.
Once these talks have been carried out and Dr. Howell has had the chance to
connect to the Boys and Girls Community, we are suggesting he offer a donation. Boys
and Girls Club is notoriously known for honoring their donors in their press releases.
70 Ibid
47. 43
There is no minimum dollar donation, every donor is entitled to free press on the Boys
and Girls Club platforms. Donors can choose how their donation is reflected on the
website and it can be either a photo opportunity in the Boys and Girls Club house or an
interview. Donors also have the option of being featured across multiple platforms
including the website, newsletter and newspaper. Being featured and associated with
Boys and Girls Club will help increase brand awareness and patient volume.
48. 44
MARKETING MIX
7.3.1 Product or Service:
Product offering is fixed (Urgent Care.)
7.3.2 Pricing Strategy:
Pricing is fixed.
7.3.3Promotional Strategy:
The promotional strategies used will be social media advertising and community
outreach. Social media will focus on driving potential customers to the A&P Urgent
Care’s Facebook business page by using Facebook advertising and then posting regularly
to keep A&P Urgent Care continuously appearing on their Facebook timelines.
Community outreach will get A&P Urgent Care interacting with the Boys & Girls Club’s
(Schools and other community involvement in the future as well.) Getting involved with
the community will provide A&P Urgent Care the opportunity to hand out promotional
items that can continuously remind potential customers about A&P Urgent care.
7.3.4 Service Strategy:
A&P Urgent Care will focus on providing quality care at an affordable price which will,
in turn, provide them with a good reputation within their communities they support.
49. 45
FINANCIALS
SALES FORECAST
Social media advertising will not show an immediate response in sales. The goal
is to gain 20 likes per day on the A&P Urgent care Facebook page, followed by 1-5
Facebook post per month. Potential customers will be continuously reminded about A&P
Urgent Care, as they become ill and have a need for urgent care you will see an increase
in patients at A&P Urgent care. We estimate that for every like A&P Urgent Care’s
Facebook page receives they will treat a member of that family at least once per year.
After a yearlong Facebook Campaign A&P Urgent Care will have an estimated 7,300
likes, which will translate into approximately 7,300 patients visits during the next year
(20 patient visits per day). With an average $85 per office visit (based off of A&P Urgent
Care website), A&P Urgent care will see annual sales of $598,600 ($1700 sales per day).
Community outreach programs will provide a sustainable advertising tool (the magnet
with A&P Urgent Care info) into homes of families. We estimate that for every magnet
that gets sent home, 15% of them will produce a customer within the next year. With the
community outreach associated with the Boys & Girls Clubs A&P Urgent Care will reach
200 kids. This, in turn, will translate into approximately 30 patient visits per year. With
an average of $85 per office visit (based off of A&P Urgent Care website), A&P Urgent
Care will see annual sales of $2,550. As A&P Urgent care continues their community
outreach beyond just the Boys & Girls Clubs and community goodwill continues to grow,
A&P Urgent Care will begin to see repeat customers and the annual sales figure will
grow exponentially.
50. 46
MARKETING BUDGET
For the Community Outreach strategy, the budget will consist of the costs per activity
and the donation to the Boys and Girls Club. The costs and vendor are broken down in
Table 1.
Table 1. Community Outreach Costs
For the Facebook ad campaign strategy, the budget will consist of the monthly Facebook
Ad budget and the cost for the photo session. The costs and vendor are broken down in
Table 2.
Table 2. Facebook Ads Cost
Cost per Unit Quantity Vendor Frequency Total
Community Outreach
White butcher paper 29.05$ 1.00 Amazon Every Activity 29.05$
12 pack sharpies 11.01$ 1.00 Amazon Every 5 Activities 11.01$
8 pack of kids scissors 13.48$ 3.00 Amazon Every 10 Activities 40.44$
12 pack of glue sticks 7.45$ 2.00 Amazon Every 5 Activities 14.90$
Pack of candy 30.45$ 1.00 Amazon Every Activity 30.45$
250 Magnets 125.00$ 1.00 Buildasign Every Activity 125.00$
Total per Event 250.85$
Donation to BGC One time donation 500.00$
Vendor Frequency Total
Facebook
Facebook Ads Facebook Monthly Budget 750.00$
Photo Session PPAP.com
Portraits One time cost 100.00$
Total 850.00$
51. 47
To calculate the overall yearly marketing budget, we assume that A&P will conduct 2
community outreach events per year and the Facebook ads will be used year-round. The
yearly marketing budget projections are shown in Table 3.
Table 3. A&P Yearly Budget Projections
Yearly Cost
Supplies for 2 events 435.35$
Donation 500.00$
Facebook 9,000.00$
Photo Session 100.00$
Marketing Budget for year 1 10,035.35$
Marketing Budget for years 2 & 3 9,435.35$
52. 48
Implementation
In order for Dr. Howell to be successful at the strategies we are proposing, he
must follow the timeline we have provided below. This comprehensive timelines includes
scheduling appointments, purchase dates and Facebook campaign guidelines.
December 12, 2016
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Thousand Oaks and Moorpark are expecting either a phone
call or email from you regarding the scheduling of your speaking engagements outlined
in Part 2 of the strategy.
Here is the contact information for the Thousand Oaks and Moorpark Boys and Girls
Club centers.
Moorpark Boys and Girls Club
o Contact: Kelly Ventimiglia
o Phone: 805.529.1140 ext. 104
o Email: kventimiglia@bgcmoorpark.org
Thousand Oaks Boys and Girls Club
o Contact: Jenifer Wissusik
o Phone: 818.706.0905 ext. 104
o Email: jwissusik@bgcconejo.org
53. 49
January 7, 2016
In order to have you ad content ready for your Facebook Ad campaign, you will need to
schedule your photo-shoot with you, your wife and two children on this date. Schedule a
photo-shoot appointment with a photographer at Professional Photographers of America
(ppa.com). The cost will be roughly $100-$200 for a photo session.
January 15, 2016
Given the parameters we have laid out in the Strategy Part One, launch your Facebook
Ad month-long campaign on the 15th of every month.
January 15, 2016
Purchase the Constant Contact program. This will help you generate a monthly newsletter
that will be sent out at the end of every month on the 30th. This newsletter will be a
retention reminder to your current patients to ensure they continue visiting A&P Urgent
Care. In addition, Constant Contact posts this newsletter to your FB as well so it will help
create content for your Facebook page.
Monthly Goals for Facebook
In order to make your Facebook page popular, you will need to post 1-5 posts per month.
For ideas on what to post, please reference Strategy 1, part A.
*Depending on when you schedule your Boys and Girls Club visits, please purchase the
supplies for your respective speaking activity one month before.
54. 50
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