Element #1 - Read, Read, Read

I was fortunate to have some great teachers along the way who exposed me to articles and books written by philosophers, psychologists, politicians, scientists and artists. I didn’t always agree with the opinions I read but, among other things, it taught me there are always multiple sides to every issue.


The same is true with marketing. Marketing is a buzz word right now which means there is a lot of information from a lot of sources. Read everything you can - even if it doesn’t seem to relate to you, even if you disagree with what you read. If you are new to marketing, reading will help to familiarize you with some of the basics. If you’re already a pro, reading will keep you current and spark some new ideas. Simply ‘Googling’ topics and searching through the results is a great place to start. Here are a few of my favorite resources to get you started:

HME Business (April 2011) Editor's Note

HME Business
More likely than not, you are familiar with HME Business. There is plenty of information on their website and you can also subscribe to the magazine for free. It isn’t dedicated to marketing but mentions it frequently. In fact, the April 2011 issue Editor’s Note (written by editor David Kopf) is all about ramping up HME marketing efforts.


Marketing Profs
This website has a wealth of information broken down into brief, easy to understand articles. Sign up for a free membership, you will learn a lot!


Entrepreneur - Sales & Marketing Section
Dedicated to small business, this website has a lot of information for business owners about marketing and beyond. The Sales & Marketing section contains resources from how (and why!) to create a marketing plan to tips for improving your social media.


You’re doing all this reading... but now what? Start applying your new marketing savvy to what you’re already an expert in: your company. If you get excited by a sales idea you read about, ask yourself how that works for your patients. Did learning about company blogs interest you? Start writing about topics relevant to your patients or referral sources. Just remember to trust yourself. If you get stuck, send me an email!