May 19, 2025
Quick answer: The 7Ps of healthcare marketing are Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process and Physical Evidence. They describe everything a patient experiences before, during and after care. Most hospitals actively manage only Promotion; growth usually comes from fixing the weakest of the other six.
Latest update: The NMC notice of 6 October 2026 affects Promotion and Price most: no testimonials, before and after material, success-rate claims, superlatives or offers. See section 11.
Last updated: 30 October 2026 · By Akhil Dave, Founder & Principal Consultant, HMS Consultants
Most hospital teams have seen the 7Ps slide. Far fewer use it to find out why enquiries do not turn into patients. This guide explains each P in hospital terms, gives a scorecard you can use this week, and shows where the NMC guidelines apply.
Key takeaways
The classic marketing mix has four elements: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. For services, three more were added: People, Process and Physical Evidence. A hospital is a service delivered by people, through a process, in a physical setting, so all seven apply.
Think of the seven as one patient journey. A patient finds you (Place, Promotion), judges what you offer and cost (Product, Price), meets your team (People), moves through your systems (Process) and forms an impression from the surroundings (Physical Evidence). A weakness at any step can lose the patient.
Your product is not the newest machine or a list of departments. It is the complete care experience: clinical quality, communication, comfort, continuity and follow-up.
This is the starting point of any hospital marketing strategy.
Patients compare cost before they commit, and unclear charges create distrust. Price here means transparency and predictability as much as the amount.
Keep price communication factual. Offers and discounts in promotion are restricted under the NMC guidelines (section 11).
Place is access: location, timings, ease of booking and online presence. For most patients today, the first visit is on Google.
Promotion is how patients learn about you: website, search, social media, content, referrals and community education. It is the P hospitals fund first and the easiest to over-rely on.
The wider approach is covered in digital marketing for hospitals in India.
In healthcare, patients buy from people they trust. Doctors, nurses, front desk and billing staff all carry the brand in every interaction.
Process is how things actually work: booking, registration, waiting, billing, discharge and follow-up. Patients feel process failures as poor care.
Because care is intangible, patients judge by what they can see: signage, cleanliness, waiting areas, uniforms, printed material, the website and the quality of photographs.
| P | What it means in a hospital | Quick check |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Care experience, specialities, follow-up | Can patients say what you are known for? |
| Price | Fee clarity, packages, billing communication | Do patients know the likely cost upfront? |
| Place | Location, timings, booking, online presence | Can a new patient find and book you in two minutes? |
| Promotion | Website, content, search, referrals, education | Is communication factual and within NMC rules? |
| People | Doctors, nurses, front desk, billing | Do staff respond consistently and courteously? |
| Process | Booking to discharge to follow-up | Is every enquiry answered and tracked? |
| Physical Evidence | Signage, premises, website, print | Does the visible experience match the promise? |
Score each P from 1 to 5 with your team, then note one evidence point for each score. The lowest two scores are your priorities for the next quarter.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Score each P from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong) with doctors, front desk and billing together. |
| 2 | Write one piece of evidence per score, such as call logs, feedback or website data. |
| 3 | Pick the two lowest scores and set one measurable fix for each. |
| 4 | Review enquiries, appointment conversion and feedback monthly. |
| 5 | Repeat the scorecard every quarter. |
If you want an outside view, our hospital marketing audit reviews all seven Ps and gives you a prioritised plan.
Latest update: The NMC notice of 6 October 2026 restricts testimonials, before and after material, success-rate claims, superlatives and offers, and prohibits solicited or incentivised reviews.
In 7Ps terms this mainly shapes Promotion and Price: keep communication informative, avoid comparative or superlative claims, and do not advertise offers. Read our guide to the NMC advertising guidelines, or book an NMC compliance audit.
Work with HMS Consultants
Want a clear view of your seven Ps? We will review them with your team and show you the weakest links.
Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process and Physical Evidence. The first four are the classic marketing mix; the last three were added for services, where the experience is delivered by people, through a process, in a physical setting. Healthcare is a service, so all seven apply.
The 4Ps cover the offer, its cost, access and communication. The 7Ps add People, Process and Physical Evidence, which shape how patients experience a hospital or clinic and matter greatly for an intangible, high-trust service.
There is no single answer, but most hospitals over-invest in Promotion and under-manage People and Process. Weak enquiry handling or an unclear patient journey can cancel the value of good promotion.
The term is used in different ways by different authors, so check the source. We use the established 7Ps framework because it is widely taught and maps cleanly to hospital operations.
Use it as a checklist: a clear service list, transparent fee information, an accurate Google Business Profile, courteous staff, a smooth appointment process and a clean, well-signed premises. Small fixes across all seven often help more than extra advertising.
Mainly Promotion and Price. The NMC notice of 6 October 2026 restricts testimonials, before and after material, success-rate claims, superlatives and offers. Keep communication factual and have material checked against the guidelines.
We run a structured review of all seven Ps for your hospital, find the weakest links and build a practical plan. See our hospital marketing audit and consulting services.
For teams who want to know what is working before they spend more.
Explore the AuditFor hospitals that need strategy, positioning and a connected plan.
Explore Hospital ConsultingFor promoters who want a clear pre-launch, launch and first-year plan.
Explore Launch StrategyFor websites and social channels that must stay within the NMC rules.
Explore the NMC AuditDisclaimer: HMS Consultants is a healthcare marketing consultancy. We are not medico-legal experts or a law firm. References to the NMC guidelines reflect our understanding of public information and are not legal advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare lawyer before acting.
About the author: Akhil Dave is Founder & Principal Consultant of HMS Consultants, with 25+ years in healthcare marketing.
Work with HMS Consultants
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