How to market a complex idea?
Most people's eyes roll over when talking about hospital pricing. How can I educate while promoting my project in an interesting way?
American hospital pricing is actually pretty interesting - it's a place where government regulation, economics incentives/profit maximizing and human well-being intermix and not in a pretty way.
I've tried to add interesting blogs: https://www.clinicpricecheck.com/blog/
I don't have any answers. I'm struggling to communicate an idea that seems straightforward to me at the moment.
But, the instincts I have are to tell a story--either human or trivia--that includes a detail you want to get out. I said 'or trivia,' because I think stories like "do you know why ambulances have those snakes-on-a-stick on them?" are also engaging.
TLDR: When I teach, I try to make dry info more palatable by making it an important element of a story that's interesting for other reasons.
Great response @VirArborem. I agree that storytelling is the best way to share complex ideas in a way that's engaging.
I'm surprised that you find this topic difficult to communicate. People are always chocked to discover how much a hospital stay costs. Just this weekend, my family was telling me a story about hospital costs.
The factors underlying pricing are unimportant (for the audience your website seems to go for). Maybe have an autofilling search bar instead of a category browser? I'd like to be able to find what I'm looking for without having to think/click a few times.
I could also see a few check boxes "have insurance" "____ deductible" to auto adjust the "you'll need to pay" price add serious value to the search function.
Cool site though!
Aren't healthcare services covered by insurance in the US?
Have you seen Priceonomics? They take tables of data and tell interesting stories with them.
Create awareness on the problem that you found. Maybe lead with something similar to this: Did you know that you could pay $X instead of $Y for a blood test? Where $X is the lowest real price and $Y the highest price
In my mind, the common question being asked in healthcare is akin to. Would you buy a car without knowing how much it costs? Then why buy your healthcare that way?
Or something a little more aggressive:
Some hospitals will charge you extra for the same thing because they know you don't know the price. Use clinic price check and stay ahead of the game.
I think you’re going about it the correct way. You will certainly want to educate your audience and maximize you SEO reach. Having a blog is the perfect way to do this. If I were you I would continue to blog for regularly and share your content on Facebook using standard posts and paid advertisements.
If you need help writing more blog content, please let me know.