1. INTRODUCTION

Overview of the Company: Ramsay Health Care Limited, established in 1964, is a global healthcare service provider. The company is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Health Ramsay Health Care houses over 500 medical delivery sites that are operated across Australia, Europe, and Asia (Ramsay Health Care, 2024). The company is known to dedicate its resources towards providing patient care and enhancing its ongoing services.

Service Focus: the main focus of this marketing plan is on Ransey Connect, which represents the company’s telehealth service platform, offering remote patient monitoring, virtual consultations, and support for allied health services. Ramsay Connect prides itself on boosting the quality of healthcare services being accessed by patients, as it provides specialised services that are beneficial to the communities in the remote regions of Australia (Ramsay Health Care, 2024).

Mission: The company’s mission is “People caring for people”, and it reflects its dedication towards patient-centred care as well as its commitment to enhancing health outcomes for those that make use of their services (Ramsay Health Care, 2024).

Vision: The company strives to be a leader in delivering world-class healthcare through innovation and compassionate services (Ramsay Health Care, 2024).

Aim of the Report: This report is designed to develop a strategic marketing plan for Ramsay Health Care that will be targeted to a new demographic in the Australian market. This report is intended to help the company expand its market reach and improve overall dominance and performance in the Australian market.

2. MARKET ANALYSIS

Industry Overview: Existing records show that there has been rapid expansion in the global telehealth services due to the fact that hospitals are now making use of digital healthcare solutions, coupled with the increase in internet usage, smartphones, and increased acceptance of value-based care. In a study conducted by Grandview Research (2023), it was revealed that telehealth is an economic approach for offering increased medical accessibility across the underdeveloped areas. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic led to a further increase in the adoption of telehealth, and this pushed numerous healthcare service providers, including Ramsay Connect, to develop extra virtual healthcare services to attend to the growing needs of their markets.

Market Position: Ramsay Connect makes use of its renowned brand image and broader healthcare facilities within the disposition of Ramsay Health Care Limited to create a strong market position. As a company operating in the Australian telehealth sector, Ransay Connect has been able to deliver a comprehensive set of virtual healthcare services intended to provide varied solutions to its growing market. The platform features virtual consultation services where specialists attend to patients in remote areas to provide sustainable care (Australian Government Department of Health, 2024).

2.1. PESTLE Analysis

Political: The government has been according telehealth service providers significant support, as well as different initiatives aimed at the growth and development of telehealth in the Australian market. Such support includes the implementation of Medicare reimbursements and digital health innovation funding, which has led to increased accessibility and affordability of telehealth services (Healthdirect Australia, 2024).

Economic: Telehealth offers numerous benefits to the healthcare delivery system because of the fact that it offers cost-efficient solutions when compared to conventional medical care. Therefore, Ramsay Connect helps patients to reduce the cost of healthcare while enhancing their overall patient care outcome, and this is beneficial to the healthcare service providers and their entire patient population (IBISWorld, 2024).

Social: There is clearly an ongoing shift towards adoption of digital healthcare, mainly due to the convenience it offers through its changing values. This increased preference among patients to choose home-based healthcare treatment services is also expected to continue to grow because it offers patients and healthcare service providers numerous benefits in managing chronic diseases and mental health issues, as well as in handling minor ailments (PwC Australia, 2023).

Technological: The quality of virtual healthcare delivery has been improved by the technological development of telehealth platforms, aided by remote diagnostic systems and artificial intelligence (AI). In the case of Ramsay Connect, the company adopts modern technologies to offer fast, reliable and individualised healthcare services (Deloitte, 2024).

Environmental: Through the use of telehealth services, the health sector is able to reduce its carbon emissions because it reduces the travel requirement for patients. Ramsay Connect is able to promote environmentally friendly healthcare services through its clear commitment to reduce hospital trips and provide quality distant care (KPMG, 2024).

Legal: It is expected that strict telehealth regulations and data privacy laws should be completely complied with by companies that operate in the healthcare sector. When it comes to Ramsay Connect, the company completely complies with the digital healthcare guidelines of the Australian Digital Health Agency aimed at protecting patients' data, as well as upholding ethical and legal requirements within the healthcare sector (Australian Digital Health Agency, 2024).

2.2. SWOT Analysis

Table 1. SWOT Analysis

Strengths	Weaknesses
Ø Comprehensive service offerings that include mental health support and specialised medical consultations (Ramsay Health Care, 2024), Ø Strong brand reputation and a well-integrated healthcare network. Ø Strong financial standing that will be used to facilitate investment in innovation and telehealth technologies (IBISWorld, 2024).	Ø Operating and maintaining a hybrid care model is expensive, and this is coupled with the fact that physical facilities will still be combined with the virtual care (IBISWorld, 2024). Ø It is expected that there will be challenges with seamlessly integrating telehealth and in-person care, especially in complex medical cases (PwC Australia, 2023).
Opportunities	Threat
Ø Expansion into emerging markets with growing demand for telehealth services, especially in the Asia-Pacific regions (Grandview Research, 2023). Ø Strategic partnership with technology companies to improve delivery of virtual services (Deloitte, 2024). Ø Adopt AI-powered data analytics to provide personalised care plans and enhance patient outcomes (KPMG, 2024).	Ø Clear and extensive competition from both established brands in the healthcare sector and new entrants either targeting or specialising in digital healthcare solutions (PwC Australia, 2023). Ø Regulatory requirements continue to evolve, and this might introduce new compliance challenges (Australian Digital Health Agency, 2024). Ø Increase in cybersecurity threats that specifically target sensitive patient data, and this would require more robust security measures (Deloitte, 2024).

2.3. New Target Audience

The demographic profile of the new target audience is those aged 60 years and above, living in rural and remote communities in Australia, and managing chronic health illnesses (such as hypertension, diabetes, COPD, arthritis, etc.). To be able to assess these services, it is expected that the target audience will have low to moderate digital literacy and usually be on a fixed income or reliant on healthcare programmes offered by the government in order to cover the costs of these services. Finally, the audience will be those that have a high need for regular medical consultation, often have limited access to specialist care as a result of geographic barriers, and value affordability and convenience.

2.4. New Service

The proposed service is “Ramsay Connect – HomeHealth ElderCare+”, which will be a specialised telehealth subscription package that is designed to offer personalised, comprehensive, and continuous virtual healthcare services for the elderly patients that reside in rural and remote areas across Australia. The following packages will be offered:

1. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) – there will be connected medical devices (like glucose meters, blood pressure monitors, etc.) that will be linked to Ramsay Confect’s systems in order to offer real-time monitoring of patients.

2. Monthly visual check-ups – there will be regular consultations with geriatric specialists, chronic case nurses, or general practitioners to further provide quality healthcare for the patients.

3. Alerts for medication adherence – an automated reminder and pharmacists that will be checking up on the patients to ensure that they are following their medications as scheduled.

4. 24/7 nurse line – there will be all-round assistance for non-emergency enquiries, especially during out-of-hours periods.

5. Family dashboard and tech support – the services will also include secured access for members of the family to monitor the health data of patients (with consent) and onboarding and continuous support for digital device usage, mainly targeted to the low-tech users.

2.5. Justification for the Chosen Service and Target Audience

One of the justifications is the demographic shift (Australian Government - Centre for Population, 2025; Australian Government - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024) and unmet needs in the healthcare service (Kowal et al., 2023; Temple & Dow, 2018; Australian Bureau of Statistics, n.d.). The ageing population in Australia is witnessing rapid growth, with many of the older individuals residing in the underserved rural areas. It is not uncommon for the defined demographics to face barriers to physical access to healthcare facilities, and this increases their need for virtual alternatives. Thus, the service is well tailored to expanding the company’s reach to these communities and addressing the unmet needs. Secondly, the services and target audience are strategically aligned with the company’s mission and vision. For instance, the mission of Ramsay Health Care is “people caring for people”, while the vision is “world-class healthcare through innovation”, which shows that the proposed service and audience are perfectly aligned. Other justifications include a favourable regulatory and technological landscape, positive social impact and environmental contribution, and market differentiation, as the proposed audience are underserved in the area of the proposed service.

3. MARKETING OBJECTIVES

The following objectives are defined for Ramsay Connect – HomeHealth ElderCare+:

1. To increase the level of awareness of the HomeHealth ElderCare+ service among elderly individuals in remote and rural areas across Australia by reaching 50,000 people through campaigns targeted with regional digital platforms and media by October 2025.

2. To derive engagement by conducting 10 physical outreach and 20 webinar sessions in collaboration with local partners in order to reach at least 6,000 elderly participants and carers by December 2025.

3. To convert at least 7,000 elderly individuals that are interested in the programme into enrolled users of HomeHealth ElderCare+ by April 2026 through targeted incentives, support, and assisted registration initiatives.

4. MARKETING STRATEGIES

4.1. Product Strategy

The name of the product is HomeHealth ElderCare+, and it is a telehealth service designed to offer remote health monitoring, virtual consultation, and support for carers, tailored to meet the health needs of elderly users. The main features of the product are 24/7 access to healthcare professionals, carer access and shared dashboard, monitoring alerts and medication reminders, multilingual support for diverse communities, a user-friendly interface with voice navigation and large fonts, and a toll-free hotline for technical support.

The service will be implemented following usability testing with elderly participants prior to full launch, collaboration with aged-care professionals to ensure that the design features a carer-integrated interface, and the launch of a simple mobile app that is compatible with tablets and low-spec smartphones. Following full implementation, it is expected that the service will bring about increased ease of use and trust among low-tech-saving and older individuals, as well as a clear demonstration of the company’s commitment to patient-orientated and inclusive care.

4.2. Pricing Strategy

The pricing will be based on a subsidised freemium plan (Selden, 1999). This will feature a free tier – basic access to virtual consultants (3 per month), medication reminders, and health alerts – and a premium tier – unlimited consultations that will come with a full carer dashboard, priority scheduling, and personal health tracking. As part of the awareness programme, new users will be the premium tier for free for the first two months, and low-income and pensioner users will have their services subsidised through local government partnerships.

The process of implementing the pricing strategy will include partnership with rural health agencies to help with co-funding subscriptions to premium plans; culturally appropriate materials will be used to communicate the pricing, and flexible payment options (monthly, quarterly, or government-assisted) will be made available for the patients. The impact of this pricing strategy is that it will reduce barriers to trial and adoption as well as encourage long-term adoption while providing support for the vulnerable demographics.

4.3. Place (Distribution) Strategy

The services will be distributed through online channels – the Ramsay Connect website and apps; offline channels – registrations to be done via community clinics, churches and local government centres; and a helpline – a toll-free line for assisted onboarding and 24/7 support.

This place strategy will be implemented by setting up mobile booths and information kiosks at high-traffic locations in these rural areas (like churches, markets, etc.), strategic integration with existing rural hospital partnerships and aged-care outreach programmes, and distribution of printed sign-up forms and educational materials to be made available via community health workers and local leaders. The implication of this distribution strategy is that it will increase access (Zhao et al., 2023; Zhang et al., 2019), even for elderly people that do not have access to smartphones or the internet, coupled with the building of trust since they will be accessing the services through their trusted community channels and face-to-face assistance.

4.4. Promotion Strategy

The overall goal of the campaign will be to create awareness and active engagement through age-friendly and culturally relevant marketing campaigns. For the first objective, the strategy will be awareness campaigns. The media to be used include local newspapers, regional radio ads, community flyers, and WhatsApp broadcasts. The message will be “healthcare at home, from us, for you”. For effective campaign outcomes, the company will need to partner with respected local figures (ambassadors). The awareness campaign will last for a period of 6 months.

For the second objective, the strategy will be engagement campaigns. This will feature 20 webinars and 10 in-person education sessions across different communities. The focus will be on providing usage tutorials, tech demonstrations, and printed guides. This will be done in partnership with aged-care NGOs and community health centres. The expected impact is that over 5,000 elders and carers will be educated, improving their confidence to utilise the service.

The final campaign will be a conversion campaign, aimed to meet the third objective. This will feature a 2-month free trial period, together with referral discounts and bonuses when users sign up with their friends. An easy-to-use sign-up process will be applied together with offline enrolment forms. Trained field officers will be deployed to various communities to help with onboarding and home visits. The expected impact will be the conversion of at least 5,000 leads into active members by the end of April 2026.

5. BUDGET ALLOCATION

Table 2. Budget Allocation

Category	Actions	Budget Estimate (AUD)	Percentage of Total Budget	Justification and Projected ROI
Awareness campaign	Influencer partnership, printed materials, newspaper and radio ads	150,000	30.99%	Potential to reach over 100,000 rural residents with the expected outcome being strong brand visibility.
Engagement campaign	Community events, printed guides, webinars, video tutorials	80,000	16.53%	This will educate the audience will driving active interest, leading to improvement in conversion readiness.
Conversion incentives	Free trials programs, first-time-sign-up discounts, referral bonuses	100,000	20.66%	This is expected to encourage immediate adoption, with a projection of 5,000 users to be converted and it will result to long-term revenue for the company.
Kiosks and community distributions	Setup of tech demo kits, offline sign-up booths, staff logistics	55,000	11.36%	This is designed to build trust through direct contact, and it is very important for the low-tech population.
Optimization of digital platforms	Expansion of helpline, updates for mobile app, onboarding UX	35,000	7.23%	This will provide ease-of-use support while reducing drop-off in the course of adoption.
Analytics and monitoring	Impact assessment, tracking of usage, feedback collection and monitoring	20,000	4.13%	Ensure tracking of ROI while providing support to refine the strategy as the campaign is going on.
Contingencies	Funds dedicated for unforeseen circumstances	44,000	10%	This is to ensure flexibility for adjustments and unexpected opportunities in the course of engagement
Total		484,000	100%

6. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Stage	Timeline	Main Actions	Responsible Team(s)	KPIs
Preparation and development	1^st of May – 15^th of May (2025)	- Finalize the branding of services and messages for the target audience - Create a landing page and application portal for registration. - Design materials for marketing (radio script, print, digital ads)	IT and Web team, Marketing department	- Website is ready for deployment - Completion of branding guidelines - Finalizing of the collateral
Launch of service and outreach	16^th of May to 31^st of May (2025)	- Distribute the flyers to local authorities - Initiate radio campaigns across different regions - Send emails to facilities that specialize in aged care. - Launch campaigns across social media	Marketing team, media agencies, local partners	- At least 20,000 people reached - At least 5,000 flyers distributed - At least 1,000 visits to the website.
Expansion of awareness	June to July of 2025	- Continue with the weekly programs on the radio. - Host town hall meetings. - Launch online ads that are targeted to the audience - Generate testimonies and video content	Marketing team, Ad agencies, Community engagement teams	- At least 50,000 impressions - At least 1,500 new enquiries - At least 500 people have completed the form.
Enrolment and support	August to September 2025	- Provide one-on-one assistance to the elders applying for the service. - Offer webinars on how to make use of the platform - Deploy helpdesk support (both online and offline)	IT support, customer service, healthcare admin	- At least 2,000 users enrolled - At least 90% rate of user satisfaction - Less than 5% drop-off
Monitoring and evaluation	Throughout the programmes	- Conducts surveys to gather feedback from users. - Measure the performance of campaigns - Evaluate the ROI and develop a performance report to assess attainment of objectives	Marketing team, analytical team, strategy team	- Review of the entire KPI - The ROI will be determined - The report will be submiited

7. RISK MANAGEMENT

7.1. Potential Risks and Contingency Plan

Type of Risk	Impact Level	Livelihood of Occurrence	Description	Contingency / Mitigation Plan
Low engagement from the target audience	High	Medium	There is the possibility that the elderly people from the remote or rural areas might lack necessary digital skills or hesitate towards making use of telehealth	- Partnership with local churches, clinics, and comminute centres to create awareness. - One-on-one support should be provided for signups - The platform should be made simple to use and access.
Technological barriers	High	High	The target audience might have limited access to the internet or not familiar with the tech tools to enjoy the service.	- Mobile telehealth stations will be provided in major communities. - Phone-based consultation alternatives should be provided.
Misinformation or negative perception from the public	Medium	Medium	There could be resistance born out of scepticism or fear around the use of digital healthcare services.	- Provide sensitization sessions in the different communities. - Share positive feedbacks, testimonies and success stories. - Involved trusted leaders in the different communities.
Budget overruns	Medium	Low	Issues like unexpected costs in outreach logistics or advertising could lead to budget overruns.	- Ensure regular financial tracking and reallocation of funds when needed, as well as maintain 10% bugger for contingency.
Risks associated to regulatory compliance	High	Low	Non-compliance with advertising, data protection, or telehealth laws can also breed risks	- Regularly have the legal teams review all data usage plans and marketing campaigns. - Strictly adhere to the Australian Digital Health Agency guidelines.
Internal delays in the course of execution	Medium	Medium	It can stem out of delays in creating contents, service readiness, or launching campaigns	- Cross-train the teams for redundancy. - Set the internal deadlines at least one week earlier to delivery. - Use a project manager to monitory the entire process every week.

7.2. Checklist for Risk Management

Items	Expected Status	Notes
Have you defined and segmented the target audience?	Yes	The target audience are elderly Australians living in rural regions
Have you tested the brand message with sample audience?	Yes	This should be done with focus group.
Are the media channels appropriate and accessible by the target audience?	Yes	Print, radio, community-based outreach and other channels defined in this plan are right for, and accessible by, the audience.
Are all marketing materials legally compliant?	Yes	This should be accessed by legal and regulatory advisors
Does the budget include 10% buffer?	Yes	This allocation is made for unforeseen circumstances
Are there data privacy measures in place?	Yes	This plan is to ensure compliance with the Australian Digital Health laws.
Is the crisis communication plan handy?	Yes	The PR and spokesperson should be prepared.
Are the team roles and deadlines clearly defined?	Yes	This should be clearly covered in the implementation plan
Are the KPIs and success metrics clearly defined?	Yes	This should be in line with the SMART objectives defined earlier.
Are the partner collaboration agreement ready and signed?	Yes	The local clicks and aged-care homes should be brought onboard.

8. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Introduced in this marketing plan is “HomeHealth ElderCare+”, a telehealth service proposed for Ramsay Connect, and it is designed to offer solutions to the healthcare needs of elderly people that reside in rural and remote areas across Australia. The plan is a strategy aimed at expanding access and improving healthcare outcomes, and it is in line with the company’s mission of “people caring for people”. This plan is designed to create a strong connection with this underserved market through streamlined onboarding and targeted awareness campaigns.

In order to maximise the impact of this strategic marketing plan, it is recommended that Ramsay Connect should prioritise strategic partnership with local clinics, social groups, and aged-care homes in order to build awareness and trust. Additionally, the company should employ a simplified onboarding process that includes hybrid consultation options (phone and online-based) in order to reach the elders that have limited digital literacy. On the same note, it is recommended that the company should offer requisite digital support and a dedicated helpline for the target audience in order to enhance user experience and improve confidence in their service.

In order to evaluate campaign performance and make necessary adjustments to the marketing strategies, it is recommended that the company deploy real-time feedback approaches and monitoring tools. Finally, Ramsay Connect should form alliances with government health initiatives and NGOs to be able to boost its credibility, increase reach, and offer extra support for scaling its services. In conclusion, if these strategies are executed, Ramsay Connect will be able to effectively introduce “HomeHealth ElderCare+” into the Australian market, enhancing access to healthcare and reinforcing its leadership in the Australian telehealth sector.

9. REFERENCES

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Australian Digital Health Agency (2024) Australian Digital Health Agency. Available at: https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au (Accessed: 18 April 2025).

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Australian Government Department of Health (2024) Health and Aged Care. Available at: https://www.health.gov.au (Accessed: 18 April 2025).

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STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN FOR RAMSAY HEALTH CARE LIMITED: ON INTRODUCTION OF NEW PRODUCT IN AUSTRALIAN MARKET