If you're not familiar with one of my favorite authors, you may want to check out Seth Godin.
Godin says “A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
Most healthcare categories do not have tribes. Dermatology patients are not connected by an idea. They have no shared interest and thus no leader or way to communicate. Couples and individuals struggling with infertility are connected by an idea however. They are connected by the feeling of loneliness and exclusion. They are connected by the feeling that they want to know their problems are human.
They communicate with each other through blogs, support groups, and social media. The problem is that they often find each other on their own. Very often, their fertility center fails to be the leader. Who is a leader? The one who gives the tribe a way to communicate. The one who connects them with each other. This role is immediately available to fertility centers. As the front line for people's reproductive health, we are expected to be their resource for their problem, not their medical condition.
Individuals and couples struggling with infertility want so badly to connect with one another for support. They want resources and information that will help them with their journey. Fertility centers have an advantage that most healthcare practices do not. They have people who are deeply passionate about the issue at which they are the center. They don't have to interrupt people with unwanted marketing messages.
People are waiting for you to lead them.