I ran across an interesting study the other day that surveyed how consumers use the Internet to obtain health information. One part of this Pew Internet & American Life research project (in partnership with the California HealthCare Foundation) looked at how consumers obtain information about Hospitals and Medical Facilities and seemed to suggest it might be time for a fresh look at online healthcare marketing.
Actually, I was rather surprised that there weren’t a higher percentage of people using the Internet for this. The same study found that 61% of American adults overall look online for health-related information. Then I peeled back the layers of this information and some interesting insights emerged, such as:
- A significantly higher percentage of women sought information about hospitals and medical facilities than men.
- 45% of Internet Hospital/Medical Facility searchers have checked online review/ranking information relating to the facilities.
- Younger, or better educated, or more affluent consumers were more likely to use the Internet to obtain Hospital/Med Facility information.
Finding solutions for rising healthcare costs and coverage is one of the largest social and economic challenges of our era. Hospitals and medical facilities are particularly hard-pressed to do it all.
Online Healthcare Marketing to the Rescue?
Well, perhaps at least a significant assist. Internet Marketing is generally faster, less expensive and more measurable than classic marketing channels.
Moreover, the Internet is also becoming increasingly more relevant as a communication channel of choice — particularly among younger, more educated and affluent sectors which may favor Internet channels to the exclusion of traditional channels (such as newspapers, TV, direct mail, etc.).
Now, here’s the rub: you still have a significant percentage of your community that have not yet come to The Dark Side (aka The Internet) for information.
So, creating the optimal mix of traditional and online healthcare marketing plans becomes an important skill set for hospital marketing to be more relevant and budget-friendly. There are some additional nuances to take into consideration as well, for instance:
- Much of classic marketing is interruption-based — meaning you are sending messages to a target audience that may/may not be remotely interested in your subject (also referred to as Push Marketing). You’re interrupting consumers from whatever they were doing with your message. Whereas, much of online marketing is intention-based where the consumer actively intends to get information on your topic and you presented your message while they were seeking it (Pull Marketing). Nice.
- Another nuance to consider is the constantly growing array of Internet channels (Search Engines, Social Networks, etc.), media (Video, Audio, etc.), interactive capabilities (Polls, Online Calculators, etc.) and devices (Smart Phones, iPads, etc.) at your disposal.
- Yet another nuance is the growing range of opportunities and challenges that User Generated Content presents and how that fits into the communication and engagement plans for your website and relevant online channels.
You can well imagine that the same Classic and Internet marketing mix that worked in the past for healthcare marketing (and hospital marketing in particular) may now be squandering resources in outdated channels. For instance, consider how the relevant communication channels for hospital marketing have changed over the last several years when targeting prospective parents with a message about a new hospital birthing facility.
It’s beginning to look like you need to be an Internet Marketing Surgeon to do effective Online Healthcare Marketing.
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