I have been listening to a variety of people lately – in and out of the healthcare arena – about their websites or web browsing habits. It has been interesting to hear the diversity of behaviors. Some are hobbyists and don’t fully take the internet to heart in their daily routines while others are addicted to social networking sites and would be lost without their mobile applications. I have also been seeking out information on web utilization and any metrics that might be useful to help those who are charged with overseeing their website development and strategy.
Facts on the Healthcare Consumer on the Internet (see Pew Internet and American Life Project data)
- Just under 80% of American adults indicate they use the internet.
- Nearly 2/3 of disease related or health inquiry searches are condition based. (Is your site focused on treatments vs. condition-based information?)
- On any typical day, 50% of American adults who indicate they use the internet will use a search engine to find information.
- 47% of those adults use the internet to obtain information about physicians or health care providers on a typical day.
- 38% of those adults have used the internet to obtain information about hospitals or health care facilities on a typical day.
- 41% of those adults have read someone else’s opinion or experience about a health related issue in a blog, newsgroup or website.
Using Marketing Sense on the Internet
Our websites would be more effective and compelling if they were specifically focused on the consumer’s point of view and not what we want to share.
Even if there are people in your organization who don’t fully support an on-line marketing strategy, doesn’t the evidence point to growing consumer comfort in using the internet for information gathering? What resulting impact should this evidence have on your organization? How might this be different next year or in the next three years?
If your organization is geographically based, what is the competition for health information in your geography on the internet? Is your organization getting an appropriate slice of that action?
If you want to attract more patients for a particular service, you need to go where those prospects “hang-out” and offer them information, activities, and community features that appeal to them and keep them interested in your service.
Points to Ponder
Today’s health care consumer seeks out information from a variety of sources. Evidence points to a substantial amount of that information coming from the Internet. How do you want to invite, inform and help educate your patients? Are you using the best tools available and reaching out to a wide audience? And are the tools that you are using working in the best manner possible?
