How People Search for Healthcare – like everything else, online, mobile and fast
Why a Mobile and Online Healthcare Marketing Strategy is Essential
The vast majority of individuals and families seeking healthcare services are using web search to compare costs, services and local availability of healthcare programs. This is especially true when it comes for nursing home care and senior related services. And, based on a recent Wall Street Journal article (12/16/13), the ad spend by health insurers has more than doubled in one year: $194 million from Oct. 1 to Nov. 10 alone, according to Kantar Media, which tracks insurance advertising. That isn’t far below the $216 million spent by insurers in all of 2012.
As this spend ramps up the children and care providers of seniors are constantly using the web to see service offerings based on specific qualifications for the individual. Pay-per-click advertising on Google has ridden a dramatic increase in healthcare plan searches, and enormous, overwhelming searches shut down the Healthcare.gov site (with over double the expected visits in the first week).
Besides the exchanges and the volume of information, both organic and paid search (clickthrough ads on Google) are where many individuals are going to find healthcare programs for themselves and loved ones. It’s about real-time comparison shopping.
Ultimately, if you are not promoting your healthcare offerings online you will not be found by the vast majority of people.
Why Mobile Version of Healthcare Insurance Sites?
Some demographic groups access the web not through a computer or lap top but through their phones. This is particularly true for two specific groups – those under 30, and the Hispanic market overall. Recent surveys show that Hispanics in California have one of the lowest ownership rates of computers (56%) but a very high use of smart phones.
Essential: Have a Mobile and Online Marketing Approach
The bottom line is if you do not have an internet and mobile strategy that includes paid/organic search and mobile presentation of your offerings, you will be overlooked by potential customers.
Real time search and comparisons far outweigh other forms of advertising when individuals are comparison shopping for services needed now.
We feel that it’s essential to develop a completely online-centric view of your offering and evolve and build connections to key markets on mobile and conventional (web) channels.
Demographics from Pew Internet Survey
The information provided from a recently completed study by the Pew Internet Survey completed in May 2013 shows dramatic increases in computer ownership, smart phone ownership and access and use of the internet. It’s obviously trending towards more use online but more importantly both Hispanics and non-Hispanics are moving toward mobile access to the Internet both on phones and on tablets. This is also proven out by the continuing drop in desktop computers and now the slowing sales of lap top computers while global tablet and smart phone ownership soars.