In 2020 more people than ever are relying on technology. The internet is the most transformative innovation that has changed the way we work, shop, eat, live. Between 2005 and 2019, the percentage of people with daily internet access has gone from 16 percent to 51 percent – largely due to the rise of smartphones. The digital era has changed healthcare. Is your business adapting to that change or falling behind? Here’s how you can adapt to thrive in the digital era.
To put the importance of effective marketing in the digital era into perspective, we have to consider some of the following statistics:
- There are 1.5 billion social media users across the globe.
- 55 percent of buyers do research via social media.
- After IBM implemented a social selling program, they boosted sales by 400 percent.
- Nearly 95 percent of people in the US own a mobile phone.
- Businesses that have a blog get 55 percent more web traffic.
- 78 percent of people do their research online before using a service or buying a product.
What these statistics show is that digital marketing works and that it’s the main way people decide which service or product they want to spend their money on. In the digital era, it’s less about which healthcare service is near them, or which they heard about from their friend – it’s which service they can Google, check their social media and read reviews on. Everything is digitalized.
The most effective way for healthcare companies to adapt to the digital era is to utilize social media. Social media has become the way that people communicate with each other, stay in touch, form new bonds and discuss products and services. The healthcare companies who effectively use social media create a platform from which their clients and potential clients can engage with the company, ask questions and feel heard. An active social media account humanizes a business, which builds brand loyalty and trust.
A 2017 study examined the effectiveness of digital marketing for healthcare companies, conducted on 126 patients of a dental clinic in Bucharest. The researchers found that the majority of new clients had found the clinic due to digital marketing, confirming that it is an extremely effective way to promote medical services and bring new patients to a clinic. The researchers found that the most effective tool in the digital marketing toolbox was social media; responsible for attracting new patients by running targeted ads of a high quality healthcare service.
If you are a healthcare company that is not adapting your medical marketing to the digital era, you are dramatically limiting your growth potential. If you have an amazing medical technology or service you want to share with the world, you need to give your company a voice and a platform from which to speak. Reach out to us today to get started on effective medical marketing.
