The Call for Entries for the 2018 eHealthcare Leadership Awards is now open. This leading awards program, which draws some 1,000 entries, exclusively recognizes the very best websites and digital communications of healthcare organizations (both large and small), online health companies, pharmaceutical/medical equipment firms, agencies/suppliers, and business improvement initiatives. These awards highlight the role of Read More
“Gaining an understanding of what drives the choice-making and loyalty of healthcare consumers is complex,” says Kyra Hagan, senior vice president and general manager, marketing & communications at Influence Health. “What we do know is that consumers’ expectations for healthcare interactions are being shaped by the personalized and convenient experiences they have grown accustomed to in other Read More
Online scheduling is something we take for granted when it comes to making a dinner reservation or booking a flight. But it’s been a tough nut to crack for healthcare systems, and a source of frustration for patients when it’s not available. It seems like it should be easy. In reality, it’s complex. Upstream from Read More
Demands on health system marketing departments for growth and accountability are relentless. Data-driven marketing is the new imperative, yet marketing departments typically run lean, with lean budgets. Digital marketers have to be experts in web development, content management, social media, digital advertising, attribution modeling, multichannel marketing, and lately, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Read More
Social media isn’t always an easy sell in the healthcare community. Not only do physicians have limited time to spend on social media, the platforms can be minefields of HIPAA and patient confidentiality violations. But at a time when value-based care is growing, communication between hospitals and providers is more important than ever. Social media, Read More
Most health systems today have an established social media presence. But is it ready and able to flex in times of emergency? When Hurricane Harvey struck the greater Houston area in August 2017, it left widespread flooding and devastation in its wake. With roads impassable and power outages in many areas, the University of Texas MD Read More
What if you could make your website more engaging and easier to access for patients on the go — even when they don’t have access to the internet — while improving your electronic communication and reducing your costs? While this may sound like a tall order, progressive web apps (PWAs) can help you accomplish all Read More
Social media and mobile apps are an important part of any healthcare marketer’s toolkit; these technologies are crucial in building brand awareness and increasing patient volume. But what about their use in driving physician referrals? Most of the time a healthcare referral is made, it is made by a physician, not a consumer or patient. Read More
Depending on how your marketing organization is structured, questioning how much a particular marketing initiative contributes to overall conversions may be stepping on someone’s toes. Everyone wants to take credit for positive results, but smart organizations dig deeper to understand all the variables that could impact conversions, such as: How many marketing touches does it Read More
The market for voice-controlled smart speakers is hot. The percentage of U.S. Wi-Fi connected households with devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home was up to 12.1 percent as of the end of November, after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, comScore reported. If that doesn’t get your attention, consider the growth rate between June (8.1 Read More
What do Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Time Inc., and other consumer brands and products have in common with your healthcare organization? More than you might think, when it comes to digital consumer engagement. Everyone knows Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In fact, just thinking of the name may make you drool for a pint Read More
With a very different audience and focus from its social media brethren, LinkedIn has always been a unique challenge for healthcare marketers. But with half a billion users (as of April 2017), LinkedIn is not a space to ignore. Putting resources behind this channel may not be easy, but it’s worth the effort to reach Read More
Remember the Winkleveii? The aggrieved Harvard twins of Facebook fame? They’re in the news again, this time as the “first Bitcoin billionaires.” Moneywatch reported in December that the $11 million they collectively invested in Bitcoin in 2013, was valued at more than $1.7 billion. So what does Bitcoin have to do with healthcare? Or digital Read More
When it comes to webpage content, a mobile-first mindset is crucial. As of January 2017, some 77 percent of Americans owned a smartphone, and roughly 1 in 10 of those users relied on smartphones to access the internet. With this growing user base in mind, Google created the Accelerated Mobile Page Project (AMP) in 2016. Read More
Sometimes a technology solution adopted by healthcare administrators and clinicians produces unexpected benefits for marketers. CHRISTUS Physician Group, with operations in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico, wanted to streamline patient check-in during office visits and improve collection of outstanding balances. To achieve these goals, the organization piloted, then implemented, a digital patient check-in solution Read More
Sometimes a powerful story is best left to speak for itself. And having the right platform to share it can help it be heard. That’s what Northwell Health recently learned when it decided to take an understated approach to its digital marketing efforts for a new pediatric kidney transplant program at Cohen Children’s Medical Center Read More
There’s no denying Instagram’s rapid rise in popularity. As of September 2017, the photo-sharing channel had more than 800 million monthly active users — double the amount it had just two years prior. On top of its massive growth, Instagram also has been rolling out a slew of new features what seems like almost monthly. Read More
Are you reaching the right people with your digital advertising without crossing any ethical lines? The latest programmatic technology makes it easier than ever to gather insights to help you connect with your target audience. But in the process, there are some land mines you’ll need to avoid. The exploding popularity of personal devices, from Read More
What if 20 percent of your website visitors were prevented from fully engaging with your content, or found it just too frustrating to spend much time on your site? Web design has come a long way toward making digital experiences more consumer-friendly, personalized, and mobile-friendly. But unless you’ve experienced what it’s like to interact with Read More
The media, including social media, are buzzing about AI, or artificial intelligence. As of this writing in late November, the top trending article on Facebook is “Facebook Is Using Artificial Intelligence to Spot Suicidal Tendencies in Its Users.” On LinkedIn, it is “Where Will AI Increase and Decrease Costs in Healthcare?” Is AI just the Read More
The strategic core of most hospital or health system websites is a strong and user-friendly physician directory, or “Find a Doctor” tool. Optimizing your strategy and your tool’s functionality is a digital healthcare marketing imperative. In last month’s article, Noel Coleman mapped five strategic goals for your “Find a Doctor” tool. In our new article, he offers Read More
We use our cellphones to deposit money, send email, and track our daily step count. We also use them to constantly communicate, whether it’s through social media, texting, and (rarely, it seems) phone calls. With countless apps and new technology increasing our communication channels, shouldn’t it be easier to communicate with healthcare providers? Unfortunately, that Read More
“In the big picture of digital marketing, SEO is truly the most misunderstood portion,” says Kyle Mills, manager of online marketing at Practis, a North Carolina-based healthcare digital marketing agency. One of the biggest myths around SEO is that websites can be optimized once and have long-term success. The fact is that SEO is not Read More
“When Lisa Stockmon arrived at City of Hope National Medical Center in 2014 as chief marketing and communications officer, she was on a mission to transform the venerable comprehensive cancer center into a national brand and an international digital marketing powerhouse,” says Robin Snow, founder and principal of Aefinity Interactive, LLC. “She had the experience Read More
“How do your customers identify providers in your network? Your answer could be very important to your organization’s success,” posits Noel Coleman, president of Doctor.com Enterprise (formerly Connect Healthcare). Here’s why: “Today, Find-a-Doctor tools (such as a physician directory on your website that is optimized to meet your patients’ needs and search habits) are an important part Read More