mHealth Market Set to Grow Through 2015

Posted by: Adrenaline // January 11th, 2012

Healthcare’s ever-increasing investment in mobile marketing is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.  According to a new article by Bernie Monagain for HealthcareIT News, “the mobile health app market continues to see substantial growth, and is expected to continue expansion as business models and significant value offerings continue to evolve.”

Indeed, many healthcare providers and institutions are already making significant investments in mobile and interactive concepts.  In fact, the University of Chicago is already utilizing iPad apps to help its physicians and other staff members make caring for patients easier.  Their iPad app helps doctors access critical patient information on-the-go in the hospital.

As we move closer to 2015, Monagain also indicates that we may see a growth in excess of $100 million in the healthcare app industry.

@MatthewBick

Read More 0

Healthcare Advertising Spending Up 20 Percent From Last Year

Posted by: Neil James // December 19th, 2011

This modern-day Dickensian tale is an annual ritual for healthcare marketers who must regularly battle cynical executives to keep their budgets intact.

If you’re looking to maximize the amount of dollars allocated towards marketing, there’s nothing like the appeal of old-fashioned peer pressure. According to a new article by Andrew Adam Newman for the New York Times, A Healing Touch From Hospitals, advertising expenditures by medical centers and hospitals reached $717 for the first six months of 2011. This figure was up 20 percent compared to the same period in 2010!

This figure, of course, will vary by market. An article by Ben Sutherly for Dayton Daily News reported that the major regional hospitals in Ohio, Premier Health Partners, Kettering Health Network and the Children’s Medical Center of Dayton has seen an increase of only three percent.

@NeilAndrewJames

Read More 0

Does Your Healthcare Marketing Traverse the “Action Gap?”

Posted by: Neil James // December 14th, 2011

The process of getting people to become healthier involves two steps:

  • You need to educate people about behaviors are healthy
  • You need to motivate people to take action and engage in these healthy behaviors

In a new article for the Healthcare Marketing Exchange, Lonnie Hirsch and Stewart Gandolf describe the gap between these two points as the “action gap,” arguing that teaching people healthy behaviors and motivating them to do so are two very separate animals. Hirsch and Stewart cite a recent Edelman survey which found that more than half of people engage in at least one unhealthy behavior and that half of those who tried to change their behaviors failed.

@NeilAndrewJames

Read More 0

How Healthcare Marketers Can Master YouTube

Posted by: Neil James // November 30th, 2011

Most healthcare marketers are aware of YouTube. But if all you’re using it for is to store your TV spots and a few droll videos about why physicians should work at your clinic, you’re not taking advantage of the platform’s limitless potential.

Marianne Aiello discusses how healthcare marketers can get the most out of online video in her new article for HealthLeaders Media, 4 YouTube Best Practices For Healthcare Marketers. Aiello encourages healthcare marketers to ensure that their YouTube channel is regularly updated with quality content that cuts through the clutter. Aiello also discusses the need to cross-promote video content via multiple marketing channels as well as how to handle the occasional negative comment.

@NeilAndrewJames

Read More 0

Marketing your Primary Care Provider: Who are you speaking to?

Posted by: Adrenaline // November 14th, 2011

Think about your primary care provider, now think back and remember how your relationship came to be.  Most likely it was through a referral, online or old-fashioned phone book research.   Whatever it may have been, according to Marketing Communication News, in a world where people change doctors as often as they change their socks, it is important for marketers to know who they are speaking to in order for their patients to build “brand” loyalty to their PCP.

The first step is to consider and understand patients’ wants and needs based on age, gender and life events.  Once each demographic is established, it is then imperative to research how this group of people gathers their information and then go where they are.  Whether you are talking to Millennials or Baby Boomers, you’ll need to figure out the best tactics to promote your PCPs.

@EMortek

Read More 1

Healthcare Marketing Website Tracks and Maps Illnesses Based on Social Media Mentions

Posted by: Andrew Meyer // November 7th, 2011

A new online startup, Sickweather, describes itself as a sickness forecasting & mapping service. Currently in testing stages, the company monitors social media networks for keywords relating to illness, then aggregates and maps the mentions, thus allowing healthcare marketers to identify illness trends and strategically promote their wellness solutions (think pharmaceuticals, clinics, urgent care centers). Steve Olenski discussed the service in Social Media Today, citing probable privacy concerns as Sickweather “puts itself on the map”.

@ALouMeyer

Read More 0

How Family Practice Physicians Can Apply Social Media (And Why They Should)

Posted by: Andrew Meyer // October 24th, 2011

The American Medical Association reported last month that nine out of ten physicians use social media for either personal or professional purposes. Given this widespread acceptance of social media, Brian Peach, Manager of Media and Public Relations for the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians and Foundation, suggests that family medicine physicians have a terrific opportunity to leverage social media to enhance the understanding their profession and the improve health of their patients. His ideas for physician use of social media include, “Tweeting an enticing tease about a news item or medical blog, publicly supporting pro-patient legislation, even telling your friends on Facebook how much you love your job and why…”  Family doctors, he states, have an “unprecedented opportunity” to use social media as an outreach tool.

@ALouMeyer

Read More 0

Doctors to Patients in Social Media; “Keep Your Distance”

Posted by: Neil James // October 19th, 2011

You don’t need to be told that the impact social media has had on healthcare. More people are searching for health information online and in their social networks than ever. Doctors are leveraging social technologies to build both their practice and professional reputation.

But consider the results of new surveys, discussed by Ken Terry in a new article for InformationWeek:

  • Nearly nine in ten physicians, according to QuantiaMD, are using social media
  • The same QuantiaMD survey found that two-thirds of physicians use social media for professional purposes
  • According to Pew Internet, 65 percent of the general adult population used social media

Given the amount of patients who use social media in combination with the sheer percentage of physicians who use it in a professional capacity, one might think that sites such as Facebook and Twitter might be an accepted backdrop for legitimate medical care.

According to Terry, however, QuantiaMD found that one-third of physicians had received an invitation to “friend” a patient on Facebook. Three-quarters of those doctors declined the invitation, typically citing confidentiality issues and the desire to separate personal from professional online profiles as the reason for doing so.

Further, only three percent doctors visit health-specific online communities, although for a different reason according to Terry. A lack of time and awareness of these forums are the largest contributing factors to doctors not participating in these communities.

@NeilAndrewJames

Read More 0

Are You Making These Three mHealth Mistakes?

Posted by: Alahna Anderson // October 12th, 2011

Healthcare marketing professionals, take note: it’s not enough to just toss dollars at mobile marketing initiatives. You need to do it right. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to do it wrong. In a recent interview with Mobile Marketing Watch, Shahid Shah (also known as the Healthcare IT Guy) discusses the most common missteps healthcare marketers make in the mobile arena. Among them, Shah cautions against marrying one’s program to singular mobile platforms such as iOS or Android and selecting vendors with limited experience in medical-device-to-healthcare-IT-enterprise connectivity strategy. In addition, Shah argues that healthcare marketers should not begin their efforts focusing on HIPAA compliance, urging them to instead “establish good security policies while following recommended NIST guidance. After taking those steps, return to HIPAA guidelines and tie them in to ensure you aren’t missing anything from the privacy side.”

@NeilAndrewJames

Read More 0

A Five Point Checklist For Your Hospital’s Mobile Marketing Strategy

Posted by: Neil James // October 10th, 2011

According to Pew Internet, 83 percent of all Americans own a cell phone and 35 percent own a smartphone. Frankly, we’re surprised ownership rates aren’t higher. If you haven’t already, it’s time to get serious about adding mobile to your marketing mix.

Wondering where to start? Sara Jackson has a great primer in a new article for FierceMobileHealthcare, 5 Strategies for Putting mHealth to Work in Your Hospital. In her article, Jackson discusses what healthcare marketers need to know about the five primary mobile marketing disciplines: mobile-ready websites, text message campaigns, QR codes, mobile apps and social media.

@NeilAndrewJames

Read More 0

« Older Entries