“The marketing consulting that Glacial Multimedia brought to our practice has been very valuable” Brett Katzen MD – Katzen Eye Group of Baltimore
Looking for doctors has never been easier than it is today. In the old days, you had to look in the yellow pages to find an eye care practitioner near you, and there was no way to know what kind of service they offered. You had to choose whatever was closest and easiest. Now, the Internet offers you a number of ways to not only find eye doctors online, but to find out more information about them.
From various amounts of research, we are able to ascertain that patients are now researching significant amounts of health care information online. By the end of 2011 over 83.2% of the baby boomer population has used the web to find health care information. So whether you are treating young or older patients you can bet they will be using the web to not only find physicians but to also research a particular health issue. According to Pew Internet and American Life Research Projects, 40% of e-Patients with chronic conditions say they or someone they know has been significantly helped by following online medical advice. Additionally 46% of Internet users interviewed say they will use the web the next time they have a medical inquiry.
In the future the impressions leading to medical decisions will be coming from web-oriented searches and if you are not there you will simply loose business. The explosion of new media has effectively changed the way that most media impressions are now made. It is no longer the television industrial complex but a digital marketing strategy that you need to ensure a solid flow of patients seeking your practice. Let us design your next digital media strategy.
Before you begin your next journey into Internet marketing you must first assess your readiness factors. On the internal level do you have the correct team assembled? Having an internal team to oversee and work with your web partners is vital. A communication gap will need to be bridged so that effective implementation can be achieved. The typical solution for this is a practice level web marketing liaison often coming in the form of a marketing director or administrator. Critical to your readiness is the condition of your website. This is 2018 and believe it or not you need a website that works. Your website needs to look professional. Would you have a messy waiting room with old furniture? Then why would you want a website that is outdated and ugly? Does your website have call to action and is it noticeable? Does your website have conversion readiness, meaning can people convert to the lead status and is this track-able. Do you have a legitimate budget set aside for this type of marketing work? Have you prepared a 12-month annual plan and assessed all the areas of the game plan? If you do not have these items in place your readiness factor is weak. Set aside some time to get ready for 2018 and set the wheels in motion. Without a little executive level push the train may not leave the station; however, once you set your ship a sail, you can begin to harness the power of the Internet.
