Spur Interactive

Like many, I think the future for International Health Care (aka Medical Tourism) is very bright.  However, the market is evolving and participants need to evolve as well…

To date, I believe the biggest hurdles to Medical Tourism have been:

• Misperceptions among US audiences that going abroad = sacrificing quality of care
• Lack of alignment of resources and requirements among international health care providers.
• Limited awareness and consideration among US audiences (per Deloitte less than 10% are willing to go abroad even if they can save 50%).

The first two are being addressed by international health care providers who are becoming JCI accredited while working with channel partners (associations, facilitators, airlines, etc.) to validate quality and provide turnkey solutions. The last issue is being addressed through health care reform which is forcing US consumers to explore health care options like never before.  Rush Limbaugh’s comments haven’t hurt either

Now that the institutions are ready to conduct business and Americans are becoming increasingly open to traveling abroad for health care, the biggest impediment to each institution’s success is Marketing.

Many providers have made large investments to become accredited, without a comprehensive plan to attract patients.  Too many believe that if they offer it, people will come.  As they’re learning, it takes more than a press release to create awareness among the public to build a sustainable pipeline of patients.  You need an integrated plan for creating demand (awareness, consideration and preference) for your brand, and a program to reach, engage and convert prospective patients.  Facilitators will help but they play a supporting role.  Providers need to reach consumers directly.

As the Web is the overwhelming favorite medium for consumers who are researching health care options, this is where you need to reach them. Through search, social media, online advertising, email and other digital media, the battle for patients is being won online.  If you are not participating, you are at a significant disadvantage.

The good news is that it’s not too late to start.  For more information on interactive health care marketing and a roadmap for success, you can view an archived version of my Health Care Marketing Webinar that I recently presented to the Medical Tourism Association.  To view the slides only visit Health Care Marketing Strategy and Best Practices on Slideshare.

Looking forward to your feedback and wishing everyone a prosperous 2010!

Steve Latham, ceo

http://Twitter.com/stevelatham

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A Changing Landscape
The Web has dramatically changed the way we live our daily lives – both personal and professional.  Media consumption has shifted dramatically, along with the way we seek information.  This is especially true in the health care industry where patients are taking a more active role in their health care decisions and the advent of medical tourism has created a global marketplace that is becoming increasingly competitive.

New Challenges
Health care marketers, both domestic and abroad, have a daunting task: develop and execute strategies to accommodate changes in customer behavior, fragmentation of media and increasing competition from global providers.  For many health care providers, one of the keys to success (and in some cases survival) will be the ability to reach, engage and cultivate relationships with patients via the Web.  This is clearly much easier said than done.

The Need for Direction
Most health care marketers know the Web is a critical medium for reaching patients and building your brand.  Yet many are still on the sidelines, wondering what to do, where to start and how to measure results.  Whether you’re looking at Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Email, Blogs or other media, there are many options and seemingly few answers to the question “what should we do?”  Based on 6+ years of online marketing in health care, along with 3+ years of social media marketing on behalf of large and small brands, I believe I have the answer which is presented in the archived webinar below (see below for table of contents).  If you’d like to view the slides (without the voice-over) view Online Strategy and Best Practices for Healthcare Marketing on slideshare.

Trouble viewing? View “Online Marketing for Health Care” on Vimeo.

Presentation Overview
With the goal of helping health care providers, marketers and facilitators understand interactive marketing, I conducted an online webinar for the Medical Tourism Association in 12/09. The lessons are equally applicable to international and domestic providers. “Online Marketing for Health Care: What You Need to Know!” addresses the following:

1. Business case for online marketing in health care
2. A five-point plan (and best practices) for online marketing success
- Understand your audience
- Optimize your Web site
- Create demand via paid, owned and earned media
- Engage and interact via social media
- Define metrics and measure results
3. Social Media: Keys To Success
- Business case for social media
- Common mistakes and pitfalls
- Tactical recommendations for success

Social Media Resources
If you want to learn more about social media, here are some related posts and presentations:

- Social Media Strategy for marketers
- Business Case for Social Media
- New Media Toolkit

I hope you find this to be of great value to you and your organization.  If so, please feel free to comment and share with others!

Steve Latham (follow me on Twitter!)

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Health care is a hot topic these days!  It’s a huge industry ($2.5 trillion in annual spend) and one of our biggest employment sectors.  It’s a lightning rod in Washington, and it seems the older we get, the more it becomes a factor in our daily lives.  It is also a long-term growth industry that offers significant opportunities to health care providers who can effectively and efficiently reach, engage and acquire customers (i.e. it’s a fertile field for great marketers!).

Changing Customer Behavior?
Rising costs, restrictions in coverage and widespread access to health information is fueling consumer-driven health care.  The web has empowered consumers to become much more knowledgeable about their condition and enabled them to make more educated decisions about the type of care they receive and where they receive it.  Patients are taking a more active role in their health care decisions and are increasingly relying on their own research over the advice of their primary care physician.

Changing behavior is not just limited to patients.  Boomer docs and administrators are retiring, and the next generation of physicians and health care professionals are very web-savvy. They communicate, collaborate and do research online. While medical books and journals will always have their place, online is becoming the preferred medium for staying current. The Web is becoming a critical channel for physicians as well as consumers.

Change Creates Opportunity!
Shifts in media consumption are changing how we think about marketing. Change creates opportunities for forward-thinking brands, and challenges for those who cling to the status quo.  The leading providers of tomorrow are those who can see the trends, adjust their approach and engage consumers and physicians when and where they spend their time: online.

When you consider the growth in online media consumption with the compelling advantages offered by digital media (ability to target, engage, interact and measure) it’s clear that interactive or online marketing is a “must-have” for marketing success.

Navigating the Digital Landscape
While most health care marketers understand the importance of digital media, many are confused, overwhelmed and in need of direction.  Search engine visibility is critical, but so is Twitter and Facebook.  If you aren’t a widely known brand, display advertising can be an effective channel for creating awareness and demand. Email marketing is still highly underutilized by most, and mobile is becoming more and more important.  The online media landscape changes daily, making it a very complicated medium.  It’s not surprising that many health care marketers are still on the sidelines, wondering where to start, what to do and how to measure results.

Roadmap for Success
With the goal of helping health marketers understand how to use online media to build their brand and grow market share, we’ve produced the presentation above.  In it we’ve developed the business case for online marketing in the health care arena and provided an overview of the landscape, a roadmap for execution and keys to success in interactive. You can also view the presentation Online Health Care Marketing on slideshare.

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