5 Tips for Effective Mobile Engagement

By The SHSMD Team posted 07-31-2018 01:12 PM

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In recent years, marketing has transitioned from one of the least to one of the most technology-driven fields in health care. Why? In part, because savvy marketing leaders recognize that engaging with patients has moved into the digital world. And the statistics back this up:

Sixty-four percent of patients use digital devices to manage their health (MobiHealthNews).
Sixty-two percent of smartphone owners use their devices to look up information about a medical condition and/or treatment (MDConnect).
Ninety percent of patients are willing to share their wearable health device data with their doctor or nurse (Accenture).
Forty-eight percent of health care consumers use mobile or tablet apps, compared to just 16 percent in 2014 (Accenture).
Twenty-five percent of consumers say they have received virtual health care services, up from 21 percent in 2017 (Accenture).

So how can hospitals and health systems effectively engage with consumers on their mobile devices? Here are five tips to keep in mind:

Digitize the customer journey. Health care marketers must develop and deploy strategies for patients and consumers immersed in technology. “For years marketers have viewed the website as the virtual front door to the hospital,” said Karen Corrigan, chief executive officer at Corrigan Consulting, a marketing strategy company. “But now and for the future, the smartphone is the new virtual front door because the consumer is rapidly evolving to mobile first.
Make the right connection! The experiences on digital devices should be connected to marketing campaigns so they present the organization as one brand on multiple platforms.”
Design for the device. Health care marketers must design their digital communications to work well on multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Consider pixel density, touch, and vertical/ horizontal orientation. Make certain your website, emails and downloads (PDFs) are optimized for opening on all devices.
Integrate and co-create. Make it a priority to integrate technologies, processes and teams so the actions customers take on mobile devices are tied to customer relationship management and marketing automation systems. “Marketing technology allows organizations to target their customers in a more personal way, measure the success of their campaigns more accurately and collect and utilize data to optimize marketing spend,” Corrigan said.
Do (or don’t) develop an app. Although the appetite for apps continues, behavior is changing. According to Corrigan, 51 percent of smartphone users average zero app downloads per month; and among those 35 and older, only 30 percent download more than they delete each month. This trend is leading to the incorporation of services through other apps and operating systems.

In a recent issue of Spectrum, Corrigan shares how the dramatic trend toward usage of mobile devices to access health care information is revolutionizing hospital and health system marketing. Increasingly, the siloes of “traditional marketing” and “digital marketing” are evolving to the point where it’s all just marketing.

To learn more...

SHSMD members, read the full article: 5 Tips for Effective Mobile Engagement.
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Phil Feldstein

08-01-2018 04:11 PM

Thanks . A web strategy is not necessarily the same as a mobile strategy. Many people lose sight of this.

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