medical websites

mobile-friendly website for hospitals

Importance of a Mobile-Friendly Website for Healthcare

You know it is important. But why? And how can you tell if your healthcare facility has a mobile-friendly website?

First, Why a Mobile-Friendly Website?

Reason #1: Increase in Usage of Mobile Devices

According to a January 2017 report from Pew Research, here are a few arguments that your hospital’s website should be mobile-friendly.

  • 95% of Americans own a cell phone of some kind and almost 80% own a smart phone. (In 2011, smartphone ownership was just 35%.)
  • 50% of US adults own a tablet
  • Adoption of broadband service has slowed in recent years and a growing number of Americans now use smartphones as their primary online tool

In addition, these statistics don’t just apply to Millennials and Gen Xers…

  • 75% of adults age 50 to 64 own a smart phone
  • More than 40% of adults 65 and over own a smart phone

Simply put, more and more current and prospective patients are using their mobile device to research and locate services and providers including healthcare. They should be able to find a physician, fill out a form and read patient testimonials and reviews conveniently, in the palm of their hand.

Another Reason Your Hospital Must Have a Mobile-Friendly Website: Google Search Results

Since the beginning of 2017, Google uses the mobile version of your hospital’s website to determine rank. Google is all about a better user experience. Simply put, a better user experience makes for a better patient experience.

Furthermore, How to Tell if Your Hospital has a Mobile-Friendly Website

Your hospital or healthcare facility’s website is mobile friendly if it has responsive design. Users to your site shouldn’t have to pinch, pull, drag and zoom. Instead, visitors to your site should be able to find a physician or view a map of your hospital without adjusting the screen. The content on a mobile-friendly website should respond to the screen size of the device they are using. In addition, your mobile-friendly website should be easily and intuitively navigable, and the buttons should be large enough to “click”.

Finally, test your hospital’s website with Google’s Responsive Test Tool.

In conclusion, whether you need a few tweaks or just content added to your current site, or a completely new, mobile-friendly website design, call TotalCom Marketing to discuss what the process looks like.

ABOUT JIMMY WARREN
Early to bed, early to rise, work like crazy and advertise! Jimmy Warren is president of TotalCom Marketing Communications and has over 30 years experience helping many kinds of businesses build a strong brand. A large portion of that experience has been helping hospitals and healthcare organizations. He loves the ‘weird’, interesting and extremely talented people he gets to work with every day – that includes co-workers and clients. Outside of work he enjoys his grand kids, traveling and any kind of good ole fashion Alabama sports. Roll Tide!

Collection of People in a Review Bubble

Maximize Medical Reviews to Market Your Hospital

When it comes to healthcare, patients are consumers. And just like any other industry, consumers like to read and share reviews  about their experiences.

The average adult spends over 20 hours a week online, with 28% of that time on social media sites. So it’s hard to ignore the potential of internet marketing and reputation management.

It’s imperative to understand the clout of online patient reviews.

One in four new patients report having chosen a physician based on a website reviews. Furthermore, the power of influence is growing, with some insurance companies even linking patients back to these sites. While posts on medical review sites (such as Healthgrades, Yelp, Vitals, etc.) are anonymous, there are tactics that can be used to elevate the good and combat the bad, overall boosting a hospital’s online reputation.

Visibility

With around 80% of customers searching the Internet for information on doctors, it’s important your healthcare facility is visible on all of the most important medical review sites.

Studies have shown that Healthgrades® is the most searched medical review site, with Yelp following close behind. Placing your hospital on these sites gives consumers an enormous amount of confidence in the brand. It is greatly advised that you do not discourage patients from critique with tactics such as a contractual agreement that prohibits a patient from public reviews. Many hospitals and practices have such tactics in place and are building a relationship of mistrust, suspicion, and hostility.

That being said, too much visibility can negatively affect your online reputation just as easily. Be sure to have a policy in place that advises all of your staff to have private social media accounts for socializing, and public/professional accounts for engaging in medical groups and gaining public trust.

Request

Positioning yourself online, in any platform, makes your hospital open to extreme criticism. There are a few tactics one can take to encourage positive reviews and dissuade the bad from emerging.

As each new generation enters the age where they are seeking health care without parental supervision, the Internet savvy of hospital consumers increases. Newer patients searching for online medical reviews can tell the difference between an authentic and fake review. When requesting reviews, ask your patients directly. Do not rely on family and friends to boost your positive feedback. Advise physicians to ask their patients they have a strong relationship with to take a moment to review their work and the hospital. Not all patients will oblige, but some will.

Another tactic to generate positive commentary is to give surveys to recurring patients while they wait for their scheduled appointment. Linking to an online review site at the end of a survey could generate traffic. You can also link to review sites through a follow-up email. Think of your follow-up emails as a medical thank you card. Kindness goes a long way with patients, and sending a thank you card encourages a strong bedside manner.

Want to discourage consumers from ranting and raving their negative experiences online for the world to see? Presenting complaint cards to patients provides the consumer a chance to get their anger out before going public, declining the likelihood of taking it online.

Reply

Once placed on any medical review website, commentary on your services (good and bad) will begin to appear. It’s important to do a consistent scan of these sites for new reviews. It is highly likely that more than a few patients will be disappointed in the outcome of their treatment and say so online.

Respond to these reviews in a timely and conscientious manner. With a proper response, other patients may even come to your defense. Acknowledge the person’s complaint, show a commitment to improving your service, and encourage the distressed patient to contact you directly in order to discuss their complaint and come to a resolution.

Utilize the power of medical review websites! Not only do they encourage more patients to use your healthcare facilityl, with enough positive reviews, you can boost your credibility with Google and receive a higher ranking on search engine results!

Want to learn more tips to market your hospital online? Check out this blog for more information!

Need help marketing your healthcare facility? Contact Jimmy Warren today.

ABOUT JIMMY WARREN
Early to bed, early to rise, work like crazy and advertise! Jimmy Warren is president of TotalCom Marketing Communications and has over 30 years experience helping all kinds of businesses build a strong brand. A large portion of that experience has been helping hospitals and healthcare organizations. He loves the ‘weird’, interesting and extremely talented people he gets to work with every day – that includes co-workers and clients. Outside of work he enjoys his grand kids, traveling and any kind of good ole fashion Alabama sports. Roll Tide!

Hospital Marketing: Patients Learn from Patients and Marketers Can Too!

baby girl working on laptop

Online medical websites are now more advanced, allowing patients to interact with one another, share experiences and hopefully make better decisions about health issues. Hospitals marketers should follow these. The benefits are that we learn what issues are important to the patient, how to speak their language, and how to better communicate our brand to them.

In a recent issue of the Washington Post, was an article about the many online health sites that have a presence in the Washington, DC area.  A new one, WiserTogether, began when  a couple got some troublesome news in the 12th week of her pregnancy-that there was a strong possibility she would deliver a baby with Down’s Syndrome.  The husband, Shub Debgupta, started WiserTogether after they faced the decision of undergoing an invasive but highly accurate procedure that could spur a miscarriage or wait for an ultrasound that would not be risky but much less conclusive.  WiserTogether addresses expectant parents’ issues that are pregnancy related.

Earlier sites, like WebMD, are more encyclopedic but newer ones like Inspire, PatientsLikeMe and CureTogether are more interactive and case-study oriented.  Some, like Inspire, partner with associations that advocate for patients with various diseases. Sites generate revenue by selling research (without the personal information) to healthcare companies, by recruiting members for clinical trials conducted by pharmaceutical companies, custom searches and subscriptions with premium features.

In the end, the patient is involved in a dialogue….not with the physician…but with other patients facing a similar diagnosis. Hospital marketers should consider following the dialogue on these sites in order to better communicate with potential patients or better yet consider hosting a similar service in their market.

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