It is no secret marketing strategies are evolving to include more social media. Businesses are spending more of their budget in their digital marketing departments and the healthcare industry is no different. Below are some noteworthy statistics on how social media has impacted the healthcare industry.
Over 40% of consumers say information found via social media affects how they take care of their health. (source: Mediabistro)
It is important for doctors to create and put out accurate and informative educational content for their patients to read. There are so many opinions on the internet that should not be trusted. Become the trusted go-to source of information for your patients.
19% of smartphone users have at least one health app on their phone. (Source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group)
Exercise, diet and weight loss apps are the most popular apps in the health category. Have you considered launching an app based on your specialty?
31% of healthcare professionals use social media for professional networking (Source: Mediabistro)
Using social media for professional purposes is also very common and useful. Connect with specialists in different fields. These kinds of professional relationships can help with referral business in the future.
41% of people say social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility. (source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group)
Social media has opened up a whole new playing field for voicing your opinion. Positive and negative word of mouth can make or break your practice. Make sure you take the time to really listen to what your patients have to say.
The most accessed online resources for health-related information are: 56% searched WebMD, 31% on Wikipedia, 29% on health magazine websites, 17% used Facebook, 15% used YouTube, 13% used a blog or multiple blogs, 12% used patient communities, 6% used Twitter, and 27% used none of the above. (Source: Mashable)
Some sources of content may contain higher quality content than others. As a healthcare provider, it is important to differentiate between these credible and less credible sources.
Parents are more likely to seek medical answers online. 22% use Facebook and 20% use YouTube. Of non-parents, 14% use Facebook and 12% use YouTube to search for healthcare-related topics. (source: Mashable)
Everyone says things change when you start having kids. This is even true in the healthcare industry. Parents are online looking for information that can help their loved ones more than ever before.
