As the attention spans of online patients continue to diminish, new opportunities are emerging for medical marketers.
The massive proliferation of mobile devices has been something of a double-edged sword for medical marketers — while smartphones and tablets have opened up new opportunities for reaching prospective patients, they’ve also made it much, much harder to get their attention.
Enter “micro-moments,” a relatively new, decidedly mobile phenomenon that has completely changed the game, giving marketers mere seconds to make a lasting impact on their target audiences. Luckily, with a little know how and strategic thinking, medical practices can actually transform these micro-moments from irritating problems into a competitive advantage. Here’s What you need to know.
Ever grabbed your phone to search for the best possible burger in your immediate vicinity or to figure out who sings the amazing song you’re currently listening to on the radio? Then you’ve experienced a micro-moment. Google defines them as “the moments when we turn to a device — often a smartphone — to take action on whatever we need or want right now.”
In the age of the empowered patient, Google symptom search, comparison healthcare shopping, etc., micro-moments are are becoming increasingly important for medical organisations looking establishing a solid foothold in the digital market.
While these moments are small, their potential impact is massive. Recent Google data shows that 94% of mobile users rely on their smartphones when seeking out business location information, and more than 50% of the two trillion searches Google processes each year now take place on mobile devices. What’s more, last year there was a 29% increase in conversion rates on the mobile platform. Clearly, there’s an opportunity here that’s ripe for the taking.
The big question is, with so little time to actually work with, how can you possibly hope to make a lasting impression upon a prospective patient? Google offers up some helpful tips for medical marketers looking to maintain a solid ROI and competitive foothold as the micro-moments phenomenon continues to strengthen its grip.
If you want to capture the attention of your target audience, you need to be taking every possible measure to maximize the visibility of your brand online. Of course, generating a conversion is the optimal outcome, however, there’s a great deal of value in simply being seen as well. In fact, merely showing up in a Google search can boost brand awareness for your medical practice by as much as 46%.
The driving force behind the micro-moments phenomenon is the demand for the right information, right now. Nothing will kill your brand’s credibility faster than filling your landing pages with unhelpful and/or low-quality filler. The more relevant, genuinely useful, and digestible your content is, the greater the likelihood that you’ll see an uptick in your conversion rate.
Unsurprisingly, winning the micro-moments game is often a question of speed and usability. These days, consumers expect seamless, highly intuitive online experiences — that means if your site isn’t optimized and easy to navigate on both mobile and desktop browsers, your visitors probably aren’t going to hang around for long. Moreover, in light of recent updates to Google’s algorithm, if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, there’s a good chance patients aren’t going to be able to find it in the first place.
At the end of the day, there’s no reason to think of emerging trends like micro-moments as potential roadblocks to marketing success. With the proper strategy, implementation, and ongoing active management, you can actually leverage your target audience’s shrinking attention span as a competitive advantage — you just have to move quickly, or you might miss the opportunity altogether.