88% of consumers use internet to make health decisions

According to Pew Internet Research, 88% of consumers use the internet to make health decisions. However, few healthcare delivery organizations are investing in integrated online marketing strategies that could amplify the quality of care delivered and boost patient recruitment and loyalty.

Online presence plays an important role

Hospital marketing leadership should rethink the role that their online presence will play in recruiting new patients, maintaining loyalty from existing patients and fulfilling their brand promise. What was traditionally a marketing professional's job should be shifted to the medical experts who are better qualified to quickly respond to the latest research and provide aftercare instructions online.

Engaging patients

The logic for shifting marketing budget online is two-fold. First, it's an efficient and measurable way to engage patients in the way they find most convenient, through a social network, personalized email or search engine results displayed on a smartphone. Secondly, and more importantly, it's a response to an increasingly connected patient population that is using the internet to research health concerns, choose a doctor and share their experience with their social network.

Download EPiServer's whitepaper on how healthcare delivery organizations can better engage patients online to build lifetime loyalty.