Putting Micro-Moments to Work for Your Organization: Q&A with Google’s Ben Killmer
// By Lisa D. Ellis //
Ben Killmer, strategic partner manager at Google
Clinical service department profitability is a constant challenge for hospitals. But what’s changed is just about everything else.
It probably comes as no surprise that in 2017, people are relying on smartphones more than ever before. And most of them go beyond using these devices to make calls, send texts, and check their emails. They also go mobile to search for information, find services in their neighborhoods, and get directions. This trend has broad implications for your health care system.
According to Ben Killmer, strategic partner manager at Google, many opportunities exist for health care marketers who make the most of using digital marketing to guide patients right to their facility doors.
We asked Killmer for his insight into the latest digital search trends and his advice for marketers on how to grow their volume in this high-tech age.
Q: Can you explain how consumers today are using their mobile phones for information?
A: Consumer behavior has changed as mobile has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Last year, for the first time, more Google searches took place on mobile devices than on computers in the U.S. Such a shift in behavior has created “micro-moments,” which have profound implications for health care systems and other advertisers.
Q: Can you explain what “micro-moments” means?
A: Micro-moments are simply defined as those moments when we turn to a device to act on a need we have in that moment. For example, someone may be standing in a drugstore aisle, considering different treatment options for a fever sore. She may turn to her smartphone to research remedies. We categorize these moments according to their intent. Specifically, we’ve defined these as the I-want-to-know, I-want-to-go, I-want-to-do, I-want-to-learn, and I-want-to-buy moments.