Six Key Digital Roles Needed in Today’s Marketing Department
by Derek Mabie
The online realm is heavily integrated with everyone’s daily life. Society now relies on search engines and website functionality to add convenience, control, and precision to completing tasks – whether paying a bill or researching a brand.
Today, consumers are searching online before making health-related decisions. The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project reported in December 2013 that 72 percent of Internet users said they looked for health information within the past year. Of those health seekers, 77 percent started with a search engine. That finding alone suggests a monumental opportunity for health systems to connect with potential patients, whether in organic results or through paid search.
Effectiveness of search
The benefit of search is twofold. Searchers access resources like Google and Bing because their algorithms, perpetually updated and refined, have proved to deliver qualified results. There is no reason to delay finding out a physician’s office hours or researching symptoms of shingles, especially with the revolutionary introduction of smartphones. Someone in need of an answer can simply search from a desk, couch, or grocery store aisle.