As professionals in health care marketing, we know that women are decidedly the healthcare shopping authority in their families. This was made clearly evident in the uproar surrounding the Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood debacle, which sparked a debate wildfire in the social media and blogging world. With drastic changes in health care and the way patients shop for it, marketing professionals are forced to consider health care as a consumerism-based industry, which changes the manner in which physicians and marketing departments operate in every way. Providers are being forced to market their services in new ways, by targeting women specifically. By tapping into social media and e-commerce, healthcare marketing professionals are able to position procedures , MRIs and Ultrasounds, which are the most commonly price-shopped services, to highlight varied qualities such as price, quality and convenience.
A Kaiser Family Health Report sated that 80% of mothers say they are responsible for all healthcare decisions in their family and 21% of all women shop around for their best options. Women account for 57% of Internet users, and are traditionally seen as the stronger users of social media outlets. Marketers are aware where their target market is spending its time, and they have gone directly to them. It makes sense that sites like Save On Medical would be targeting price-sensitive female patients through social media promotions like the one they are currently running where if you engage on one of their social media sites, you are entered to win full reimbursement for your procedure.
Save On Medical has reported drastically increased website traffic and considerable growth in users since it implemented their Female-Focused Social Media efforts. With 75% of their users being women, they have been able to point their success to a combination of geo-targeted and demographic-specific Facebook Advertisements and tailored Pay-Per-Click Campaigns through Google AdWords. Facebook has quickly become one of the top referring sources for traffic to their website, followed closely by Twitter.
Successful marketing professionals know that in order to find the tipping point towards their company’s success lies in truly discovering what it is that your consumer wants and needs. Save On Medical has recognized the need for a resource where patients in need can search for and compare affordable, quality care options, due to industry trends; which point to the fact over 50 Million Americans are uninsured and 25% of Americans are in high deductible health plans, looking for ways to cut out-of-pocket costs. Through these efforts they are able to capture an audience already in need of the value Save On Medical brings to the table and focus on the individual in the family who will ultimately make the decision on which provider they select.
Since women and mothers account for the majority of Internet, couponing and shopping population, it is important that they be well-informed shoppers and take advantage of the power they hold in the market. As we said, the key to a successful campaign is to provide your consumer with what they need, by providing them with true value. With genuine intent, you gain consumer trust and build a dedicated mutual relationship. Save On Medical was built by Chris Christenberry and Matt Schneider, who have a combined 40 years of experience working in the health care industry. As professionals in the field they have a unique opportunity of seeing things from the perspective of health care providers but are also sympathetic and understanding of the need for positive patient experiences. They built Save On Medical to benefit the patient. It was designed to clear up the confusion that is associated with health care cost and creates a seamless user experience for anyone from the college-student user to the 70-year-old grandma user.
The genius behind what Christenberry and Schneider have done, is that while the site serves as life-saver for patients, its even almost more beneficial for the providers listed on the website. On the backend, Save On Medical’s social media and SEO professionals have implemented methods to build the reputation of each Save On Medical provider. In addition to significant Return on Investment, useful Management Tools and limitless Cost-Saving Value-Added Services, Save On Medical abides by the teach a man to fish mantra, by providing physician users with their secret recipe, the marketing component. By teaching the subscribed users how to market themselves on Save On Medical to their own community and referring physicians, they kill two birds with one stone, building the credibility of their own product while helping the health care provider to build patient volume.
While the goal of successful marketing campaigns is to build customer volume and brand awareness, it is important to remember what products like Save On Medical focus on; mutual needs and shared success of the consumer and the company.