More fun numbers from eMarketer: After this year’s anticipated economy-related three-percent dip in paid advertising on online social networking, spending is expected to jump 13.2 percent to $1.3 billion in 2010.
The only real riddle in the future of social media advertising is whether Facebook and “other destination social networks” (read: Twitter) will stay as hot or if something else on the horizon will eclipse them.
What does this mean for hospitals?
If anything, it means to make sure that your Website is in order. If it is, then you are in a prime position to develop an integrated strategy that will let you get a taste of what that jump implies: There will be a steady stream of social media users to pursue.
However, if your Website isn’t up to par—especially in comparison to your competitors’—now is the time to think about updates, upgrades or even a redesign.
You might thinking, “Website? Thought this was about social networking?”
But yes, Website.
Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and non-social media concepts like SEO, PPC—all of these things have one thing in common, or better said, all of these things should have one thing in common, at least for hospital marketers: They are tools to help drive conversions.
By the way, it is this very idea that was covered in the feature story of our July eNewsletter.
Most simply, your Website is a magnet for patients as much as it is a bridge between them (and their families and friends) and you. All of that work you put into developing content and attracting traffic (both on-site and off-site, such as with social media) will mean little if you can’t convert on it.
Does your hospital have a trusted and reliable partner to build, manage and plan your online marketing strategies? AVID Design offers free assessments for Websites, content, strategy and more.
Derek Rudnak | Communications Specialist | AVID Design
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on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 12:44 pm and is filed under Industry Trends, Research and Studies, Social Media, Social Networking, Web 2.0.
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