How Patients Use Mobile Connectivity to Reach Your Practice

A recent survey conducted by eMarketer caught every physician’s eye. It revealed over 100 million Americans used smartphones in 2012, a substantial increase from 93 million in 2011. If Google prediction is any indicator, there will be more people accessing the web via their mobile phones than a personal computer.

Today, it’s not god enough to have a website for your practice; you now need a website that runs on all mobile devices including leading tablets and smartphones such as the iPad, iPhone and Android.

Here’s a sneak peek into how patients use their smartphones to connect with your practice and why you need a mobile ready website in order to communicate with on the go patients.

SEARCH

When patients are on the move, they use their phones just like a laptop or a PC to search the internet and procure information they are looking for. According to Google, more than 75% of mobile users surf the internet on their devices. A patient may find it difficult to navigate your website on his/her smartphone if your website is not optimized for mobile. If a patient confronts such a situation, consider him lost to another physician offering more user-friendly mobile experience.

CONNECT

First thing, patients notice when they visit your website is the content. Make sure you provide enough information to clarify their issues, induce them to learn more about your practice and direct them to contact your office.

The attributes of an ideal mobile website includes:

• Office location and address.
• Contact number.
• Operational hours (Emergency hours if any)
• Special offers or discount coupons.
• Online appointment booking facility.
• Patient feedback and augmented social sharing.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social networking leads the pack when it comes to connectivity using mobile devices. Patients value those practices, which enable them to connect with their respective physicians. Make sure they can access your social networking profiles from their mobile devices too. 

Mobile connectivity is only going to increase in the coming years, making it mandatory feature of your online medical marketing plan to attract patients. So are you ready?