The online market for the Healthcare sector today, is where it was for the diamond industry over 10 years ago.
Namely, it is in its infancy, but it is growing up rather quickly.
What do I mean by this, you ask?
First let me share some history with you and then I’ll tell you why it is positively VITAL that you get on board now to up your online marketing game.
Close to two decades ago when I was instrumental in launching my family’s online diamonds and jewelry e-commerce website, at www.ExcelDiamonds.com, I was convinced that I was on the cusp of something huge and I was right. The diamond business up to that point relied exclusively on the “personal touch” and relationship forming, hand holding and coddling. People knowingly spent exorbitant premiums for engagement rings purchased at flagship Tiffany stores and at their local brick and mortar jewelry stores, because they wanted to “see the diamond,” “feel the diamond,” “touch the diamond,” etc.
Buying loose diamonds and engagement rings online at the time, was virtually unheard of.
However, slowly but surely, we started convincing customers that it was safe to purchase diamonds online and that they would save a fortune of money in the process.
In fact, In September of 2009, I published one of the best read articles (in terms of traffic) ever written on this topic, which was published on the most prominent online consumer forum for Diamonds and Jewelry. The article became a classic and was re-blogged all across the internet.
The title of the article is “Bricks and Mortar vs. e-Commerce Jewelers” (Click on the snapshot below to read the article)
In that article, I wrote the following:
“Knowledge is Power”
In 2009, all types of sellers need to understand that today’s diamond shoppers are increasingly smart, savvy and educated. This is not to disrespect the consumers of yesteryear, but to assert and point to the obvious empowerment of today’s consumer, due in large measure to the plethora of available scientific data which qualifies and quantifies beauty and cut precision in loose diamonds and diamond jewelry.
Today’s consumers are being educated in stores and online regarding the nuances of precision cut grading and the many aspects of cutting diamonds to achieve maximum light performance. They are being increasingly exposed to the nuances of cut precision vs. weight retention, of light performance vs. light leakage, and of the subtleties inherent in achieving one result over another,”
Today, the online diamond industry has positively exploded and continues to capture more and more market share each year. As a natural by-product of this saturation, the internet is highly competitive for diamonds and it is difficult to get an “edge” and “leg up” over the competition, since everyone is engaged in search engine marketing, search engine optimizations, social media, reputation management, blogging, etc.
Enter the Online Healthcare Market.
My friends,
The online healthcare market today for nursing home owners and operators, is exactly where the diamond market was 15-20 years ago for diamond dealers and vendors.
It is in its infancy, but it won’t stay that way for long.
As internet savvy healthcare consumers (the decision makers) enter into the picture (think about the “Millennials” who are now making the decision to place their grandparents in nursing or rehab facilities), they are increasingly turning to the internet to conduct their research and due diligence prior to selecting a rehabilitation facility or a nursing home.
Of course they take recommendations from the hospital social workers. However, their advice is no longer “the gospel” and the decisions are no longer being made in a vacuum.
Instead, they are going online to see what your reputation looks like, what people are saying about you and that’s only if they know you exist in the first place! If they don’t know that you exist, they might perhaps conduct a Google search for a top sub-acute rehab facility in your area.
The question you need to ask yourself is this:
Will your facility come up at the top of Google for your related search terms?
If it does come up, what will your online feedback and reviews look like? Will it flatter, or hurt you?
In 2017, if I were still doing online marketing for the diamond industry, it would be difficult for me to promise my clients the world and deliver, since the market is full of people like me who do what I do and the competition for top placement is therefore fierce.
The good news (for me – and for my clients) is that my focus today is on the healthcare sector, which is still virtually untapped (though it won’t remain that way forever) and I am thus able to do wonderful things!
In an op-ed piece today written by Munira Rangwala, writing for YourStory Magazine online, she cites 4 of the most rapidly growing online marketing industries in terms of realizing significant ROI (Return On Investment) from their online efforts.
Naturally and correctly, the Healthcare industry is one of the 4.
Read her article here, it’s worth your time.
and thank you for reading my article as well!
