Micro-Moments: Changing The Face Of Healthcare Marketing

Gretchen Kalthoff

Gretchen Kalthoff

Posted on March 16, 2016

smartphone micro-moments
Not quite sure what a micro-moment is? You’re not alone. Yet recent research, backed by the search giant Google, suggests it’s a game-changer for marketing. The internet revolutionized our access to information. Now, mobile has fundamentally changed the way that we obtain information, and in doing so, transformed consumer behavior forever.
According to Google, micro-moments are “the moments when we turn to a device—often a smartphone—to take action on whatever we need or want right now”.
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Our time spent online is now made up of fragmented interactions  – hundreds of moments that occur everyday. The modern consumer journey is complex. Online mediums disrupted the traditional purchase funnel, with interactions and communications taking place at anywhere and anytime, at the consumer’s convenience. Customers are empowered to move in and out of the buying journey, and now more than ever, they are reflexively turning to smartphones to act on a need, find something, buy something or watch something.
During these “micro-moments”, consumer expectations are high. We have become accustomed to brands giving us what we want, when we want. Yet each micro-moment also represents a critical opportunity for brands to shape our decisions and preferences.
How can you leverage this new customer journey to your healthcare organization’s advantage? Consider the following insights and tips when planning your medical practice internet marketing:
1. When customers look up information, make sure you are there. If someone searches for information that is related to your medical practice, being visible in the search engine results counts. Effective medical SEO takes time but is worth the time and money to invest in. Even if a customer clicks on another link or result, being seen is still valuable.
2. Create good content and be relevant to your consumers needs. Provide valuable information on a particular disease such as treatment options, side effects, medical advances or case studies. Consider everything that potential customers might search for and how you can be there with interesting and helpful content. The more relevant you can be to customer needs, the greater chance of a meaningful connection.
3. Micro-moments happen fast, which means you need to make sure your information loads fast. When searching on mobile, over 90% of consumers are not committed to a brand and will quickly navigate away from slow loading sites. A mobile-optimized site will ensure that you don’t miss the opportunity to capture potential patients and prompt them to take action.
[Tweet “When searching on mobile, over 90% of consumers will navigate away from slow loading sites.”]
Micro-moments, rather than being just another fancy catchphrase in the world of marketing, represent the changing face of consumer behavior. Leveraged correctly – being present and relevant to address consumer needs when they need it – will ensure stronger marketing returns for the healthcare and medical industries.  


Gretchen Kalthoff

Gretchen Kalthoff

Gretchen Kalthoff is a writer and marketing specialist for MWE. She is an expert in healthcare marketing and health IT with a special interest in increasing patient engagement through social media and healthcare technologies.

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