With more than 22 million Americans searching the Internet for health-related information, healthcare companies are seeking partners to help them establish a vibrant online
presence.
But successfully launching and promoting a health site requires a unique blend of Internet savvy, health knowledge, and multi-constituent marketing expertise. Increasingly,
companies are discovering the value of hiring agencies with this diversity of experience.
Just as a variety of musicians blend their talents to perform a symphony, a coordinated approach of diverse skills is the key to striking a chord with your Internet marketing
effort. An agency skilled in Internet marketing and health-focused PR can deliver an efficient, well-designed, and effectively promoted Internet health site that helps achieve
your marketing and communications goals.
Like no other medium, the Internet offers companies a quick, efficient way to do many things: build a powerful brand; leverage (or establish) credibility, deliver valuable
information that is customized, immediate and current; and establish a "local" presence worldwide.
Before diving into the Internet - or even getting your feet wet - consider the benefits that a full-service agency should deliver.
Broader Strategic Perspective
The different perspectives of specialty groups, all dedicated to a single online health client, can provide insights into consumers, the marketplace, the competition, and the
medium.
For example, though pharmaceutical manufacturer Berlex had a presence on America Online, it wanted a site that would deliver information about multiple sclerosis, and its
product, Betaseron, more directly to the multiple sclerosis community.
While many pharmaceutical companies were establishing basic informational Web sites at this time, there was an opportunity to create much more - a site that would be:
- captivating and informative enough to attract and retain new visitors; and
- serve as a dynamic new destination for people with MS, their families, journalists, and healthcare professionals.
The result was one of the first product-specific home pages, The Betaseron MS Resource Center at http://www.betaseron.com.
Target Audience Research
Working with PR specialists in healthcare, technology and corporate reputation, your company's Web site can be appealing to multiple targets and attract a broader audience.
In the case of eMD.com, the talents of multiple specialists enabled us to reach consumers, physicians, analysts, and trade media in technology, financial, and healthcare.
A strategic, well-executed PR program also can attract multiple online target audiences.
Staying Power
A "bricks and mortar" retailer would never open a half-stocked store for one week and expect to get a true reading of its potential. Likewise, the "toe in the water" approach
is not the way to develop and launch a Web site. If you don't impress a potential customer with your initial offering, you may not get a second chance.
Find a communications partner that understands this and can provide you with the services to make the best possible first impression, and then keep your site fresh and
relevant.
Quick Ramp Up
It may be difficult to keep up with an increasingly Internet-involved marketplace if you give the assignment for leading your e-commerce strategy to an executive who does not
have experience in Web business. Investing in the right staff in the short run will pay off in the mid- and long term.
Clear Goals
Before plunging into the Internet, decide what your company expects to gain from a healthcare Web site. Is it an educational resource to be supported by sponsors, or is it a
marketing tool through which you will sell products? Is it just for current customers, or is it geared to reach a mass audience?
The right business partners can be the measure of success or failure. In the fast-moving Internet marketplace, more and more companies are finding that many of the vital
partners they need live under one roof.
Edelman recently launched eMD.com, a Web site that provides consumer healthcare information and clinical tools for physicians. For the project, we drew upon the skills of
corporate health, corporate technology, interactive solutions, financial communications and broadcast.
Working with PR specialists in healthcare, technology and corporate reputation, your company's Web site can be appealing to multiple targets and attract a broader audience.
Nancy Turett is president of Edelman Health North America.
She can be reached at 212-704-8195 or [email protected].
Her partner for this month's column is Fern Lazar, EVP and director of corporate health at Edelman.
She can be reached at 212-704-4446 or [email protected].