Question
I have used the Yellow pages and local ads in circulars to draw new patients. Since I am just a local business, what is the benefit of using a Web site in addition to my print advertising?
Answer
In 2008, 30% of people used the print Yellow Pages for finding a local business, and in 2010 that percentage dropped to 23% (TMP Directional Marketing, 2010) Thirty-one percent of people used major search engines (Google or Yahoo) in 2008, which increased to 33% in 2010. In 2010, if you include websites like Mapquest, Google Maps, City Search and various Internet based Yellow Pages and the search engines, 77% of all searches for a local business started on the Internet.
According to Pew Internet (2010), in 2010, about 79% of people age 18 years and older were online. The number of adults age 65 years and older has been steadily growing since 2000, but there is still a lot of room for growth. If you consider your standard patient base, 78% of adults age 50 to 64 and 42% of adults age 65 and older were online as of May 2010. If you average this out, you could nearly say that 50 to 60% of your patients are online. Another important thing to realize is that even if your patient is not online, you better bet they have a spouse, child, or grandchild who is.
We are not surprised to find that 75% of the 18 to 24 demographic uses the Internet for local searches, while only 11% use print media (TMP Directional Marketing, 2010). Now, if we look at age 65 and older, it actually is neck and neck between Internet (49%) and print (46%) searches. If you go down just a few years to the 55 to 64 demographic, 57% are using online local searches versus only 37% who are using print. You can see where this is going. This is a trend that you need to pay attention to when you are deciding where to focus your marketing efforts now and in the future.
AudiologyOnline currently hosts Web sites for about 800 practices around the United States. You can find additional information on how to create a Web site through AudiologyOnline at www.audiologydesign.com
References
Pew Internet. (2010, September 10). Updated: change in internet access by age group, 2000-2010. Retrieved August 5, 2011, from www.pewinternet.org/Infographics/2010/Internet-acess-by-age-group-over-time-Update.aspx
TMP Directional Marketing and 15Miles. (2010, September). Bridging the gap, from search to sales - local search usage study. Retrieved June 20, 2011 from www.tmpdm.com/
Editor's Note: This Ask the Expert was taken from the course Connect and Convert: Internet Marketing Best Practices by Paul Dybala, Ph.D. To view the recorded course, register at: www.audiologyonline.com/ceus/recordedcoursedetails.asp?class_id=18540.
Paul Dybala, Ph.D., is an Audiologist and the President of AudiologyOnline. He is responsible for strategic and operational activities within the company. Dr. Dybala has a diverse range of backgrounds in the areas of hearing aid technology, communication disorders and the Internet. This has focused his professional mission to make the Internet a useful medium for audiologists and the patients they serve. His graduate degrees are from the University of Texas at Dallas / Callier Center for Communication Disorders. He currently resides in Dallas, TX.
