WebMD Executive Director Richard Schwartz Joins TIMA in February

• jkennedy's blog

by Christina Motley @christinamotley, TIMA member and Guest Blogger

Triangle Interactive Marketing Association (TIMA) members and guests are in for a treat next month at what will most likely be a sold-out event.  Richard Schwartz, Executive Director of WebMD will speak digital marketing trends and opportunities in the ever-growing, ever-changing healthcare industry.

WebMD, the leading online source for consumers and physicians, delivers credible and timely health information, tools for managing health and support to encourage health literacy.  The site receives more than 100 million unique visitors per month and another 2 million visits from physicians.

Here’s a quick interview with Richard and a sneak peek into what’s to come.

Q: What is your greatest marketing challenge?

A: “Data show that the consumer and health professional preference for credible digital content and resources supersedes traditional channels.  Still, the overwhelming majority of marketing and advertising investments are in  traditional consumer (print, TV, radio) and professional (journals, reps) channels..  All research indicates that consumers bookend their MD visit with online information and validation yet only 5% of their marketing budget for consumers goes to digital.”

Q: The statistics are surprising.

A: Yes, Field reps in pharma are never going to go away, - they do have impact, but if you look at studies that show for every 100 representatives sent out in a day, only 20 will be seen and average a less than a 2 minute interaction with the physician, and only 2 might be remembered – it is reasonable to look at engagements with guarantees and measurements to enhance traditional efforts. Online will never replace human interaction but online is the go to place for information on the end users’ terms..”

 Q: What is the biggest online trend in the healthcare industry?

A:  “The flight of credible information available to and from consumers online is unprecedented. People are involved in their health and research indicates health is one of the top things people do online. People, including doctors, can’t wait for next month’s journal or an annual conference when things change daily. Doctors are by nature lifetime learners and– science, treatments, technology – are always changing in healthcare. While some of us are good at engaging consumers and providing new healthcare content daily, we are really just beginning. The potential is great and we have the opportunity to do so much more. We have not started to revolutionize the industry like travel; shopping and finance have done online.”

Q: Is one particular social media channel or online vehicle better for healthcare marketing and public outreach?

A: Consumers are on Facebook and on community sites yet I I am not confident pharma has solved for how and why to play there. You Tube is a great place to be (it’s actually the 2nd largest search engine after Google). In both instances, medical/legal and DDMAC have not figured out how to be here. I think it essential to look at where people are going and looking for health, who they trust. Really, I’m an advocate of using all channels-but not solely for the sake of saying – we need a Facebook page or an App, etc. until you validate the need and value. WebMD is the most trusted consumer brand (Millward Brown 2011)and you cannot undervalue the power of trust online – or anywhere – consumer will sniff out fuzzy information. Certainly, you must have a dot com presence but you need to work with other websites, other social media outlets, and even other websites like WebMD to syndicate your message and expand your footprint.”

More to come February 8 and stay tuned for our next blog which will highlight the panelists.

Register today!

Christina Motley is a strategic marketer. Award-winning writer. Published author. Creative cook. Excellent entertainer. Cool mom. She is in pursuit of her next career opportunity. Learn more at www.christinamotley.com.