What Health Marketers Need to Know About Voice Devices

How patients search for information online is quickly evolving. As voice search technology has become more widespread, with devices such as Alexa and Google Home, healthcare marketers must shift and find innovative ways to stay current. With the number of smartphone users in the United States exceeding 224 million, the use of voice search is expected to continue to increase. And, as voice assistants such as Alexa and Siri have redefined how consumers, especially seniors, interact with their mobile and voice devices to access information, healthcare providers must adjust how they reach new patients or risk missing out on an incredible (and untapped) marketing strategy.

Here are the top three reasons why voice devices hold the power to reshape healthcare marketing:

1. The popularity of voice search has only increased

Just two years ago, nearly 35 million Americans used some form of a voice-activated device. This figure alone represents over one billion voice searches each month. However, experts now estimate that, in 2019, over 3.25 billion searches occur each day. This rapid growth in just 2 years helps to quantify the significant opportunity tapping into voice searches can play for the healthcare industry. This trend is only expected to intensify, as voice-activated technology evolves and becomes a staple in most homes and across all mobile devices.

2. Voice search is changing how patients find healthcare providers

Whether it is using Alexa to locate the nearest hospital or asking Siri to find chiropractors in the area, consumers are using voice search to quickly source information. Marketing research suggests that nearly one out of every five voice searches done every day is to find the contact information for a local business. And, this coupled with the fact that new patients are much more likely to consider a healthcare provider closest to their home, ensuring that your business comes up on any and all voice searches in your area is key.

3. Using voice searches may require an updated SEO strategy

Even though voice search technology is still relatively new, it is quickly changing how search results are displayed. What someone may type into a search engine may be very different than what they may say using a voice assistant. Therefore, ensuring that your website has a wide variety of SEO keywords will be essential in guaranteeing that your company appears on the first page of search results when Alexa or Siri scours the internet.

As technology evolves and redefines the healthcare marketing landscape, it will be more important than ever before to update your marketing strategies. Finding proven and innovative ways to enhance your marketing efforts to best match how patients search will be critical.

Is Your Company Positioned to Use Voice Search as a Competitive Advantage?

If not, then now is the time to start putting a voice search marketing strategy into place. The award-winning digital marketing experts at Response Mine Health can help you craft a proven strategy to capitalize on voice search before your competition. Contact us at 404-800-9499 to schedule a free healthcare marketing consultation.