3 Ways Wearable Technology May Impact Healthcare Marketing

Have you turned on the news lately or just turned on a computer? If so, you’ve probably seen someone talking about wearable technology and smart watches. Everyone seems to be raving about these new pieces of technology, but what exactly do they mean for you and your business?

Wearable technology is the latest buzz in the technology sector. It all started with Google Glass in 2012 and has now moved on to smart watches. With the launch of Samsung Gear and Google’s Android Wear this year, it is safe to say that smart watches are here to stay. Most consumers though have one thing in mind when it comes to this latest form of technology. Besides giving us social media updates and text messages on our wrist, people are interested in seeing how these devices will monitor our health and how they will transform the healthcare field.

Monitoring Your Healthcare Business in the Wearable Technology Future

Being able to track our health, is something that everyone wants to do with these devices. But what exactly they will be able to track remains to be seen. There are some rumors that these smart watches will be able to measure our glucose levels, our respiratory rate, and much more, but again these are all rumors and the future of smart watches remains to be seen. If these devices are able to do all of these things and more, we will soon see radical changes to the healthcare industry. How you manage and market your healthcare business will change dramatically. Imagine people no longer going on Google or using social networks for referrals, instead using their smart watch to tell them when to see a doctor and who to see! If this is all true, healthcare business owners will need to change the way they market their business in order to keep it afloat during these technological changes. If you are a Raleigh business owner in the healthcare field, I suggest you do the following right away:

1. You will need to make sure you have claimed your business everywhere online. From Geo-location sites such as Yelp, Foursquare, and Google+ Local to review sites such as Merchant Circle and Yellow Pages, it will be important that your company is listed in all of these directories as there is no way of knowing right now which sources these devices will be pulling their information from.
2. You will need to find a way to be available 24/7. Most medical offices have fought being a 24/7 business and instead relied on having the typical 8-5 office hours. But in the future when a smart watch goes off after business hours, you have to ask yourself who will respond? Having a game plan on how to handle customers during off business hours will be vital for your healthcare business in the future.
3. You will need to think about what sets you a part. It’s important that you define your business with the right content and right calls to action to maximize your appeal to both users and these wearable devices.

Remember the future of wearable tech is right in front of us. It’s important that you make the changes that you need to now, in order to make sure that your business is prepared for the future that is to come.

Tags: Digital Marketing • Healthcare Marketing