Leverage Technology to Meet People Where They are: On Their Phones

According to the Pew Research Center, 95% of Americans own a cellphone and 77% of them are smartphones. With this in mind, would you be surprised to learn 75% – 80% of all traffic Medicom Health’s HRAs receive are coming from mobile? Probably not.

A phrase often used in social work and other helping professions is “meet people where they are.” That includes you, dear marketer! Your goal is to help the community live better, happier and healthier lives.
To find community members who need your help the most, consider meeting them where they are: in their text message inbox. Not sure if your message will be seen as a text? Ask yourself, when’s the last time you didn’t look at your phone all day?

SMS (short message service), also known as text messaging, is on the rise with other marketers and it’s one of the 27 ways we suggest promoting your HRAs.

Texting is cheap, easy, and effective.

Traditional marketing is far from dead. Although, everyone is screaming at you that “IT MUST BE MEASURABLE!” But how can you measure conversion, not just impressions? Billboards, posters, radios ads, bus wraps…they are challenging to measure. Can it really be as simple as an HRA?

One of the most effective ways to measure this engagement is through texting. For example, put on your bus stop ads “Text ‘HEALTHY’ to “99999 to learn your Heart Age,” and now you have an opted-in consumer sent directly to an HRA.

The first step in implementing the strategy is to identify a vendor that provides HIPAA-compliant text messaging services. There are a handful out there. Those specializing in healthcare will be able to quell the fears of your legal and compliance teams. Talk to your Strategic Client Partner if you need suggestions.

Next, you’ll want to be sure that the URL you send in your text response has a source tracking tag. Use Medicom’s ‘S’ tag or UTM source tag, for example. You’ll also want to add language in your text response setting users up for the right expectation with the HRA.

Third, if you choose to use a strategy like this, be sure that your HRA is optimized for mobile usage. A shortened disclaimer, limiting required contact fields, and removing extra clutter like the newsletter sign up and special offer features will increase completion rates.

Last, make sure your calls to action and follow-up emails are up-to-date. Be sure to provide the appropriate next steps to each consumer who takes the HRA. Since they’ve now opted-in to receive text messages, consider sending a text message to at-risk users. Remind them to make an appointment or weekly health tips related to the service line they took the HRA for.

We Can Help

If you’d like to hear more about how this strategy has worked for other clients, or if you have questions about using this tactic at your organization, talk to a member of the Medicom team. They’ll be happy to share additional insight. Texting is the next frontier for nurturing healthcare consumers and we are ready.