E-Patients are online and in the know

Experts urge caution when using the Web to reach women
Top healthcare marketers to discuss strategies at M2W-HC Conference

 

Washington, D.C. – November 3, 2009 — With doctor’s offices becoming more crowded and appointments more expensive these days, consumers are turning to the Web in increasing numbers for healthcare advice, prescription medications and peer interaction. But what does this brave, new tech-savvy world mean for healthcare marketers, who are constrained by a vast number of regulations?

 

Some of the nation’s top thought leaders and healthcare brand marketers will explore the online health arena here at M2W®-HC™...The Conference for Marketing Healthcare to Women, November 5-6, 2009 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

 

“Unlike men, women worry about health constantly – they can’t wait for the doctor to be in,” said conference speaker Laurie Berger, Editor in Chief of LifeScript.com. “They need 24/7 access to information for a sick child or their own personal wellness.”

 

“As the family’s chief health officer and chief health ‘shopper,’ women want both the  911 – and the 411,” Berger said. “They will visit – and tell their girlfriends – about sites, blogs and online resources that help them do the job well and connect with other health seekers.”

 

Berger said women don’t respond well to hard-sell tactics.

 

“Women ask the family’s tough health questions,” she added. “To earn their trust, healthcare marketers must create messages that are accurate, useful, aspirational and speak to women in their own voice, not medical jargon.”

 

According to a recent survey by Burst Media, 83% of women go online for health information, and that figure jumps to a staggering 90.1% among women aged 25-34. Other surveys estimate one in three Americans compare prices of prescriptions online, while countless more share their experiences online via the blogosphere.

 

Conference speaker Peter Pitts, President, Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and Partner/Director, Global Healthcare, Porter Novelli, believes social media’s speed and honesty make it a useful tool for advancing public health and specific marketing goals, but it must be approached with caution by both consumers and marketers.

 

“Social media is driven in real time by facts (often wrong), statistics (regularly misunderstood), snake oil salesmen (wearing white coats), and just plain folks looking for information from a variety of sources – the most important being each other,” Pitts said.

 

“Social media is the newest arrow in the quiver of health communications, but it’s a discipline both misunderstood and frightening to those operating in the heavily regulated world of healthcare. Pharma mustn’t feel safe behind the walls of social media.”

 

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media sites are on the agenda for a special pre-conference workshop, “Overcoming Social Media Anxiety Disorder: A Comprehensive Treatment Plan for Social Media Participation and Success,” moderated by Amber Benson, Vice President, Strategy, imc2 health and wellness. 

 

In all, more than 30 speakers and presenters from top brands and marketing agencies will be at M2W®-HC™...The Conference for Marketing Healthcare to Women to discuss the robust female healthcare consumer segment.

 

“Woman are by far the biggest healthcare consumer segment in America,” said Nan McCann, President of PME Enterprises, LLC, producer of M2W®-HC™. “And women are also very Internet savvy, so it’s no surprise they’re using the Web to ‘shop’ for healthcare products and services. The goal for brand marketers is to reach them with messaging that’s timely, relevant, and compliant with the FTC, the FDA and other regulators.”

 

Associate Sponsors of M2W®-HC™ are Aetna, Draftfcb, Ketchum, KickSkirt, LifeScript.com, M2W® E-ssentials, Paramount Market Publishing, Pink Tank, Publicis and Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness; Hospitality Sponsors are The Hunter Miller Group, NBC Universal and WomanWise; Affiliate Sponsors are the National Woman’s Health Resource Center, WomenHeart, Look Good – Feel Better, Go Red for Women and The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest; Imc2 Health & Wellness is a Workshop Sponsor; Pharmacy Health Network, Women’s HealthCARE Television Network, Carolina Pad and Zeno Group are Showcase Sponsors; SNiPPiES is the Video Journalism Resource.

 

For the complete conference schedule and registration information, please visit www.m2w-hc.com.