
Dan Gemp
Dan is Managing Director, Strategic Markets at Unlock Health
We’re on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, and it’s going to fundamentally change the structure of the digital world and how we interact with it. About 90% of Americans say they know at least a little about AI. After all, it’s everywhere. It sorts spam out of email inboxes. It offers music and book recommendations. It analyzes health data like sleep patterns from wearable devices. And it’s changing how we find information.
Search has evolved from keywords to conversations
In the early days, a user put in a keyword and search results returned anything with that keyword. “Yellow” could generate results including information on the color, the adjective as a synonym for cowardice, or the song by Coldplay. It was up to the user to determine relevance and users quickly learned to refine the search parameters.
Over time, searches took on more of a question-and-answer format which allowed for results to be presented in order of relevance. Marketers got serious about search engine optimization to ensure their products or websites were as close to the top of the first page of results as possible. After all, as the joke goes, “The best place to hide a dead body is the second page of Google search results…because nobody goes there.”
As virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa have integrated into daily life, it’s become normal to have a conversation with the internet. Ask, “Alexa, what’s better, peanut butter or jelly?” In response, Alexa says, “Hmm, that’s a tough question.” She goes on to say that preferences vary throughout the world but in general it seems to be a matter of personal taste. She then suggests a taste test to establish a personal preference. The whole exchange is more emblematic of human dialogue than of a computerized search for data.
Though lacking the conversational elements, a typed search of the same question generates a similar result. An AI-generated overview summarizes results of the search and offers links if the user wants to see what sites contributed to the answer. For many users, the overview is enough. They don’t click the links or scroll down to the list of results. Marketers, read that again — they don’t click or scroll.
Make connections in a zero-click world
AI isn’t a single shared brain that is spread through millions of interactions. It’s an umbrella term for similar technology that’s used in individual systems that grow and evolve. Each system takes on a personality driven by whoever is feeding it information. AI makes finding and using health information much easier, something that’s critically important as health literacy rates in the country remain low. At the same time, it’s becoming harder for users to find the source data behind the overview.
Savvy marketers can learn to produce and load content in such a way that it becomes the go-to source for algorithms. But there are also opportunities for false or nebulous information to be presented as truth. There is no room for speculation and conspiracy in healthcare. Truth should not be a commodity readily available to whoever is most adept at manipulating the algorithm.
Healthcare providers are among the most trusted professions worldwide. This trust gives healthcare marketers a distinct advantage but keep these things in mind.
- The internet has been learning about users for years in order to personalize recommendations. A user in Florida with a family of five would be unlikely to see a recommendation for a sports car or a snowmobile. However, a user who has recently purchased a knee brace might start to see ads for orthopedic care. Predictive algorithms assume users want the most relevant, highest quality, affordable services in their geographic area. Marketing needs to reflect available service lines, geographic footprints, and health outcomes.
- Content is king when it comes to promoting engagement, accelerating care decisions, and fostering loyalty. It can go a long way toward establishing your brand as a go-to source for health information, and third-party validated data is invaluable. Amplifying the voices of providers in videos and by-lined articles humanizes the organization and connects the audience to the people actually providing care. This is especially important since about 75% of people look at online reviews before choosing a new healthcare provider. Just make sure videos are available on your own site or a trusted video platform.
Shorten and enhance the patient journey
Someday, we may reach the point when one AI is generating health content while another serves it up to people searching for it. Healthcare marketers, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Today is not that day.
AI doesn’t distinguish good information from bad. If a blatantly false claim has a lot of engagement online, the algorithms can’t tell that it’s not good information. Imagine if a nationally known healthcare brand published a piece saying they’d found a cure for cancer or a chronic compulsory disorder.
What AI does do well is analyze information and suggest next actions. Consider the value of AI when used with health risk assessments in place of a contact form. Instead of filling out a form that generates a call to gather more information, organizations can collect the information at the outset. Algorithms can then use the information provided to assess risk and stratify patients based on the intensity of their clinical need. Add in AI-driven scheduling technology and it becomes quick and easy to connect patients with care.
Three key takeaways
- Thriving in a zero-click search environment takes plenty of high-quality content delivered on trusted platforms.
- In an era where consumers must double and triple-check health information, trusted healthcare brands can fill information gaps.
- AI can be a valuable tool, but it doesn’t replace human talent and critical thinking.
Unlock Health is the largest and most awarded marketing and advertising agency exclusively focused on U.S. healthcare providers. Deep expertise in the business of healthcare allows our full-service agency to blend bold creative with data-driven insights to connect consumers with care and make great work easier for our clients.