In case you missed it, Google really is organizing all the word's data. This is no longer a clever marketing ploy but the stark reality of the digital world in which we live. In an era where more than 61% of all adults search for health information online, we need to sit up and take notice when Google makes significant changes to its search results and privacy policy.
Given the outcry this week regarding Google's privacy policy and this month's integration of Google+, let's step back and review a few facts.
1) Facebook may have nearly a billion users but Google still dominates search and our ability to find health information. Bottom line, Google processes 88 billion searches each month.
2) Google+ (Google's new social network) now has 90 million users, (fyi...you can see my Google+ profile here)
3) Search and Google+ have merged, meaning social profiles and content from Google+ will now appear in search results
4) By changing its privacy policy, Google now tracks you across all its products creating a single social profile for ads and search results
So what does this mean for you and your healthcare organization? Remember, 61% of all adults search for health information online which means every healthcare organization and medical professional needs to create, monitor and proactively manage their profile on Google+. This is both a branding and marketing opportunity as well as a potential curse.
Right now, patients are discussing you and/or your organization after visiting your hospital or using your healthcare service or product. They are posting reviews and sharingtheir experiences on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Foursquare and Yelp. If you are proactive, you can not only monitor and respond to the reviews on each site but you can also use Google+ and Google's search changes to your advantage.
By creating a Google+ profile and posting content that favors your brand and professional reputation, you can directly influence Google's search results because those results now highlight social inputs coming from Googe+. Simply put, this is your chance to kill two birds with one stone. Thanks to Google, you can not only engage with patients and providers on Google+, but also craft your social engagement strategy to reinforce your online brand and drive more favorable search results.
Click to watch an introductory video on search and Google+
Joel Selzer
CEO Ozmosis, Inc