Hospitals market to decision making consumers

As part of the push to reach consumers, the average hospital marketing budget grew 18% between 2004 and 2007, according to a survey published by the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development. Being "out there" is key to hospitals across the country as they hone efforts to attract growingly assertive consumers who are deciding what procedures to undergo and where they will have them. Since an increasing percentage of consumers are turning to the Internet for healthcare information, many hospitals are boosting their presence with everything from their own sophisticated websites to online video sharing.