Campaign Microsites No Longer Optional

Because Heart Tracks users are asked where they heard about the tool, marketers can determine which ad elements were most successful in attracting consumers, as well. They've found that the biggest driver is online advertising on search engine sites, such as Facebook, Newsweek, The New York Times, and others, which are responsible for 117 users. Radio is the second most successful, with 101 users, followed by the hospital Web site with 65 users, print newspaper ads with 21 users, "from a friend" with 18 users, and direct mail with seven users. Another 81 people selected "other" when asked how they heard about the tool, and Leonard Leyden says she is investigating what that may represent.

ROI like this proves that having an online element to a campaign isn't optional anymore. And there's so much more out there than microsites; There's social media, blogs, online surveys, pay-per-click ads, and much more.

Even if you don't have pressure from leadership to prove the impact of marketing efforts, this kind of information is invaluable when strategizing for your next campaign. It's rare to find a consumer product marketing campaign that doesn't have an online component, and this needs to become the norm for healthcare too.

By tracking potential patients' behavior online, marketers can better adjust their messages and media choices in order to target exactly who they want. And that is exactly what hospital marketers want.