Today Google announced it would start showing apps in search results when a search is done on an Android device. As we know, bariatric surgery is a competitive field. Higher rankings on Google lead to more website traffic and ultimately more potential patients.
How Do I Market My Bariatric Program With An App?
One of the questions that we always get when a potential customer is considering an app is, ‘How will an app get me more patients?’ There are numerous ways that are discussed here. The basic premise is that people are more willing to download an app that they are willing to fill out a form on your website, attend a free seminar, or make an uncomfortable phone call.
Simply changing the ‘call-to-action’ in your marketing messages from the traditional ‘calls-to-action’ to something that people enjoy doing (checking out free apps) gets a better response. What should your call to action be? ‘Considering weight loss surgery? We have an app for that.’ Or how about, ‘Weight loss surgery is a journey. We have an app to help you along the way.’
Apps Have A New Marketing Benefit
Now, however, there is a new benefit to having an app for your bariatric program. Your app is going to be listed in relevant Google Search results. If I search on my Android phone for ‘New York bariatric surgery,’ and you are a surgeon or hospital in New York with an app, your app will show up in those results (likely on the first page). You now have your website listed in the Google search results and you have a link directly to your app listed in the search results. What do you think someone searching for weight loss surgery in New York will do when searching from their Android device? Download your app.
Apps are easier to use and a custom app from BariApps provides additional features that are not possible with a traditional website. RSVP to seminars, track your weight loss, create a photo timeline of your success, watch an online seminar, nutrition tracking and much more.
Once a potential patient downloads your app, your brand is on their phone. The App icon serves as a constant reminder to take action. And the app user doesn’t have to make an uncomfortable phone call. They can watch your online seminar directly from their smartphone or RSVP to an in-person seminar by tapping their screen twice. The app user is shown the myriad of resources that you offer (recipes from your dietitian, support groups, etc.) and feels comfortable making the decision to set-up a consultation or attend a seminar and start their bariatric surgery journey with you.
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