Kansas City, MO -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/05/2010 -- ComScore, a firm dedicated to measuring digital marketing, has just released a new research paper that really speaks to health systems and practices. Though the report, “Women on the Web: How Women are Shaping the Internet”, does not specifically cater to the healthcare field, many of its findings inform us on what audience we are targeting and where to find them online.

ComScore looked at gender divides in online categories like social media and retail, but still found the largest overall difference in reach between females and males was on health sites. In fact, women outpaced men in this area by 6 points. “This begs the question: does your medical practice’s online image appeal to women? With so many women looking for health resources online, you must have a female-friendly website and have an image and a marketing strategy that will appeal to this demographic,” says Jamie Verkamp, Partner at (e)Merge Medical Marketing.

Verkamp says even specialties that serve more men than women must think about appealing to a woman’s perspective in some way. “Women control 73% of household spending. They are integral decision makers in where their families spend money, and this includes healthcare.”

Data also showed American women frequent social media sites more often than men and spend more time per visit. With such a large contingent of medical practices and systems utilizing social media as a marketing strategy, we must delve further into the mystery: what do women want?

“It’s simple, really. Women, especially mothers, want community. They want to be engaged. That’s why so many women use online forums and friend suggestions for doctor referrals. They are also very busy, so they want easy access to health information and physicians. Accessibility and engagement are imperative.”

(e)Merge is a medical practice growth consulting firm specializing in providing innovative, patient-centric marketing initiatives and medical mystery shopping services that enhance patient experiences to increase referrals. Call 1.877.362.6584 or visit http://www.emergewithus.com.