"Online Medical Tourism Marketing" was presented at the 2009 World Medical Tourism Congress in Los Angeles. In it I provide the business case for online marketing, an overview of the online media landscape and a roadmap for interactive marketing success. Please feel free to share with other medical tourism marketers. If you would like a .pdf version please contact me on Twitter @stevelatham or send an email to info (at) spurinteractive.com.

1. Online Marketing for Medical Tourism
December 2009
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2. Why Medical Tourism?
• Consumers are increasingly looking overseas for medical, dental and
surgical care
• Lower Cost + Vacation Experience = Attractive Alternative
• A few examples…
• Heart-valve replacement: $200,000 in U.S. vs. $15,000 in India
• Metal-free dental bridge: $5,500 in the U.S. vs. $1,500 in Costa Rica
• Knee replacement: 80% savings in Thailand or Malaysia
• Lasik eye surgery: $3,700 in the U.S. vs. $700 in Philippines
• Cosmetic surgery (facelift): $20,000 U.S. vs. $1,500 in South Africa
• Pending health care reform may fuel this trend…
• Longer wait times and more paperwork
• Declining coverage elective procedures
• Lower reimbursements from Insurance and Medicare
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3. Medical Tourism: A Growth Industry
• U.S. outbound patient visits and spend growing rapidly(1)
• 2010: 900,000 patients spending $1.3bn abroad
• 2015: 4 million patients spending $11.8bn abroad
(1) Deloitte, 2009
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4. How Will Global Providers Compete?
• Competition for U.S. patients is increasing
• Domestic: local providers seeking to protect share
• Abroad: International providers seeking to take share
• Marketing success requires:
• Compelling message
- Relevant
- Unique
- Memorable
- Defensible
• Effective channel to deliver message
- Efficient
- Cost-effective
- Targeted
- Measurable
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5. Business Case for Online Marketing in Medical Tourism
This is where the patients are
• Online > 33% of U.S. media consumption (1)
• The web is relied upon by people of all ages
• 85% of adults age 30-50 are active users
• 51% of adults 65-75 are active users
This is how they make decisions
• 75% of Internet users research health online
• 12% of all users will visit a health-related site today
• 75% of users with chronic condition said online "
research influenced their treatment decision
Digital media offers compelling advantages
• Able to Target, Engage and Interact
• Measurable, Affordable, Accountable
…but despite its advantages online is a challenging medium
(1) Source: Pew Research Foundation
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6. Online Media Can be Overwhelming
Video
E-Mail
Search
Display and House & 3rd Paid +
Display
Pre-roll
Party email
Natural
Social
Rich, Flash Tweets, Posts, Blogs,
and Static Ads
Photos, Videos
Blogs
Info Sites
Web Site
Social
Search
Networks
Email "
Lists
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7. Online Success Requires an Integrated Approach
Search Social Video Display E-Mail
Paid + Blogs, Networks, Display and Rich Media, House & 3rd
Natural Content Sites Pre-roll
Banners Party email
Awareness
Interest
(Consideration / Preference)
Decision
Patients
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8. Online Roadmap for Interactive Health Marketers
Optimize Your Web Site
• Usability: make it easy and intuitive
• Effectiveness: engage and convert interest to action
• Search: optimize for natural search rankings
Create demand (Advertise!)
Interact via Social Media
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9. About Spur Interactive
Strategic Interactive Agency
Full Service Approach
• Lead generation
• Strategies
• Customer cultivation
• Creative
• Brand building
• Media
• ROI measurement
• Analytical Insights
Uniquely Positioned: Advisor and Implementer
Planning  Execution  Measurement  Optimization
Thought leaders in digital media:
• Integrated campaign planning and execution
• Understanding the roles and impact of online media
• Experts in reaching, engaging and acquiring customers
Track record of successful programs
• 7+ years of ROI-based successes for leading brands
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10. Our Expertise in Health Care Marketing
Spur has built successful programs in numerous health categories:
 General acute care
 Cardiac monitoring
 Specialty service lines
 Lasik surgery
 Bariatric / Lap Band surgery
 Hair Replacement
 Mobility products
 Acne and Skin care
 Diabetic supplies
 Cosmetic surgery
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11. Our Health Marketing Insights
Our Health Care experience affords valuable insights:
• How consumers and doctors research health information
• Which media outlets work at each stage of the decision cycle
• Which offers work (and which ones don’t)
• How to maximize conversion rates and minimize costs from:
• Search engines
• Social media
• Online health info publishers
• Display ad networks
• 3rd party email list owners
• Optimizing post-lead conversion
• Measuring impact
• Quantifying ROI
For information visit www.SpurHealth.com
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12. About the Presenter
Steve Latham is the founder and CEO of Spur Interactive, a strategic interactive
marketing agency with deep experience and insight in health care marketing. In
this role, Steve has planned and managed successful campaigns leveraging
online advertising, social media, search engine marketing and email marketing to
help numerous health care providers build their brands and acquire patients.
Steve is an accomplished industry lecturer, blogger and thought leader. Steve’s
speaks frequently at industry events and his presentations have been viewed by
thousands. His articles have been published by MediaPost, Online Media Daily,
iMedia Connection, Marketing News and Bizjournals.com to name a few. Steve
has been quoted in B2B Magazine, PR Week, Fortune and CNN.com.
Steve received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA from the
University of Oklahoma. You can review Steve’s articles and presentations at
http://blog.spurinteractive.com.
www.facebook.com/slatham
http://twitter.com/@stevelatham "
www.linkedin.com/in/stevelatham
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