This post is part 1 of a 3 part series on the web, online marketing and healthcare. Our series looks at mobile, social media and search marketing in the healthcare industry.

It should be no surprise to anyone that the adoption rate for new technology has increased immensely in the past decade.  It seems the moment new studies are released, the data is already considered old. Yet, in doing some research on online trends in relation to healthcare, we came across some amazing data related to the mobile web that is worth paying attention to.

Mobile Statistics & Growth

Per Susannah Fox of Pew Internet, “Mobile is changing us, changing our frame of reference so that we see information as portable, personalized, and participatory.”  Important trends and statistics on mobile usage are:

• In 2011, for the first time, smartphone and tablet shipments exceed those of desktop and notebook shipments.
• In April, 234MM Americans aged 13 and up used mobile devices and 74.6MM owned smartphones, up 13 percent from the three-month period ending in January 2011.
• By 2014, mobile will become the most common way of accessing the Internet.
• Over 300,000 mobile apps have been developed in three years. Apps have been downloaded 10.9 billion times. But demand for download mobile apps is expected to peak in 2013.

Mobile Engagement In Healthcare

• Wireless users are more likely than other internet users to track health data online, and of 85% of adults who own a cell phone, 9% say they have software applications or “apps” on their phones that help them track or manage their health.
• About 20% of the online health population has posted comments or content related to health care. That’s the classic Pareto principle or 80-20 rule – 80% is listening, 20% is talking.   But here’s where it gets interesting:  hand someone a smartphone and they are more likely to become a contributor, a commenter, a creator. Mobile web access bumps up participation.

Smartphones and tablets are fast becoming the most readily available device for accessing the Internet, and users want to be able to access the information they want when they need it. If customers are searching for your company on an iPhone, iPad, Android or Balckberry device you can provide them with the best web experience possible.

There is a huge opportunity for mobile web design and mobile apps to increase the usability and interaction with healthcare information, especially as we see in the data how quickly consumer adoption is happening.

Mobile Web Design

The time is now to get a mobile website for your hospital, clinic or healthcare organization.  If you are waiting, you may lose customers to companies who are easier to find and engage with via mobile.

While it might seem advantageous to keep your full website available, a mobile web design gives you:

• Fast loading, limited graphic web design
• User interface built for mobile screens and browsers
• Mobile web content optimized for the context of a mobile user
• Navigation and features built for smartphones (GPS, click to call, etc.)

If users only have access to your full website when on their smartphone, something as simple as finding the correct phone number to make an appointment can become extremely frustrating or even impossible.

Mobile Web Design Example

One client of ours, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota uses its mobile website to help users find the most commonly sought after information from a mobile device—its locations, amenities at or near them and contact information.

Over 6,000 users per month access their website via a mobile device.

When you look at serving an audience of over 70,000 users annually, you can see the benefit of making sure their experience is successful and optimized for their use.

Does your brand have a mobile friendly web design?  If so, we’d love to hear about your success and user experience with it. If not, what is holding you back?

• Watch later this week for part two of this series: Health Care Providers and Social Media.